Starting the day off right

Our expectations of breakfast are changing as consumers become more focused on health.

Skipping our way to lunch

As Brits eat breakfast more often, skipped breakfast occasions are declining by -1%, although when we do eat breakfast, we’re most likely to do so at home. In fact, over 90% of the UK’s breakfasts are eaten at home - versus 67% of other meals. Even though, we’re buying breakfast on the go more often (+2% from last year), this is partly offset by the fact that shoppers are carrying breakfast out less frequently - down by 1%.

Our expectations of breakfast are changing as consumers become more focused on health. We now want our breakfasts to provide us with a portion of fruit or veg (+4%), to include general health benefits (+3%), and to be natural and less processed (+9%). Additionally, it must fill us up (+7%), and last but not least, it should taste good (+2%).

No more sugar-coating breakfast

Consumers are becoming increasingly health conscious; this is reflected in our food and drink choices. For example, fruit juice was once a staple part of Brits’ breakfast consumption and a way to get in our 5-a-day. This drink is now declining due to its high sugar content (15g sugar per 150ml recommended portion size); one glass delivers 50% of the recommended daily sugar allowance. Instead, we’re increasingly choosing fruit to deliver this. Cereal remains a key staple, appearing at 55% of breakfast occasions, however toast and spreads are declining -63 million occasions and -67million occasions respectively. Eggs are frequently seen as a healthier option, as consumers are choosing them more often at breakfast, up by 97million occasions.

Although we’re eating more fruit, cereal isn’t completely losing out. We’re revamping our cereal by adding fruit (+6%) and yoghurt, with tinned fruits (+9%) and fresh fruits (+4%) driving this trend. Interestingly, we’re not substituting cereal for fruit, when we add fruit to our cereal our portions are 10% smaller, leading to an overall decrease in the average bowl size.

Despite these changes, breakfast remains by far the cheapest meal of the day at 56p per person per occasion, costing less than the average snack 82p. Our habits are beginning to change slowly (the value of breakfast has grown 4p over the last 4 years), and it’s unlikely that this is going to change dramatically soon.

Kantar Worldpanel Usage | Total In Home & Carried Out | 52 w/e 3^rd December 2017