Fruit juices, milk, yoghurt products and tea are being promoted as a healthy, quick and easy breakfast
With health the focus of the breakast fixture as a whole, it’s no surprise that the drinks sector is also addressing the issue, with the national drink, tea, at the forefront of its own campaign.
Earlier this year, the Tea Council launched the £1.5m tea4health project aimed at educating consumers about the benefits of drinking tea. The council carried out a study which it says provides evidence that black tea, like fruit and vegetables, contains powerful antioxidants which can help prevent heart disease and some cancers.
The campaign is particularly targeting young people, who currently drink less than half as much as the over-40s.
As a nation, Brits drink some 165 million cups of tea a day - just less than three cups each, and the campaign hopes to up that to four cups.
The Tea Council’s Bill Gorman says: “Our research shows that, although young women are increasingly drinking tea rather than coffee, many are shunning tea for water.”
The campaign is being backed by some of the major retailers relocating the
tea fixture to the fruit and veg aisle. Another staple of the breakfast table is juice. David Patmore, marketing director at Princes Soft Drinks, says: “Sales of fruit juices and juice drinks continue to outpace the overall soft drinks market, growing at 4.5% in value compared with 0.9% for the market as a whole [ACNielsen 52 w/e June 2005].
“As public messaging on health intensifies, we’re seeing more consumers use fruit juice as an easy means of enhancing their diet and meeting the five-a-day target,” says Patmore.
“Mounting concern over health and obesity has also given rise to an
increased demand for fruit-based still drinks, juices and water in place of more traditional carbonates.”
He adds that smaller pack formats are becoming popular to meet the demand for on-the-go consumption, a claim backed by the launch this summer of Coca-Cola’s Minute Maid Froot Refresh drinks in 330ml bottles.
Patmore says orange remains the top flavour, followed by traditional variants such as apple and grapefruit. He acknowledges that more exotic flavours “are undoubtedly driving consumption of fruit juice at other times of the day”, but says they have so far failed to make a significant impact at the breakfast table.
PepsiCo has launched a pineapple version of its Tropicana product and is refreshing the pack graphics on the range. Trade marketing manager Nicky Seal says: “The pineapple variant will entice new consumers and increase brand repertoire among existing buyers.”
Organic juice company Grove Fresh argues that volume is growing in fruit juice consumption and says it is taking “share of throat” from tea.
Yoghurt drinks are also finding favour at breakfast. Rich Products’ family food panel research shows that, although teenagers and young men are the worst offenders for skipping breakfast, they are also the only demographic group to be eating more breakfast than three years ago. The trend hasn’t escaped the notice of Yoplait Dairy Crest, which is targeting teenagers with its ad campaign for Yop.
In June the company expanded the range with the launch of a limited edition Tropical Twist flavour, because the target audience is keen on fruit flavours.
With increasing awareness of lactose intolerance and milk sensitivity, soya products are also gaining penetration, and soya milk producer So Good says that, while most breakfast consumption goes with cereals, some 24% is now accounted for by straight drinking.
Even milk is making its mark, with Omega-3 fortified milks being produced by Dairy Crest and for Marks & Spencer.
With health the focus of the breakast fixture as a whole, it’s no surprise that the drinks sector is also addressing the issue, with the national drink, tea, at the forefront of its own campaign.
Earlier this year, the Tea Council launched the £1.5m tea4health project aimed at educating consumers about the benefits of drinking tea. The council carried out a study which it says provides evidence that black tea, like fruit and vegetables, contains powerful antioxidants which can help prevent heart disease and some cancers.
The campaign is particularly targeting young people, who currently drink less than half as much as the over-40s.
As a nation, Brits drink some 165 million cups of tea a day - just less than three cups each, and the campaign hopes to up that to four cups.
The Tea Council’s Bill Gorman says: “Our research shows that, although young women are increasingly drinking tea rather than coffee, many are shunning tea for water.”
The campaign is being backed by some of the major retailers relocating the
tea fixture to the fruit and veg aisle. Another staple of the breakfast table is juice. David Patmore, marketing director at Princes Soft Drinks, says: “Sales of fruit juices and juice drinks continue to outpace the overall soft drinks market, growing at 4.5% in value compared with 0.9% for the market as a whole [ACNielsen 52 w/e June 2005].
“As public messaging on health intensifies, we’re seeing more consumers use fruit juice as an easy means of enhancing their diet and meeting the five-a-day target,” says Patmore.
“Mounting concern over health and obesity has also given rise to an
increased demand for fruit-based still drinks, juices and water in place of more traditional carbonates.”
He adds that smaller pack formats are becoming popular to meet the demand for on-the-go consumption, a claim backed by the launch this summer of Coca-Cola’s Minute Maid Froot Refresh drinks in 330ml bottles.
Patmore says orange remains the top flavour, followed by traditional variants such as apple and grapefruit. He acknowledges that more exotic flavours “are undoubtedly driving consumption of fruit juice at other times of the day”, but says they have so far failed to make a significant impact at the breakfast table.
PepsiCo has launched a pineapple version of its Tropicana product and is refreshing the pack graphics on the range. Trade marketing manager Nicky Seal says: “The pineapple variant will entice new consumers and increase brand repertoire among existing buyers.”
Organic juice company Grove Fresh argues that volume is growing in fruit juice consumption and says it is taking “share of throat” from tea.
Yoghurt drinks are also finding favour at breakfast. Rich Products’ family food panel research shows that, although teenagers and young men are the worst offenders for skipping breakfast, they are also the only demographic group to be eating more breakfast than three years ago. The trend hasn’t escaped the notice of Yoplait Dairy Crest, which is targeting teenagers with its ad campaign for Yop.
In June the company expanded the range with the launch of a limited edition Tropical Twist flavour, because the target audience is keen on fruit flavours.
With increasing awareness of lactose intolerance and milk sensitivity, soya products are also gaining penetration, and soya milk producer So Good says that, while most breakfast consumption goes with cereals, some 24% is now accounted for by straight drinking.
Even milk is making its mark, with Omega-3 fortified milks being produced by Dairy Crest and for Marks & Spencer.
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