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Consumers are making fewer stops at the breakfast table on their way out the door each morning, so retailers and manufacturers are thinking up new ways to make the meal a portable convenience.
Food bars, cereal in single-serve pouches, and handheld frozen sandwiches are among the items designed to encourage consumers to eat in the morning, regardless of their ability to stop and sit down.
"Manufacturers are doing everything possible to make it easier for consumers to eat breakfast," said Mark Clements, grocery buyer, Clements' Marketplace, Portsmouth, R.I.
Making an entire meal convenient and portable is no easy task. Last year, about 6% of all morning meals were eaten on the run, up from 3% in 1990, according to NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y., a provider of sales and marketing information. Furthermore, about 13% of all breakfasts are skipped completely.
"More and more people are eating breakfast on the go or at their desks," noted Lynn Dornblaser, director of consulting services, global new products database, Mintel International Group, Chicago, a consulting and research company.
Although ready-to-eat boxed cereal takes up the bulk of the breakfast category, sales are flat or marginally better. Forward-thinking retailers are making room for options.
"There's been a lot more ready-to-go, individually packed items available," observed Parrish Placencia, category manager, Andronico's, Albany, Calif.
One such fast-moving item at Andronico's is Quaker Oatmeal Breakfast Squares, according to Placencia. The hand-size squares are made of whole-grain rolled oats. They provide 20% of the daily value for calcium, vitamin A, iron, folic acid and vitamin B6, and 10% of the daily value for fiber and vitamin E -- much like a bowl of cereal.
"While times have changed, people are still looking for a breakfast choice that is filling, portable and they can feel good about from a health perspective," Dave Kimbell, manager, Quaker Oatmeal Breakfast Squares, said in a statement. Chicago-based Quaker is a unit of PepsiCo.
Indeed, many consumers view products like these as healthier than other portable breakfast options, Placencia said. The bars easily cater to buyers who may not be interested in a regular food bar because they see it as a snack, not a breakfast.
"This is a food bar with a twist," Placencia said, noting that last...