Table of Contents
Overview
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- Key issues covered in this Report
- COVID-19: market context
- Economic and other assumptions
- Report coverage
Executive Summary
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- Impact of COVID-19 on breakfast foods
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- Figure 1: Short, medium and long-term impact of COVID-19 on breakfast foods, October 2020
- The market
- Boost to RTE cereals from COVID-19
- Return to growth for prepacked bread
- Cereal bars and breakfast biscuits lose out
- Strong interest in healthy eating
- More older people to benefit in-home breakfast foods
- Breakfast eating habits of younger people more complicated
- Companies and brands
- Low/reduced sugar claims low despite consumer interest
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- Figure 2: New product launches in breakfast-related food categories making low/reduced sugar claims, 2015-20
- Increase in high/added-protein claims in breakfast foods
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- Figure 3: New product launches in breakfast-related food categories making high/added-protein claims, 2015-20
- Products carrying functional claims look to benefit from COVID-19
- Gut health claims also increasing
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- Figure 4: New product launches in breakfast cereals and yogurts/yogurt drinks making digestive health claims, 2015-20
- Cereal brands focus on the importance of breakfast and versatility
- The consumer
- COVID-19 drives more people to eat breakfast at home every day
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- Figure 5: Frequency of eating breakfast at home before and during the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, July 2020
- Older people eat breakfast at home most frequently
- Breakfast cereals the most popular choice
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- Figure 6: Foods eaten for breakfast at home during the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, July 2020
- Half made some change to eating breakfast during pandemic
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- Figure 7: Changes to breakfast eating since COVID-19/coronavirus restrictions, July 2020
- Little variation seen in breakfast choices
- More than one way of eating breakfast
- Breakfast foods providing immunity system support have strong appeal
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- Figure 8: Behaviours related to eating breakfast, July 2020
- Convenience as important as healthiness, high fibre most important nutritional quality
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- Figure 9: Qualities most important when choosing food to eat as part of breakfast at home, July 2020
- Opportunity to make more of the importance of breakfast
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- Figure 10: Attitudes towards eating breakfast, July 2020
Issues and Insights
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- Need for speedy breakfasts to hold on to COVID-19 boost to sales
- Boost to at-home breakfast foods from lockdown and remote working
- Demand for on-the-go breakfasts dampened by COVID-19
- Opportunity for brands to tap interest in healthier breakfast foods
- Pandemic and aftermath will increase focus on health
- Various nutritional qualities sought in breakfast foods
- Breakfast foods providing immunity system support have strong appeal
- Catering to demand for more variety at breakfast important
- Little variation seen in breakfast choices
- Strong interest in more exciting breakfast ideas
- Recreating out-of-home breakfasts chimes widely
- Target those not conforming to traditional breakfast eating patterns
- Opportunity to target breakfast snacking
- Promote relevance of foods for brunch
- Focus on the social element of breakfast to boost sales
The Market – Key Takeaways
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- More breakfasts at home boost sales of breakfast foods
- Boost to RTE cereals from COVID-19
- Return to growth for prepacked bread
- Cereal bars and breakfast biscuits lose out
- Strong interest in healthy eating
- New government strategy to tackle obesity published
- More older people to benefit in-home breakfast foods
- Breakfast eating habits of younger people more diverse
- Number of older children and teenagers projected to grow
- Recession set to hit spending on foodservice and added-value products
Market Sizes for Breakfast Foods
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- Impact of COVID-19 on breakfast foods
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- Figure 11: Short, medium and long-term impact of COVID-19 on breakfast foods, October 2020
- Increases in retail sales for breakfast-related food categories
- Boost to RTE cereals from COVID-19
- Return to growth for prepacked bread
- Cereal bars and breakfast biscuits lose out
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- Figure 12: UK retail value sales of selected breakfast-related foods, 2015-20
Market Drivers
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- Strong interest in healthy eating
- Government emphasis on health intensifies under COVID-19
- Sugar reduction sees mixed results by category
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- Figure 13: Percentage of sugar reduction achieved across selected categories in PHE’s sugar reduction and reformulation programme*, 2015-19
- Population trends to have impact on breakfast eating
- More older people to benefit in-home breakfast foods
- Breakfast eating habits of younger people more complicated
- Number of older children and teenagers projected to grow
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- Figure 14: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2014-24
- Recession set to hit spending on foodservice and added-value products
