Indulgent flavours bring a new twist at breakfast time

The indulgent flavours of cakes and biscuits are no longer limited to snacking or after-dinner treats, according to an Innova Market Insights report that suggests they have become a breakfast staple.

‘Flavors by Occasion’ reports that indulgent flavours are seeing the strongest growth in foods commonly eaten at breakfast, such as cereals, bread and dairy. Cake, biscuit and pie flavours increased by a 9% CAGR over 2016–2020, while brown flavours (eg, chocolate, caramel and peanut butter) increased by 6%.

Milk chocolate is currently the leading flavour in cereal products (breakfast cereals and cereal and energy bars). However, it is flavours inspired by the bakery category that are seeing some of the strongest growth. Biscuit flavours increased by 30% CAGR and brownie by 26% over 2016–2020.

“While healthy options are clearly very popular at breakfast, consumers want a bit of enjoyment to start the day,” said Lu Ann Williams, Global Insights Director at Innova Market Insights. “Bakery inclusions, such as chocolate cookie pieces in breakfast cereals and cereal bars, meet that need.”

The North American bakery category has been the main source of inspiration for these indulgent flavours. However, Innova Market Insights believes that in the future inspiration could come from looking at other indulgent bakery concepts from around the world. Western Europe is not short of its own indulgent cakes and sweet biscuits; these could just as easily be developed into new inclusions and flavours for cereal products.

By pulling out trends in bakery, companies can generate flavour and inclusion ideas that could be applied locally or look more broadly for truly global concepts. There is also an opportunity for premiumisation through more special and indulgent-sounding flavours and tastes.

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