Breakfast branches out into bars, yogurts and other on-the-go solutions

07 Sep 2017 --- In a time of great public awareness of sugar-related health issues and a generation of millennials that are rejecting some past consumption habits, breakfast products are finding a new role. Today, in the second part of its special report, FoodIngredientsFirst looks at the ways in which breakfast products are going beyond cereals to deliver convenient, healthy food.

The rise of the breakfast bar
The development of breakfast bars in the cereal/energy arena was the first sign of a “time of day” focus and, according to Innova Market Insights data, there were 126 new cereal bars mentioning the terms “breakfast” or “morning” in brand name, description or claims in 2015. This is up from 111 in 2014 and way up from just 34 back in 2010. 

This equates to around three to four percent of total NPD in cereal and energy bars.

Earlier this year, PepsiCo expanded its Quaker snack bar portfolio with the introduction of Quaker Breakfast Flats, which contain ingredients like cranberry, raisins, honey, oats, banana and cinnamon. 

Breakfast on the go
The on-the-go category continues to rise in popularity as the busy lifestyles of consumers and parents drive the need for convenient, but healthy, food.

Oatmeal to cook in the pot, punnets of pre-cut fruit like berries and blitzed fruit and veggie smoothies are just a few examples.

Ready-to-eat breakfast food that can be eaten as we walk, eaten on the commute into work, eaten before or after a workout and conveniently packed into a child’s lunchbox for school are the order of the day.

Yogurt
While this may seem like it is just a breakfast innovation, yogurt represents one of the product items that is crossing over into other categories like snacking. The trend for high-protein yogurt is pushing innovation as manufacturers look to position it as something that can be eaten during different occasions and at other times of the day.

Super Spoon from Greek company Kri Kri is an authentic Greek yogurt that is positioned as a high-protein source with a fat-free claim. It is packed with superfruits like blueberry, blackberry, cranberry, blackcurrant, goji berries, raspberry, pomegranate and other ingredients including cereals, seeds, banana and mango. 

“Greek yogurt is a really big trend around the world - in Europe especially – due to the high protein content,” Stahoula Chatzi, Export Marketing at Kri Kri, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. 

“The idea is to combine very famous Greek yogurt with superfruits and superfoods in order to have yogurt that can help in the demanding lives that we live.”

“It’s good for the immune system and it can be a good snack at work or after getting some exercise or after the gym,” Chatzi adds. 

In addition, General Mills foodservice is just about to launch its Yoplait Trix Yogurt, “made with less sugar and without gelatin.”

The changes to Trix yogurt come just in time for the 2017-18 school year and make it easier for schools to serve yogurt to meet “an even broader array of students’ dietary needs and preferences,” according to the company.

In addition to reducing sugar to 9 g per 4-ounce serving for 25 percent less sugar, General Mills is removing gelatin from Trix yogurt offered to schools in order to enable vegetarian usage on school menus. New colorful packaging, which will incorporate playful graphics of fruit, will also debut this fall.

By Gaynor Selby