- Poor UK wheat yields and Brexit could put upward pressure on prices
Companies and Brands – Key Takeaways
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- Low/reduced sugar claims low despite consumer interest
- Increase in high/added-protein claims in breakfast foods
- Products carrying functional claims look to benefit from COVID-19
- Gut health claims also increasing
- Hovis and Kellogg’s get more specific on fibre
- Brands look to expand their revenue streams
- Vegan claims increase across breakfast foods
- Cereal brands focus on the importance of breakfast
- Quaker and Weetabix emphasise their versatility
- Nutritional value continues to be highlighted in advertising
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Low/reduced sugar claims low despite consumer interest
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- Figure 15: New product launches in breakfast-related food categories making low/reduced sugar claims, 2015-20
- Figure 16: Examples of launches making low-sugar claims in breakfast cereals, 2019/20
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- Figure 17: Examples of launches making lower in sugar or reduced sugar claims in breakfast foods, 2019/20
- Increase in high/added-protein claims in breakfast foods
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- Figure 18: New product launches in breakfast-related food categories making high/added-protein claims, 2015-20
- Kellogg’s entry puts protein firmly in the mainstream in cereals, yogurts look to detailed protein content
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- Figure 19: Examples of launches making high/added-protein claims in breakfast cereals, 2019/20
- Convenient cereal formats explore protein
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- Figure 20: Examples of convenient formats making high/added-protein claims in breakfast foods, 2019/20
- Products carrying functional claims look to benefit from COVID-19
- Immunity support claims appeal to seven in 10
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- Figure 21: New product launches in breakfast cereals and yogurts/yogurt drinks making immune system claims, 2015-20
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- Figure 22: Examples of launches making immune system claims in breakfast foods, 2019/20
- Gut health claims also increasing
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- Figure 23: New product launches in breakfast cereals and yogurts/yogurt drinks making digestive health claims, 2015-20
- Figure 24: Examples of launches making digestive health claims in breakfast cereals, 2019/20
- Hovis and Kellogg’s get more specific on fibre
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- Figure 25: New Kellogg’s All-Bran Prebiotic Oaty Clusters, 2020
- Brands look to expand their revenue streams
- Peanut butter a popular area for brand extensions
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- Figure 26: Examples of new launches in peanut butter, 2019/20
- Roberts launches breakfast snacking range
- Vegan claims increase across breakfast foods
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- Figure 27: New product launches in breakfast-related food categories making vegan/no-animal-ingredients claims, 2015-20
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- Figure 28: Examples of new launches focusing on plant-based claims, 2019/20
- More breakfast foods tap demand for convenience
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- Figure 29: New launches of cereal/snack bars targeted specifically at breakfast, 2019/20
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Yogurts and cereals the most advertised breakfast-related foods
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- Figure 30: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on breakfast-related food categories, 2019 and January-August 2020
- Cereal brands focus on the importance of breakfast
- Kellogg’s shows different eating scenarios
- Weetabix returns to ‘Have you had your Weetabix?’ theme
- Quaker and Weetabix emphasise their versatility
- Quaker encourages consumers to ‘Go Forridge’
- Weetabix updates ‘Any-Which-Way-A-Bix’ campaign
- Whole Earth pushes versatility of peanut butter
- Nutritional value continues to be highlighted in advertising
- Kellogg’s promotes good gut health
- W.K. Kellogg’s runs ‘Good All Round’ campaign
- Nestlé promotes wholegrain cereals as ‘Great Starts’
- Weetabix Protein launches digital-only adverts
- Kingsmill promotes mineral boost from its bread
- Roberts Bakery pushing better-for-you products
- Happy Egg runs £1 million campaign
- Heinz and Kellogg’s support fight against child poverty
- ‘Silence the Rumble’ campaign run by Heinz
- Kellogg’s extends its support for Magic Breakfast
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – Key Takeaways
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- COVID-19 drives more people to eat breakfast at home every day
- Older people eat breakfast at home most frequently
- Breakfast cereals the most popular choice
- Half made some change to eating breakfast during pandemic
- Little variation seen in breakfast choices
- More than one way of eating breakfast
- Breakfast foods providing immunity system support have strong appeal
- Convenience as important as healthiness
- Being high in fibre most important nutritional quality
- Opportunity to make more of the importance of breakfast
Impact of COVID-19 on Consumer Behaviour
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- People having more breakfasts at home during COVID-19
- Boost to breakfast foods from lockdown and homeworking
- More remote working and breakfasts at home long term
- More meals shared with family/household members during COVID-19
