Breakfast cereals are increasingly rejecting the high-sugar trend in favour of healthier market positions, new research has concluded.
Market insights provider Innova found that three quarters of all breakfast cereal launches between October 2013 and October 2014 featured some kind of health perspective, increasing to as much as 94% in markets such as Australia. It claimed that the “proliferation of relatively high-sugar products” was being broken by breakfast cereals’ traditionally healthy image.
Innova found that 65% of cereals being introduced to market featured claims about their wholegrain or fibre content levels – by far the two most popular health positions taken. It added that 10% of cereal launches claimed to be a source of protein, nearly 8% said that they would improve heart health, and 7% boasted mineral or vitamin fortification. Claims relating to improved weight management, energy or alertness, and digestive health were also popular.
Lu Ann Williams, director of innovation at Innova, said: “There is a growing interest in products featuring a more general health or multi-benefit positioning, running alongside the wide range of health benefits now associated with many breakfast cereals. This is exacerbated by regulatory restrictions on claims in some regions, including North America and the EU.”
The research said that Cheerios’ expansion of its protein line, which followed the launch of new protein options in to the company’s Fiber One range, highlighted the trend. It also pinpointed the growing popularity of granola and muesli products in a number of global markets.
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