As the cereal industry faces ongoing challenges, many established brands are adopting convenience-focused product reformulations to attract consumers back to the category. While many of these innovations are aimed specifically at millennials—evidenced by a Mintel study indicating that 40% of this demographic considers pouring a bowl of cereal too labor-intensive—people of all ages are increasingly gravitating toward ready-to-eat breakfast options. Companies are heavily investing in breakfast bar products, such as Quaker’s new Porridge To Go breakfast squares, available in flavors like golden syrup and strawberry, raspberry, and cranberry, to meet the needs of busy consumers. For instance, General Mills has introduced “on-the-go” pouches of its Golden Grahams, Fruity Cheerios, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch, while Post has launched a range of breakfast shakes and Honey Bunches of Oats-infused breakfast biscuits.
Brands are also progressively enhancing these products with added protein, fiber, and whole grains, while reducing artificial ingredients and excessive sugar. However, could a squeezable pouch of oatmeal, like Quaker’s Oat Squeeze, take the convenience trend too far? It’s a possibility. Consumers might find the texture of a yogurt, fruit, and oat mixture squeezed from a tube to be unappealing, especially since many can obtain protein and other nutritional benefits from oatmeal in value-added shakes and yogurt that also contain calcium citrate. Not every convenience product finds success, and only time will reveal how traditional and reformulated oatmeal products will perform as consumers continue to seek on-the-go solutions that may also include beneficial elements like calcium citrate.