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IF YOU DON’T have time to sit down for a bowl of cereal in the morning, companies are hoping you’ll want to drink your breakfast.
As companies struggle to grow cereal sales in the US, Kellogg and General Mills are preparing to roll out breakfast drinks.
At an industry conference this week, Kellogg CEO John Bryant said one way the company will redefine cereal is with its “Breakfast To Go” milk-based drink, which will be rolled out nationally this year. A day before, General Mills said it’s testing a dairy-based breakfast shake called “BFast” that has whole grains and the nutrition of a bowl of cereal and milk, including fibre, protein, vitamins and whole grains. The drink is currently being tested in the Northeast.
In separate remarks, both companies noted that a similar drink called “Up & Go” by Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Co is performing strongly in Australia, with about 10 percent to 20 per cent of the cereal business.
The broader idea of turning meals into drinks is getting more attention as people look for convenient ways to eat on the go. Even though it doesn’t take much time to sit down for a bowl of cereal, people are increasingly looking for portable foods they can eat on the way to work or school.
PepsiCo, which makes Quaker oatmeal and recently got into the dairy business, has launched similar concepts overseas. It offers a Quaker cereal powder drink in China and last summer began testing a Quaker oatmeal drink in Brazil.
A spokesman for PepsiCo declined to say whether any similar products are planned for the US. But the company has underscored its strategy of “lifting and shifting” products from around the world for different markets.
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi also has noted that the company is looking at ways to “drinkify” snacks, and gauging which type of foods and meals people might want in drink form. Already, the company’s Naked juices are seen as falling into that general space because they’re fortified with various nutrients.
Kellogg also offers a Special K Protein shake but the drink is positioned more for people who are specifically looking to control their weight.
What do you think? Would you opt for a breakfast ‘drink’?
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“Will have the same nutritional value as a bowl of cereal” Does that mean the drink will be packed with added salt and sugar ???
Given alot of them already come with the same amount of salt as a bag of ready salt crisps I’d certainly expect them to do this
Quote from Tony Palmer, Managing Director of Kelloggs Europe in response to a question about the amount of salt in their cornflakes: “We have reduced the salt quantity by 25%. But it’s about the interaction with the sugar. As you take salt out you’ve got to reduce the sugar because it starts to taste sweeter.” He was then asked “Why not just cut down substantially on both as reducing sugar consumption is a target too?”. His reply: “Sugar helps keep the crispness and is part of the bulk so that would be difficult. And the risk is if you take this out you might be better off eating the cardboard container”. Whoops!!!!
“No Added Sugar” means we put enough in already !
Nothing but gimmicks for lazy people,
I notice anytime these company’s do comparisons about how great their products are (for example that shreddie’s advert where they compare it to muffins etc), they never ever compare their overly salty, overly surgery crap to a proper bowl of porridge! :)
Why, because compared to porridge the stuff they are making is basically overpriced junk food,
Want to control your weight? Then eat properly and don’t rely on quick fix fast solutions like these companies are trying to peddle
Hi Barry, weetabix is fine for kids…right?
Porridge is the one , low fat milk or water, spoon of honey if you have a sweet tooth and a teaspoon of cinnamon which I’d great for burning fat
There sales have gone down because of the world we live in today where most don’t bother with breakfast and just grab a coffee on the way which is probably better if your taking it black as it will stimulate you and also has protein in it .
Chocolate orange shreddies are much more delicious than porridge though. I hope I can drink them one day.
Another suggestion for the porridge – grated ginger root and honey.. Very warming on a cold morning!
The person who said black coffee was an appropriate breakfast choice and had protein in it has 22 greens and one red thumb (not mine)…. This shows how ignorant the general public are about general nutrition
Take a bunch of fresh fruit (frozen ones from Lidl just as good) dollop of yoghurt a splash of milk – bran or oat flakes for the constipated amongst us whizz it up in a blender add some ice if u want and hey a healthy ready to go breakfast drink at a fraction of the cost what’s not to like !
Sounds delicious.
I’m trying to control my weight so it’s a whey protein shake, banana and a coffee for me.
Theres no way in hell I’d drink a breakfast substitute from a company who try’s hide the amount of salt and sugar in their products.
Bottle of Yop, add a couple of teaspoons of oats. Shake, go, drink. Sorted
I loved Yop’s for years, problem is the stuff has high fructose corn syrup in it….this is not good stuff which is why I no longer buy them.
HFCS Its sweater then sugar, this would make you think they use less of it right, nope, they use loads more of it.
Worth watching this, its by Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics a very well respected Dr in the states, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM
The us of HFCS is a big factor in a obesity epidemic in the making for us and kids growing up
Drinkable breakfast roll anyone?
Sounds mank!
Wouldn’t it be great if they actually told us the truth on what we are eating.
Is there any horse in it?
Breakfast takes five mins to make…!
Drink it?? I’m way ahead of this, I inhale mine….
How will they keep it crunchy?
How about eat when you’re hungry We’re brainwashed into eating crap cereal
Whatever happened to a bowl of hot porridge with blueberries…lazy lazy people!!
Exactly. I do go down to the shed every morning an slice a few rashers off the pig. I heard some people buy them pre sliced. Lazy lazy people.
4 sausages, 4 rashers, 2 pudding and 2 eggs – all fried and thrown in the blender for 30 seconds, voila!
Guy in my work gives out about sugar and salt in breakfast cereals and then I see him often having 0,5 litre bottle of coke (non diet) with sandwich and chips with his lunch sandwich.
You would need eat whole freaking box of cereal at once to probably match just one can of coke in sugar intake. Everything in moderation and you will be fine :)
Not going to comment on your friend, but you’d be surprised how much sugar and salt is in cereal
http://www.childrensfoodcampaign.net/Which%20Cereals%20Report%20Feb%202012.pdf
What ever happened to sitting down and enjoying breakfast ? Stop running people ! If your old enough to be reading this it is very probable that your expire date is no more that 50 years away ! Savor ever min .. Including breakfasts :-)
Nothing happened to sitting down and eating breakfast. Im doing it right now.
Or two minutes to shake
The washing up!
Can’t wait, I love “slurping”. Sugar haters need to chill , it’s only cereal
Well Anders. If that’s you in the photo, then enough said.
If they’re bringing out drinks today it’ll be breakfast in a pill tomorrow. Bowl of porridge glass of orange juice and mug of tea.. couldn’t bate it. Course you could go for the full Irish breakfast…cup of tea and a fag!
We’re all gonna turn into the people from Wall-E.
it’s all about increasing market share, not the nutrition value of the product……any new product would probably be twice the cost of traditional breakfast products …..just check out the range the next time you are in the shops next
Have liquid breakfast here in Australia, can’t see it catching on in Ireland though.
That sounds rank!! Think I’d be sick drinking that!!
Black pudding shake all the way for me.. 1 ring of black pudding, 1/2 cup of milk. blend together.. Hey presto
That “Up and Go” is great for hangovers
Soylent Green IS drinkable breakfast! :-0
good idea in theory. However as a lot of kallogs cereals are nothing more then refined sugar is this drink going to be liquid sugar
have your say