The 'snackification' of breakfast

It’s no secret that Americans are snacking more, and how they’re snacking is creating change at breakfast time, said Jared Koerten, senior analyst, Euromonitor, who delivered a keynote address on March 22 at SNAC International’s SNAXPO conference in Houston.

Americans continue to snack on-the-go, especially in places like the car, Koerten said. And drive time is ripe for replacing a traditional meal — breakfast — with a portable snack food.

Mondelez International’s breakfast biscuit, which was introduced in the United States in 2012, created a breakfast disruption that resulted in the breakfast biscuit category all its own.

“Success always brings competition,” Koerten said, noting that 2015 saw a rise in known brands entering the breakfast biscuit foray, including Nature Valley, NutriGrain and Kind.

And the breakfast biscuit attributes that appeal to on-the-move breakfast snackers — health, convenience, portability — are creating opportunities for even more innovation.

For retail bakeries, the applications are clear: Make breakfast options easy to grab and go.