ROCKVILLE, MD. — Consumers’ relationship with breakfast is changing as the line between meals and snacks continues to blur. Twenty-four per cent of consumers snack in the morning instead of eating a full meal, according to a new report by Packaged Facts.
The most common product straddling the breakfast and snack line is yogurt, the report said. Thirty-nine per cent of adults said they eat yogurt as a snack, while 44% eat it for breakfast.
But yogurt isn’t the only breakfast mainstay seeing success as a snack. A quarter of consumers said they snack on cereal, 16% on bacon, and 13% on pancakes and French toast. Food manufacturers have an opportunity to take advantage of this snack-based trend, Packaged Facts said, if the company focuses on packaging, portability and preparation requirements.
The Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich., recently embraced the breakfast-snack hybrid market by offering some of its cereals, such as Frosted Flakes with Energy Clusters and Special K granola, in grab-and-go cups. The company also launched Kellogg’s To Go Breakfast Mix, which comes in single-serve pouches designed to fit in a car’s cup holder. The mix features larger cereal pieces in a mix made to be enjoyed without milk.
“As restaurant brands such as Denny’s have long known, and as McDonald’s success with all-day breakfast cements, foods traditionally associated with the breakfast daypart can also find success during other parts of the day and/or as a snack,” said David Sprinkle, research director for Packaged Facts.
