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Unwanted publicity from former spokesperson Michael Phelps has forced cereal giant Kellogg's to think outside the box.

Last August, Kellogg's debuted its limited-edition Corn Flakes cereal boxes with the gold medalist on the cover. But when a photo of the Olympian smoking marijuana out of a bong surfaced, Phelps — and, some say, in turn, Kellogg's — were swimming in controversy. Ultimately, the cereal maker decided not to renew a contract with Phelps. One question remained, however. What would be done with all the cereal boxes graced by the champion?

As it should happen, one company's trash is another organization's treasure: Roughly 3,800 pounds of the the boxes were donated to the San Francisco Food Bank two weeks ago.

With the economy in shambles and more people in need than ever, the Food Bank was all too happy to take the boxes off the company's hands. As for cereal, says San Francisco Food Bank executive director Paul Ash: "It's become very hard to get ahold of."

Now that the boxes are no longer on supermarket shelves, they'll probably be collector's items — ones that can only be found at the food bank. Even if I do think the so-called scandal was blown out of proportion, I'm happy to hear that the leftover cereal will further a good cause. Are you surprised to hear of the outcome?

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On Monday, a photo broke of Olympian Michael Phelps smoking marijuana out of a bong. The backlash was immediately palpable, with Kellogg's dropping its endorsement deal with the champion and USA Swimming suspending him from competition. Now supporters of Phelps, finding the reactions to be far too harsh, are taking matters into their own hands and petitioning to boycott Kellogg's products.

The online petition includes some amusing (and rather valid) points, such as the fact that "Kellogg's has profited for decades on the food tastes of marijuana using Americans with the munchies." Kellogg's was one of the first companies to bring Phelps on board for a mega-endorsement deal after he earned eight gold medals in last year's Summer Olympics. His splashy photo adorned boxes of Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes.

Although non-food sponsors such as Omega and Speedo are standing by Phelps, I wonder if his other food sponsor, Subway, will do the same. What do you think of the scandal? Will you sign the petition to boycott the company's products?

Update: BuzzNewsRoom reports that Subway has removed all semblance of Michael Phelps from its website as it prepares to drop his endorsement deal.

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An honor of winning the most Olympic gold medals of all time is getting to grace the cover of a cereal box. This morning Kellogg's released the first images of the Michael Phelps Corn Flakes cover. Come Fall Phelps will front both Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes boxes.

Normally athletes are featured on Wheaties boxes, but this year Phelps's agent, Peter Carlisle, decided to go with Kellogg's.

I find the cover inspirational and patriotic and definitely prefer it to the image of Phelps on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

What do you think? Will you buy a box of Michael Phelps Corn Flakes?

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A couple of months ago, many of you were upset by the death announcement of the Hydrox cookie. Over the past few years, the black and white sandwich cookie had become harder and harder to find until it was practically extinct. However, Hydrox fans have bombarded manufacturer Kellogg, and thanks to consumer demand, the company has decided to bring the cookie back! There's a catch: The cookies will only be around for a limited time — long enough for Kellogg to see how well they sell. Michael E. Allen, the senior VP of marketing for Kellogg snacks, explains:

It's all up to the consumer. If it sells a lot and makes sense for the supermarkets and the grocery stores to keep it on the shelves, then we'll keep making them.

Thus, the fate of the Hydrox cookie lies in the hands of the consumers. Will you help save the cookie? Will you buy Hydrox while you still can?

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When I say two chocolate cookies with a thick, sweet white layer sandwiched between them, most of you will immediately think of Oreo cookies. However, there's a small percentage of folks who think of the Hydrox cookie instead. The Hydrox — originally produced by Sunshine Biscuits, then Keebler, and finally Kellogg's — debuted in 1908, four years before the Oreo.

Fans like them for several reasons, one being that they stand up better in milk, and the feud is often compared to Pepsi/Coke. Either you're a "Droxie" person or you're an Oreo person. Interestingly, a taste test done in 1988 by Advertising Age showed that 29 tasters voted for Hydrox and 16 voted for Oreo.

Yet despite the devotion of its fans and the taste test win, the Hydrox cookie has gone the way of the dinosaur. For the last several years, Hydrox cookies have been harder to find, and a report from the Wall Street Journal is confirming that the Hydrox cookie is dead. Fans of the product have voiced their opinions, but at this time Kellogg's has no plan on bringing the cookie back. They have, however, confirmed that the Hydrox still lives in "crushed cookie form" as a mix-in for yogurt and ice cream — many fans have noted sightings in several brands such as Edy's/Dreyer's and Carvel.

So tell me, were you a Hydrox fan?

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It's a great idea for anyone of any age to start making sure they are moving enough in a single day. A good way to do that is to track the actual steps you take in a day with a pedometer. The current recommended amounts are: 10,000 steps for active adults, 6-12 year old girls need 12,000 steps and 6-12 year old boys need 15,000 steps.

Kellogg's Frosted Flakes has gotten on board to this idea and is now encouraging kids to start being more mentally active in their own health, by getting them to be more physically active in their own lives. A free (my favorite word) step counter featuring Tony the Tiger inside specially-marked packages of Frosted Flakes cereal allows kids to track their daily steps. Your child can attach it to a belt or waistband and count every single step they take. Like most free pedometers, it may not be 100% accurate, but it is a fun way to get kids to think about health issues early on.

Don't have kids? Use it for yourself! Not into having Tony the Tiger on your fitness gadgets? Then maybe it's time to splurge on your own adult pedometer (that really works).

Kellogg's is no fool when it comes to getting on board with the health game.

They have recently released Special K20 Protein Water, which they claim is a refreshing drink that helps you stay on track. This follows Kellogg's push to have nutritious "shape management" tools (a nice way to say dieting) added to their line of foods, which target consumers interested in weight loss. It is quite an idea, especially since each bottle packs in 5 grams of protein. A four-pack of 16 oz bottles costs about $5.99.

Look for it in grocery stores near you. Try it out and let me know what you think.