Breakfast is widely viewed as the most important meal of the day, eaten by 93% of Brits at home (Mintel).
A recent State of the Nation report revealed that toast meals have seen a comeback in UK households as people return to quicker breakfast routines.
People are opting for simpler meals which are quicker and more convenient to make, and the report shows that toast meals are up 0.3% compared to last year to 245m.
With toast a mainstay of the breakfast occasion, butters and spreads are an essential item for the breakfast table and should be a key part of the breakfast ranges for wholesalers and their retail customers.
With total out-of-home eating occasions falling by 7% compared to 2022 (TWC), value for money is high on the agenda for consumers.
Georgina Thomas, Head of Marketing for Butters, Spreads & Oils at Saputo Dairy UK, comments: “With households’ disposable income coming under increasing pressure, many consumers are working harder to make their groceries last longer. As more people choose to make their meals at home, stocking top brands that consumers know and love is key. For some shoppers, this will mean spending a bit more on quality they can trust, such as Country Life butter or Cathedral City cheddar, as a cost-efficient way of elevating the everyday and ‘trading up’ on their budget-friendly breakfast, brunches and toastie meals.”
Always looking to support consumers, Saputo Dairy UK has recently launched a 500g spreadable tub format of Willow, its much-loved alternative to butter. Willow Spreadable 500g is ideal for shoppers who are seeking affordability without sacrificing taste. The new SKU offers a refreshing option for families who are watching their spending thanks to its lower price point.
Andrew Bradshaw, UK Sales Director at Dole Sunshine Company, comments: “As the current cost of living crisis continues to bite, it’s safe to assume that consumers are likely to continue to change their shopping behaviours and be more conscious of product value for money incorporating quality, waste, convenience and choice which is where ambient products can increasingly have a role to play. Whilst fresh fruit can come at a premium price, shoppers understand that ambient goods not only offer good value and have longer shelf lives, but in the case of our Dole packaged fruit range, can also be one of your five-a-day and a healthy part of their overall diet.”
While some breakfast products may have risen significantly in price over the last twelve months, consumers can buy a four pack of Dole’s fruit in juice cups for just £2.19 which offers them a great tasting and healthy product at a price most can afford which is perfect for either breakfast at home, on the move or in the office.
Recent data from Mintel shows that fruit is the fourth most popular food to be eaten at breakfast, after cereal, bakery and porridge, and that’s no surprise as many consumers now recognise the benefits of starting the day with something which is good for you and easy to digest.
Healthiness is high on consumers’ radars, with 36% of breakfast eaters saying health reasons have prompted them to change what they have for breakfast over the last twelve months. This drive to be healthier is also apparent with the potential for breakfast foods to shout about calorie content, as 45% of eaters say they consider how many calories are in their breakfast as part of their daily intake. As further evidence of the growing popularity of fruit, sales of Dole fruit cups are up by 4.6% (IRI) in the last 52 weeks versus a flat category.
With health being a key driver, Dole is trying to help consumers in-store by putting Nutri-Score ratings on the front of all its branded products which reflects the brand’s commitment to good nutrition and informed food choices. Nutri-Score is a color-coded nutritional label that classifies foods and beverages according to the nutritional quality of a product, with a scale from A (healthier choices) to E (less healthy choices). Nutri-score is calculated taking into account both the nutrients you should limit (calories, sat. fat, sugars and salt) and those that should be favoured (percentage of fruits, vegetables and nuts, fibre, protein). The food is then assigned a colour and letter based on the score, making it quicker and easier for consumers to compare products. Almost all of the Dole range scores an A or B rating.
Dole’s best-selling products are the Pineapple, Mandarin, Mixed Fruit and Peach variants of its fruit in juice range and come in convenient and recyclable packs which can be eaten at home or on the go.
One particularly good breakfast option is the recently launched 198g Dole Tropical Gold Pineapple or Dole Tropical Fruit in Juice packs, which are the perfect portable and healthy snack for on the go. Ideally suited to the chiller, they not only taste great, but have a minimum delivered shelf life of over 90 days to minimise waste, whilst delivering all the health benefits of fresh on the go, and even come with a handy wooden toothpick to aid eating on the move.
“There’s no doubt that for many, the pandemic and accompanying lockdown restrictions gave people more time at breakfast but as things return to something more ‘normal’, other factors are impacting choices,” adds Bradshaw. “Wholesalers need to understand that consumers are now looking for breakfast items that are not only easy to prepare and healthy, but also convenient and can be consumed on the go. This is where both Dole’s fruit in juice cups range and Fruit and Cream range can really come into play here as credible options, as they can be enjoyed while sitting around the breakfast table on their own or as a topping on yoghurt, cereal or porridge, but also as a snack on the way to work or even at your desk. All products in the Dole range can be served either chilled or ambient, giving versatility in both storage and display, and complement other popular breakfast products like porridge, cereal and baked goods perfectly for a well-balanced breakfast.”
