Beautiful breakfast!

Following lockdowns and the increase in homeworking, research shows almost one in four (24%) of Irish consumers* now eat breakfast more frequently. Here, Gillian Hamill looks at the latest trends and brands driving the category

Brand Central

23 August 2022

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We all know there’s nothing like a good breakfast to start the day right. Bord Bia research from 2016 found that 87% of Irish people eat breakfast every day, with a slight increase at weekends. Bread and toast came out on top as Ireland’s favourite midweek breakfast for 33% of people, followed by porridge (25%), cereals (19%), eggs (18%) and fruit (17%). For Irish kids, 85% eat breakfast at home with cereal being the top choice as parents know they will eat it. Irish parents also said they want breakfast options that are healthy, low cost and easy to prepare.

New Délifrance research also shows that Ireland’s out-of-home (OOH) breakfast market is picking up, with 22% of consumers now eating breakfast OOH during the week, and 18% over the weekend. The bakery products supplier surveyed 500 consumers from across the country to create its ‘Prove it: Breakfast in Ireland – Unlocking the opportunities in the occasion’ report.

This shows breakfasts were eaten predominantly at home over the last few years due to lockdowns and the increase in homeworking. Perhaps explaining why breakfast has become more of an institution: the research reveals almost one in four (24%) of Irish consumers now eat breakfast more frequently.

Reflecting overarching trends that emerged during the pandemic, weekday breakfasts have a strong focus on health, with cereal, toast and oat-based breakfasts the top three choices. At the weekends, however, more than one in four (27%) consumers choose breakfasts because they feel like a treat, (versus less than one in 10 in the week), and the majority (44%) indulge in a cooked breakfast, with toast (37%) and cereal or granola (34%) taking second and third place.

*(Source: Délifrance ‘Prove it: Breakfast in Ireland’ July 2022)

Ireland’s favourite peanut butter

Meridian is Ireland’s number one peanut butter brand

Full or complicated breakfasts have lost their place during the week as convenience and health have returned to the forefront of consumers’ minds.

The factors important to consumers are ease and speed of preparation, and to feel fuller for longer, as well as the health benefits of being high in fibre, low in sugar and high in protein*.

Brands such as Meridian nut butters – high in plant protein and high in fibre – are a popular breakfast choice, offering the health and functional benefits consumers are looking for.

Additionally, when asked which qualities consumers would pay more for when choosing foods for breakfast, 44% of people are prepared to pay more for natural ingredients and 25% are willing to pay more for ethically sourced ingredients^*.

These factors play to the strengths of Meridian, Ireland’s number one peanut butter brand**, which has been championing goodness for 40 years with its 100% natural nut butters. Meridian’s recent launch into chocolate spreads with Chocca, is palm oil free, has over 50% nuts and has 50% less sugar than the leading brand^*** making it a great alternative for health-conscious parents, whilst still delivering on taste.

*(Source: Kantar Profiles/Mintel, February 2022

**(Source: Meridian MAT value share. Nielsen w/e 02.01.22.

***(Source : Nut content – Chocca 53.5%, Nutella 13%, Gü 32%, Cadbury 0%)

Full of flavour

Cuisine de France’s blueberry muffin is thaw-and-serve with a seven-day shelf life

Cuisine de France is delighted to launch a new two-pack blueberry muffin into the bakery category. Made in Ireland and packed full of flavour, this muffin is one of its best yet, ideal for morning consumption.

The muffin is light in texture, with blueberries whirled through the crumb, oozing with vibrant colour with a hint of lemon to elevate the eating experience. Injected with a flavourful blueberry puree, it’s topped with biscuit crumb.

Packed in an attractive two-pack acetate, this allows consumers to purchase for sharing, gifting or to indulge themselves. This innovative product is thaw-and-serve with a seven-day shelf life making it a convenient offering for retailers.

Enhanced health credentials

Flahavan’s porridge with added benefits range includes High Protein, High Fibre and Immunity Boost variants

With more than 3 million portions of Flahavan’s porridge oats consumed each week here in Ireland, the Waterford-based family food business continues to maintain its position as Ireland’s favourite porridge. The market leader in the hot oats category*, Flahavan’s produces a range of over 50 oat-based products using locally sourced wholegrain oats. Renowned for its consistent quality and superior taste profile, Flahavan’s continues to maintain strong performance in its core business with Traditional and Organic Porridge accounting for over 40% of its value sales in the Irish market.

It is convenience porridge, however, which experienced the strongest growth in the past twelve months as consumers returned to pre-pandemic breakfast patterns – the Flahavan’s Quick Oats Drum recorded 8% value sales growth during this period, while the Quick Oats pot range achieved double-digit growth.

Over the past two decades, Flahavan’s has been at the forefront of driving a dramatic change in the way consumers think about oat-based foods and their compelling health benefits. With its latest launch of porridge with added benefits, the company is responding to the growing interest in food products with enhanced health credentials. The new range, which includes High Protein, High Fibre and Immunity Boost variants, is available in pot and sachet formats to optimise convenience. With health at the forefront of consumers’ minds, the new range is targeted at active, health-conscious consumers seeking fortified food solutions to give their health and energy a boost at breakfast time.

Flahavan’s is a proud member of Love Irish Food and is a Gold Member of Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme. Learn more on Flahavans.ie

*(Source: Nielsen Total Scantrack Data – 27 February 2022)

Firm favourite

Kellogg’s cereal is a firm favourite among Irish shoppers as it is consumed in over 1.1m households, which is more than any other cereal brand in the market*. Kellogg’s has a 34% share of all cereal category sales in the Irish market and 41% of all ready-to-eat cereals (RTEC) sales delivering more sales value for retailers than any other branded cereal in the market.

