Snack Bars Morph Breakfast Into On-the-Go Meal

ROCKVILLE, MD -- No bowl or milk is necessary for the modern American breakfast as consumers shift to the convenience of nutritional and cereal bars.

Over the past decade, three of the four breakfast-type foods with the fastest growing popularity were healthy, portable snacks such as cereal bars, according to the report Nutritional and Cereal Bars in the U.S. -- 4th Edition by market research publisher Packaged Facts.

Between 2004 and 2014 the number of households buying cereal bars reportedly increased 50% and the number consuming chewy granola (the category that includes granola bars) increased 33%. The popularity of granola also grew substantially, with nearly 80% more households consuming it.

At the same time, the number of households using cold cereal was up by only 4%, according to Packaged Facts research. Meanwhile, other traditional breakfast foods such as bacon, sausage and eggs barely kept up with the growth in the adult population.

Beyond breakfast, nutritional and cereal bars have gained a general widespread popularity. Between 2009 and 2014, the number of adults purchasing nutritional bars increased 11%. In addition, around 44% of adults consumed cereal/granola bars in 2014.

Packaged Facts expects that sales of nutritional and cereal/granola bars will benefit from the acceleration of a broad range of trends affecting the eating habits of Americans. These include a permanent shift away from "three square meals a day" to snacking and consumption of multiple smaller meals throughout the day and rapid growth in the number of Americans actively engaged in fitness and weight management programs.

Ultimately, the overall market for snack bars, including both nutritional and cereal/granola bars, is projected to approach $8 billion in 2019. This represents cumulative growth of 30% and a compound annual growth rate of 5%.