Kate Berry, Head of Marketing & Product – Colpac, comments: “The food on-the-go market has had to adapt post pandemic, with many of us spending more time working from home and not needing to grab lunch in a way that we used to. As a result, food service retailers are expanding their offerings to cover more day parts, including breakfast.”
Convenience has returned as a dominant factor in breakfast choices, such as healthy fruit salads, protein porridges and ever popular pastries. Colpac offers a wide variety of recyclable and compostable paperboard food packaging solutions for on-the-go breakfast items.
One of these products is the pots which have a multitude of uses, helping to reduce stock counts for wholesalers.
They can easily be labelled for tamper proofing or to show ingredients, either in-line, or by hand. The microwave pots and lids can be microwave heated and then displayed in a hot cabinet, so are ideal for consumers seeking a pot of hearty porridge to start the day as the weather turns colder.
Colpac’s compostable pots and lids are a fantastic option for those with access to commercial composting schemes and collections, and can be used for instant serve hot breakfasts, or for chilled items such as yoghurt and fruit.
Breakfast delivery is back too, with businesses hosting breakfast meetings and supplying catering for events that kick off in the morning. Colpac’s platter boxes with windows and platter trays are delivered flat, so are space efficient for wholesalers to store. The brand offers several sizes and configurations for customers looking to package sharing spreads of fruit, pastries, patisserie, or even breakfast wraps and sandwiches.
Growing in demand across wholesale and convenience after creating a loyal following in major grocery, Proper Nutty offers affordable premium at a time when people are looking to treat themselves but not break the bank.
“As well as attracting shoppers who want to trade up, we are also finding that a growing number of people are trading out of almond and cashew nut butters and turning to premium peanut offerings,” explains Simon Greenwood-Haigh, Head of Emerging Brands at Associated British Foods. “That way they can still treat themselves, but on a smaller budget.”
Available in original Smunchy, new Lightly Salted Smunchy, Proper Crunchy, Yorkshire Roast, and new Dark Roast (featuring dry roasted, salted nuts for a deeper flavour), all are free of palm oil, contain no added sugar, are suitable for those following vegetarian and vegan diets, and come in plastic-free packaging.
“We keep things proper simple, so we only buy the best, single origin, ethically sourced, high-oleic peanuts, which are then roasted before being ground good and proper before going straight into plastic free packaging within no more than two hours, making Proper Nutty the only ‘bean to cup’ peanut butter available,” adds Greenwood-Haigh.
“In short, we make peanut butter for shoppers who want a better product made in a better way, all whilst offering an affordable trade up from inferior products.”
The brand’s growing commercial success would certainly back this up.
Currently worth around £148 million in retail alone, peanut butter accounts for £1 in every £4 spent on jams and spreads (Euromonitor).
Associated British Foods’ research shows that taste is king and that almost half (43%) of shoppers often switch between smooth and crunchy, meaning that it’s important to stock both types as well as catering for the smunchers who love both smooth and crunchy in a single sitting.
More than eight out of 10 (84%) of Proper Nutty shoppers eat peanut butter at least twice a week, so they are heavy users and therefore a valuable proposition to retailers with a high frequency and higher than average basket spend.
As well as offering wholesale promotions and a ‘Try me for free’ on-pack promise to consumers until the end of the year if they are not satisfied with the product, Proper Nutty offers a range of instore point of sale materials. It also runs successful joint promotions with sister brands Billington’s and Allinson’s during key occasions such as Pancake Day.
“Occasions are a great opportunity to drive further sales of premium peanut butter,” adds Greenwood-Haigh. “We typically see strong sales uplifts during key moments in the calendar such as Pancake Day, Veganuary, Healthy New Year, and the Great British Bake Off.”
Alistair Gaunt, Commercial Director at Hovis, comments: “Despite many consumers now returning to the office, figures from Mintel show that eating breakfast at home remains the most common consumption location, with 57% eating breakfast at home every day in comparison to just 5% eating it out of the home (Mintel). Traditional breakfast items (e.g., crumpets, English muffins) grew +6.2% in units over the latest year in the impulse channel (NielsenIQ). Hovis® is well-placed to help wholesalers respond to this rising elevated breakfast / brunch trend with both our Hovis Bakers Since 1886® Crumpets and English muffins (with Barber’s Farmhouse Cheddar) firm favourites for the occasion.”