Kellogg’s continues to innovate and launch new products annually. Most recently, Kellogg’s Special K announced its brand-new granola, Special K Crunchy Oat Granola which has 30% less sugar**, making it the perfect breakfast choice.

Earlier this year, Kellogg’s Coco Pops got a whole lot nuttier, as it announced the launch of a new flavour of its much-loved chocolatey cereal, Coco Pops Hazelnut Choc Flavour. With 30% less sugar than other chocolate flavoured cereals***, the tasty new breakfast option magically transforms milk into a chocolatey hazelnut flavour. Kellogg’s Coco Pops experts spent over a year perfecting the new taste which combines cocoa with notes of hazelnut.

Kellogg’s recently launched new Krave Cookies and Cream Flavour

Kellogg’s also launched a new flavour of Krave this year for the first time two years. It launched Kellogg’s Krave Cookies and Cream flavour which has a dark cocoa shell perfectly complementing the creamy filling, it is everything people love about cookies and cream in cereal form!

*(Source: Kantar Total Outlets Latest 52 w/e 17 April 2022)

**(Source: 30% less sugar on average than other granolas. IRI UK 2021)

**(Source: 30% less sugar on average than other chocolate flavoured toasted rice cereals. IRI UK 2021. www.cocopops.com)

Granola perfection

New Special K Crunchy Oat Granola are available in two tempting flavours: Mixed Berries and Dark Chocolate Curls

Kellogg’s recently launched a brand-new granola as part of its popular Special K range.

Special K Crunchy Oat Granola’s crunchy clusters, with 30% less sugar^*, make the perfect breakfast choice and come in two tasty flavours: for those who like a fruity twist, Mixed Berries with blackcurrants and cranberries or for those chocolate lovers, Dark Chocolate Curls with 64% cocoa.

Special K’s latest innovation has an oat-rich base with puffed grains making it a tasty, light textured granola. It’s also high in oat grain fibre to support gut health^**.

*(Source: Special K Crunchy Oat Granola Mixed Berries / Dark Chocolate Curls contains 6.5g / 6.0g oat grain fibre per 100g. Oat grain fibre contributes to an increase in faecal bulk. Enjoy as part of a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle)

*(Source: 30% less sugar on average than other granolas. IRI UK 2021)

Proper sausages!

Earlier this year, O’Flynn’s Gourmet Sausage Company announced new deals with Musgrave, Dunnes Stores, and Tesco which would see the brand grow nationally over the coming years. The company now has its product sold across the whole of Cork and Munster, and is available in prominent SuperValu, Centra, and Dunnes stores within Dublin city and the Greater Dublin area.

Established in 1921, the O’Flynns are third-generation sausage makers from the English Market in Cork city and the business prides itself on quality service and flavourful food which has been feeding the people of Ireland for over 10 decades.

O’Flynn’s mixes a blend of the old and the new, drawing on international food cultures and using the finest of meats, fruits, vegetables, and spices to bring valued customers, as the team like to say, “proper sausages”. For example, its Sweet Italian Sausage derives from the American/Italian communities in North America and much publicised in American TV shows, most notably, The Sopranos’. This Great Taste award-winning sausage is made using a carefully selected blend of paprika, fennel, garlic and mixed herbs including oregano. It is a meaty sausage with a minimum of 90% meat content, and it is also gluten free. O’Flynn’s and its premium products are rapidly expanding across the country.

Pudding perfection

Over the past two years, the impact of the pandemic and resulting lockdowns resulted in a spike in home cooking, with many consumers spending their newly-free time in the kitchen testing out new breakfast recipes.

The versatility of black and white pudding lends itself to the creative cooks’ imagination and expanding repertoire. Just take a look at the number of foodie content creators and even professional chefs taking to social media to showcase their pudding recipes.

Popular recipes include baked eggs with Clonakilty Blackpudding and Turkish Eggs with Clonakilty Whitepudding. Clonakilty puddings are made using traditional methods and natural ingredients and are free from any artificial additives and preservatives.

Wholesome opportunity for growth

Forest Feast offers a tasty artisan granola range, Just Live a Little

With health high on the agenda, consumers and retailers are starting to focus on lower and no-added sugar breakfasts that also deliver on taste. According to The Grocer*, the only growing segment of the cereals market was ‘natural and wholesome’ which includes granolas. Forest Feast’s Just Live a Little artisan granola range fits this description perfectly, giving retailers opportunity for growth.

Just Live a Little Low Sugar Coconut & Chia is less than 4% sugar, but with added coconut, it’s a sweet choice to start the day! Crunchy quinoa and pumpkin seeds make this granola fibre-filled. Packaged in a fully recyclable pack, it is handmade with no preservatives or added salt, as well as being high in fibre, a source of plant protein and suitable for vegetarians.

The current Just Live a Little range also includes:

Triple Berry Granola with Raspberry, Blueberry & Strawberry pieces (vegetarian, high in fibre)
Sunflower & Bramley Apple Granola with fresh apple puree and crunchy sunflower seeds (vegan, high in fibre)
Whole Almond Granola packed full of Whole Almonds, with sunflower seeds and a hint of cinnamon (vegan, high in fibre)
Chocolate granola with rich cocoa powder and coconut for added crunch (vegan, high in fibre)

For further information, contact: enquiries@justlivealittle.com.

*(Source: The Grocer Focus on Cereals: January 2022)

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