Prepared Foods - March 2009 - (Page 63)

2009 New Products Annual cereals and cereal bars At the Bars ■ ■ ■ ■ Bars serve as a quick breakfast Specific health claims are in Kosher, whole grains, natural, etc. are big Portion control and nutrition Meredith Hollihan, Contributing Editor, Mintel Research Consultancy R ecent health studies suggest that the best start to a healthy day merely begins with eating breakfast. However, many skip this simple task in their daily routines, as overbooked schedules coupled with generally hectic lifestyles leave the average American adult rushing out the door with an empty stomach. Fortunately, for these time-pressed consumers, breakfast products have launched in convenient formats that may be eaten quickly or on-the-go. Aside from their inherent affiliation with breakfast foods, standard cereals and bars are oftentimes enjoyed by consumers between meal times as a quick snack or temporary fix to hunger pains. Manufacturers’ acknowledgement of their cereals and bars’ product usage have steered them to position some brands as a versatile food to be enjoyed at any time and not just during the morning hours. This type of marketing promotes cereal and bars as products that may be consumed from morning to night, an effort initiated by firms to grow the two segments. Cereals could safely be regarded as the mainstay of U.S breakfast (and possibly even snack) food offerings. Consumers of all ages eat cereal. From a young toddler learning to feed himself a spoonful of sugary cereal, to the wise elder consuming a brand for its functional health benefits, cereal products are for everyone. On the Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), U.S. breakfast cereal product launches slightly decreased by 3% from 2 0 0 7 - 2 0 0 8 . H ow eve r, innovation efforts remaintain or control their weight mained strong in 2008, and several of the category’s may find help with products top trends carried into this such as this bar, "designed with a past year’s introductions. combination of protein and fiber The cereal bar market is estimated by Mintel to help you stay satisfied.” The at nearly $1.6 billion, product features13g of protein, accounting for food, 6g of fiber, is all-natural and drug and mass merchandisers, excluding Walmade with seven whole grains. Mart (FDMx) channels at 2008’s year-end. This group is one with strong sales growth, and Mintel reports cereal bars grew an impressive 45% from 2003-2008. Cereal bars showed strong 2007 sales growth of 15.9% (the highest in four years), which offset the flatter years of 2004-2005. However, this food segment saw a decrease in actual product introductions, as Mintel GNPD revealed ready-to-eat bars declined by 15% from 2007-2008. Many consumers trying to www.PreparedFoods.com ● March 2009 63 http://www.PreparedFoods.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Prepared Foods - March 2009

Prepared Foods - March 2009 Contents MarketWatch 2009 Spirit of Innovation Awards Meals on Demand Baked Goods: Baked in 2008 Growth in Soups and Side Dishes Beverages: Defending Drinks Cereals: At the Bars Snacks Dealing with Dairy On the Sauce: Sauces and Dressings Abstracts R&D Trends: Update on Healthy Ingredients

Prepared Foods - March 2009

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