Sales of white bread currently account for nearly 75% of pre-packaged bread units sold in the impulse channel (NIQ). Given the current economic climate, many shoppers are buying fewer different types of bread for their households and are increasingly moving towards pre-packaged white bread, which is most likely to satisfy the needs of multiple people (NIQ). It is therefore clearly important for wholesalers to stock white bread as it is a potential “crowd-pleaser” for everyone in the household.
“However, it’s also crucial not to forget to offer choice via the other bread types,” adds Gaunt. “For example, bread with seeds and grains accounts for 18% of loaves sold and brown/wholemeal for nearly 14% in the total market, so there is an opportunity for impulse retailers to change the mix of what they sell (NielsenIQ). With this in mind, stocking products such as Hovis® Wholemeal and Hovis® Seed Sensations® (the nation’s #1 brand of bread with seeds and grains, NielsenIQ) should also be key areas of focus.”
Elaine Rothballer, Head of Marketing Consumer Brands at Kepak, home of Rustlers, comments: “The trend for indulgence and elevating the breakfast occasion continues to grow as consumers seek convenient breakfast solutions beyond the mediocre, that can easily replicate Out of Home menu favourites. Worth £1.13bn, morning goods saw 4% growth in the last year, driven by branded products, as more ‘traditional’ options like crumpets and sliced bread have shown decline (Nielsen).”
With shopper habits continuing to evolve, it’s important retailers carry a strong range of both on-the-go and single-serve products to appeal to eat now and eat later breakfast occasions that can be consumed wherever shoppers may wish.
Rustlers, worth £107.8m (Nielsen) and synonymous with its convenient chilled ready meal offering, provides single-serve options like the well-established variants in QSR. The brand’s award-winning ‘All Day Breakfast’ range comprises the Sausage Muffin and the Pancake Stack.
The All Day Breakfast Sausage Muffin (RRP £1.95, case size 4) is one of Rustlers’ top-selling products in convenience, worth more than £1.2m (Nielsen) in the channel, with the number of listings in convenience continuing to grow (Nielsen).
The multiple award-winning Rustlers All Day Breakfast Pancake Stack (RRP £2, case size 4) has quickly become one of the fastest growing products in the brands’ range, already worth £1.6m (Nielsen) since launch. Quaker Oats is set to delight consumers with the introduction of an exciting new Caramelised Biscuit flavour to its ‘Oat So Simple’ range.
Available in the grocery channel, the tasty breakfast option comes in two convenient formats: sachets (10pk – 334g) and an on-the-go pot (57g). As the number one brand in hot cereals (Nielsen), Quaker has a strong track record of providing consumers with tasty breakfasts in convenient formats, which the new flavour will expand even further. The trendy new flavour also adds to the brand’s already strong offering of tasty but fully non-HFSS hots products, as health and taste continue to be important considerations for shoppers.
There has been a growing demand for “Speculaas” flavours – the traditional name of a caramelised biscuit from Belgium and the Netherlands, which is in the top 20 fastest-growing sweet flavours for the past three years (Kerry Marketing). Over the last few years, consumers have taken to social media to create dessert-inspired oats, including creating caramelised biscuit flavoured combinations. Quaker’s latest NPD plays into this demand, and is also made with natural flavours, delivering great taste in one convenient product. The product is also 100% wholegrain and nutritious, which presents an opportunity for retailers to introduce a healthy new and exciting flavour to their range.
Claire Molyneux, Head of Brand for Quaker at PepsiCo comments: “We’ve seen a real demand for caramelised biscuit-flavoured breakfast products on social media, where consumers combine the flavour profile of caramelised biscuits with our Quaker Oats, with recipes accumulating millions of views across platforms. It was a no-brainer to bring the caramelised biscuit flavour to our portfolio and tap into consumer demand, with the concept performing well in consumer testing.
“9/10 of consumers eat breakfast every day (Kantar), making it the largest meal occasion in the UK. With this in mind, there is a huge headroom for growth, with flavour playing a major role in attracting shoppers – 71% of consumers tend to eat the same breakfast every day. 50% of these however said that they would widen their choice of breakfast if more exciting flavours were available (Kantar). Our aim with Quaker Oat So Simple Caramelised Biscuit is for this new flavour to excite existing and new customers, as well as demonstrate our commitment to launching innovative flavours that consumers love.”
