Ask anyone what the most important meal of the day is, and they’ll all say breakfast. However, less than half of consumers are eating it regularly, and 12% say they rarely eat it at all! This begs the question: if breakfast is so important, why aren’t more people eating it?
According to a national breakfast study by Instantly™, which interviewed 10,000 consumers from across the U.S., those who rarely eat breakfast cited a lack of time as the second biggest reason for not eating, with the number one reason being not having an appetite in the morning. When consumers are pressed for time, 43% say they’re likely to grab something on the go, with consumers most likely to grab something from home, followed by a drive-thru restaurant, and stopping at a convenience store or gas station.
When consumers aren’t pressed for time, the desire to eat a healthy breakfast is even more important than the desire to eat a convenient breakfast. If consumers have time to eat breakfast, they want to make sure they’re putting good, quality food in their bodies to start the day, with many seeking foods that are high in protein.
While there isn’t much you can do to change peoples’ appetites in the morning, Andy Jolls, chief marketing officer at Instantly, says consumers’ busier schedules are really to blame for the lack of breakfast time in the morning. “In the U.S., with longer work days that break out of the 9-5 model, timing and convenience has become a deciding factor in what many Americans eat in the morning,” Jolls said. “But that doesn’t mean demand for breakfast foods is low.
If companies can provide breakfast in a format that accommodates busy schedules while appealing to taste and nutrition, they could see significant incremental growth.”
Given the growth in popularity of products like on-the-go cereal bars, breakfast shakes, and even breakfast biscuits over the past few years, it’s clear that consumers want something they can easily eat on-the-go, is healthy, and provides enough nutrition to keep them satisfied until lunch time. One “whey” that manufacturers can create such attractive breakfast options is to use natural whey protein in their products. Not only does whey provide multiple health benefits for consumers of all ages, it’s also the highest quality natural protein source of any protein type.
As Innovators of Dairy-Based Food Ingredients™, we offer several natural whey protein products that can help food manufacturers increase the health, convenience, and naturalness of their breakfast applications, while maintaining the original taste and texture.
Using our Grande WPCrisp® whey protein crisps, food manufacturers can add a crunchy protein boost to their cereals, cereal bars, and granola, while its clean, neutral flavor complements an original product’s intended flavor. They’re the perfect replacement for any soy or rice crisps, and our 60% protein formulation is even available in natural dark cocoa.
With our Grande Primo™ dried yogurt powder and cultured dairy products, food manufacturers can add the great taste and creamy texture of yogurt to a wide variety of breakfast applications, without the shelf-life and handling issues. Whether it’s a breakfast shake, smoothie, fruit dip, or yogurt-covered cereal bar, there are plenty of breakfast applications that can benefit from Grande Primo™, and our Y100 variety even meets the Code of Federal Regulations for lowfat yogurt prior to drying.
Want to learn more about how our natural whey protein products can be used to create healthier, more convenient breakfast options? Download our Top 10 Reasons to Use Whey Protein tip sheet today, or talk to our expert food scientists by clicking here.