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- Figure 31: Changes in incidence of eating with family/other members of one’s household since the start of the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, by age, 23 April-7 May 2020
- Demand for on-the-go breakfasts dampened by COVID-19
- Pandemic and aftermath will increase focus on health
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- Figure 32: Concerns about health and fitness as a result of the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, 23 April-7 May 2020
- Sugar will remain a key factor in breakfast foods going forward
- Immunity likely to remain a bigger consumer concern
- COVID-19 pandemic expected to heighten focus on sustainability
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- Figure 33: Changes in the environment being seen as a priority since the COVID-19 outbreak, by gender and age, 7-14 May 2020
- COVID-19 expected to further boost flexitarian and plant-based trends
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- Figure 34: ‘The COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak has made a vegan diet more appealing’, by age, 23 April-7 May 2020
- Changes to shopping behaviour favour well-known brands
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- Figure 35: Selected behaviour changes since the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, 10-17 September 2020
- Eat Out to Help Out boosts foodservice in August
Frequency of Eating Breakfast at Home
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- COVID-19 drives more people to eat breakfast at home every day
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- Figure 36: Frequency of eating breakfast at home before and during the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, July 2020
- Older people eat breakfast at home most frequently
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- Figure 37: Proportion of people eating breakfast at home every day pre-COVID-19 and during the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, by age and employment status, July 2020
Foods Eaten for Breakfast at Home
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- Breakfast cereals the most popular choice
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- Figure 38: Foods eaten for breakfast at home during the COVID-19/coronavirus outbreak, July 2020
- Nearly half eat toast for breakfast at home
- Cooked breakfasts back on the menu during lockdown
- Convenient breakfast options also see a boost
Changes to Breakfast Eating since COVID-19 Restrictions
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- Half made some change to eating breakfast during pandemic
- Three in 10 spend more time making or eating breakfast
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- Figure 39: Changes to breakfast eating since COVID-19/coronavirus restrictions, July 2020
- A good time to target young people with something different
Breakfast Behaviours
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- Little variation seen in breakfast choices
- Three quarters eat the same thing for breakfast most days
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- Figure 40: Behaviours related to eating breakfast, July 2020
- Strong interest in more exciting breakfast ideas
- Recreating out-of-home breakfasts chimes widely
- More than one way of eating breakfast
- Opportunity to target breakfast snacking
- Promote relevance of foods for brunch
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- Figure 41: Selected breakfast eating behaviours, by age, July 2020
- Breakfast foods providing immunity system support have strong appeal
Qualities Most Important when Choosing Breakfast Foods to Eat at Home
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- Convenience as important as healthiness
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- Figure 42: Qualities most important when choosing food to eat as part of breakfast at home, July 2020
- Various nutritional qualities sought in breakfast foods
- Convenience and health equally important
- Being high in fibre most important nutritional quality
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- Figure 43: Proportion of new launches in breakfast-related foods categories making high/added-fibre claims, 2015-20
- High fibre appeals in particular to over-65s
Attitudes towards Breakfast
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- Opportunity to make more of the importance of breakfast
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- Figure 44: Attitudes towards eating breakfast, July 2020
- Emphasise a good start to the day nutritionally
- Focus on the social element of breakfast to boost sales
- Virtual breakfasts to bring friends together during COVID-19
- Three in 10 would like home delivery of breakfast
- Over a third of people think it likely they’ll eat breakfast out in the future
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- Figure 45: Likelihood of eating breakfast from restaurants/coffee shops/cafés in the future, July 2020
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Appendix – Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Figure 46: Top claims in new launches in the UK cold cereals market, 2015-20
- Figure 47: Top claims in new launches in the UK hot cereals market, 2015-20
- Figure 48: Top claims in new launches in the UK bread and bread products market, 2015-20
- Figure 49: Top claims in new launches in the UK cereal/snack/energy bars market, 2015-20
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- Figure 50: Top claims in new launches in the UK yogurts and yogurt drinks market, 2015-20
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Appendix – Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Figure 51: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on breakfast-related food categories, by top advertisers, 2019 and January-August 2020
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