Morning meals have become a quick, heat-and-eat process for US consumers, according to a Future of Morning report from Circana projecting trends through 2027. The Chicago-based market researcher said 90% of morning meals take less than 15 minutes to prepare.

There are differences between demographic groups, though, with younger consumers going for potatoes and breakfast sandwiches, while older ones reach for frozen pancakes, waffles and french toast, the report said.

Breaking routines down further among age groups, millennials and Gen Z are getting their morning sustenance from foodservice or the workplace cafeteria, said Darren Seifer, industry adviser, consumer goods and foodservice for Circana.

“Part of it is convenience, but some of it is where they are in their lifestyles,” he told Food Business News. “Early on, they sleep in, and later, breakfast reinvigorates them for the workday.”

He added that cooking styles and acumen in the kitchen are different later in life, so the morning routine for younger consumers is more about what’s easy and available.

Gen Z consumers are expected to enhance the breakfast routine and space things out, which may mean an initial nutritional beverage with protein to tide them over to the next meal, Seifer said. The goal is finding gratification without taking a lot of time for the morning routine.

Circana’s data show some consumers are relying on away-from-home meals for the morning daypart. This trend may involve a convenience store or retail prepared foods, Seifer said. While it’s a more expensive option than grabbing something from home, it works if it adds value, he added.

“It’s always going to be, are you doing something to help me, giving me more time, giving me an experience I can’t do at home?,” he said. “It’s a value equation. It’s not all about saving in price, but what convenience play are you giving me? Maybe they’ve had cereal all week, and they want something else.”

Given US consumers’ rush to make something for breakfast and get out the door, marketers “would be wise to look at where the forecast is going,” Seifer said. Heat-and-eat products are one thing, but a lot of consumer demand today is for hydration and energy, he noted.

“We see for the most part that almost all the generations are pushing energy needs as well,” he said. “We don’t expect to see older generations driving as much of that. They don’t need as much coffee (since) they’re looking at retirement. For Gen X and younger, we will continue to see energy and hydration moving forward.”

The Circana report said beverages for hydration and energy, such as coffee, tea, water, protein shakes and energy and diet drinks, are increasingly standing in for breakfast foods. Seifer said in cases where consumers are just having a beverage in the morning, it typically happens before their true breakfast or between breakfast and lunch.

“If it’s before breakfast, they may be commuting and are steering, or they have their phone in one hand,” he said. “Previously, it was easy to have (food) in their briefcase and bring it to the office. So with beverage-only, it could typically be outside the breakfast occasion.”

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies and foodservice operators have an opportunity to attract consumers by offering products they can’t easily make at home, according to the report. Morning daypart innovations will need to consider convenience, taste and messaging, Seifer said.

“It’s always important to stay relevant with consumers, so if you’re finding yourself trying to coordinate with these forecasts, the top thing we have is cold cereal for breakfast, but it’s facing headwinds,” he said.

Products that address time and convenience may not do so well on gratification, he noted. And for some manufacturers, innovation is about product messaging and how the product fits in with the morning routine.

“For others, it’s going to be about moving into another category or format,” Seifer said, adding, “Adults are consumers of cold cereals as well.”

Circana uses several components to develop its data, he explained. Participants fill out an online journal of everything they ate for a week. Then researchers analyze the population impact, how growth will occur based on the size of a population group and whether behaviors are happening more for a certain age group or to everyone.

“It’s a time-tested methodology that has been pretty reliable for us,” he said. “We’ve done it for lunch and dinner and snacking.”