CHICAGO — The breakfast biscuit category is still burgeoning as consumers continue to crave convenient, better-for-you breakfast options, according to Chicago-based Mintel in its 2016 global annual review of the biscuits, cookies and crackers market. The category continues to see success despite the gluten-free and carb-free movements, Mintel said.
“The dietary stigmas surrounding carbohydrates and gluten that has negatively impacted other categories of wheat flour-based goods does not appear to have impacted the biscuit, cookies and crackers category to any significant degree,” Mintel said. “The breakfast biscuit segment is notable for the success it has had in providing consumers with what is essentially a healthy snack as a convenient, on-the-go, breakfast solution. It continues to evolve, now available in a range of formats, including bites, and with a greater variety of nutritional benefits, including protein, fruit and vegetables.”
The a.m. option has been gaining traction since 2011, when Kraft Foods Group introduced breakfast biscuits under the belVita brand — now owned by Mondelez — in the United States. The Kellogg Co. released Nutri-Grain breakfast biscuits in 2012, followed by General Mills’ launch of Nature Valley Breakfast Biscuits in 2014. In 2015, Post Holdings Corp. introduced Honey Bunches of Oats breakfast biscuits and Snyder’s-Lance launched Quick Starts breakfast biscuit sandwiches.
The Quaker Oats Co., a subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc., is the most recent to release a new iteration of the morning morsel with its introduction of Quaker Breakfast Flats. The baked snack bars boast 18 grams of whole grains per three-flat serving and contain no artificial flavors or added colors. Available in cranberry almond, banana honey nut and golden raisin cinnamon flavors, the flats contain ingredients like oats, fruit pieces, nuts, flax and sunflower seeds. Quaker Breakfast Flats come in boxes of five portable packs of three bars and retail for around $3.49.
Lesley Butler, senior marketing director for Quaker Foods North America |