Chris Dubois, Head of Category & In-store Excellence, Weetabix Food Company, comments: “As more and more Britons are feeling the pinch – with rising fuel costs and food prices combining with bigger mortgage payments to leave people feeling cash-strapped – shoppers are increasingly looking for brands they can trust to offer great value for money. There has never been more demand for not only affordable meal solutions, but also advice on how to make household budgets stretch further.”
Weetabix is still the nation’s number one cereal (Nielsen), with 97% prompted awareness. Weetabix gives consumers great nutrition, versatility, 100% recyclable packaging, sustainable farming, and major investment into home nation and grassroots football.
As with all categories at the minute, sustainability is another key trend in the breakfast category. As the makers of the nation’s favourite breakfast cereal, Weetabix is committed to setting out a roadmap that will enable it to produce its first box of zero carbon Weetabix Original. The roadmap will draw on the results of carbon footprint studies that the company is undertaking with its farmers to explore the different factors contributing to carbon emissions associated with producing their wheat.
“Given the focus on public health, the importance of a healthy breakfast is high. When it comes to the legislation regarding products high in fat, salt, and sugar (HFSS), Weetabix is in a strong position compared to its competitors – all Weetabix-branded products were already HFSS compliant before the legislation was introduced,” adds Dubois.
99% of Weetabix’s sold products do not contain high levels of saturated fat, sugar, or salt, offering consumers healthy choices to start their day.
Earlier this year, Weetabix added a new variant into its popular Melts portfolio: Chocolatey Hazelnut. Chocolate hazelnut is an on-trend flavour with broad appeal – the global hazelnut market is projected to register a CAGR of 10% over the next five years (Mordor), such is the popularity of the flavour among consumers. Not only do Melts taste great, but these soft-centred crunchy hazelnut bites are HFSS-compliant, making them a healthier choice for consumers.
Recent breakfast behaviour polls have shown that consumption ‘as a treat’ is one of shoppers’ primary motivators for choice at breakfast time. Those factors combine to make this the perfect moment to bring Chocolatey Hazelnut Melts to market.
Among UK consumers, chocolate hazelnut has also been shown to evoke a sense of nostalgia aligned to after-school snacking on chocolate hazelnut spreads. Chocolatey Hazelnut Melts give shoppers the chance to indulge in one of their favourite flavours from childhood in a healthy cereal form that will broaden appeal within the sector by offering a tasty and exciting new product that is ideal for the breakfast occasion.
Sarah Fordy, Head of Marketing at CPUK – manufacturers of Nestlé Cereals, comments: “With recent Nestlé data revealing that taste is the top priority for consumers when choosing a breakfast option (Kantar), we’ve seen a shift in consumer trends, and chocolate flavour cereals have emerged as the most preferred flavour in global cereal launches (Mintel).”
To meet consumer needs, earlier this year CPUK launched KitKat Cereal – a new breakfast option which brings the taste of the popular chocolate bar straight to consumers’ cereal bowls. The crispy cereal squares provide the delicious taste of chocolate and wafer. CPUK developed the cereal for consumers who are looking for an occasional, indulgent breakfast option, that can be enjoyed as part of a balanced diet.
“We are also seeing preference from consumers for trusted brands with long-standing reputation and heritage,” adds Fordy. “At Nestlé Cereals, Shreddies®, Cheerios®, and Shredded Wheat® continue to be our best performing products and remain firm consumer favourites.”
Research shows that more than a quarter (28%, Kantar) of consumers eat breakfast specifically for health reasons – with fibre, wholegrain and vitamins considered the second most important priority for consumers, after enjoyment, when considering a breakfast option (Kantar).
As the manufacturer of many of the UK’s favourite cereal brands, Nestlé Cereals is committed to meeting consumers’ needs, and the company has worked hard for many years to improve the nutritional profile of its products by increasing the wholegrain content across its portfolio. In fact, 96% of its product portfolio now contains wholegrain as the number one ingredient (Circana).
“Despite how busy mornings can be, breakfast remains the most likely meal of the day to be eaten at home (Kantar), with cereals remaining a popular choice with consumers to power their mornings. It’s crucial that wholesalers are providing a wide variety of product choice in the category to meet consumer demand,” says Fordy.
“To maximise sales, wholesalers should ensure availability and visibility of the core products within each category, like our family favourite SHREDDIES® and CHEERIOS® brands. Prioritising displaying Price Mark Products is also essential for wholesalers, as the visible price allows consumers to be sure of product price and confident in their purchasing decisions. Technological advancements such as online based ordering systems, along with WhatsApp and email blasts to make retailers aware of daily and weekly deals are also proving popular with wholesalers as they help to bring awareness to the products on offer and deals available, which boost sales.”
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