Friday 9th November - Who Hijacked Breakfast ?

The answer to this question shows us one of the greatest marketing coups of all time - the breakfast cereal companies.

Breakfast used to be about "breaking the fast" from sleeping and taking in food to start the day. Then over the years the new players (other companies) entering the cereal game started to take some market share away from the established food companies that had had a monopoly on this area for years.

In came the alternatives, the copy-cats, the healthier ones and now starting to get a piece of this action are the organic companies.

So the older more established and traditional companies had to begin to use more strategic methods and employ the best marketing minds to regain their profit share. That is really what breakfast is about to them. If you don't purchase and consume their product they don't make money.

And don't be fooled ITS ALL ABOUT MAKING MONEY.

They play on heart strings by telling mothers that research shows that children having breakfast are less likely to have trouble learning - This can be true but is not true when they product is laden with sugar and low quality nutrients as this can impact upon learning.

They play on the power of "want" by adding children's movie and TV identities on the outside of packets so that to stop the screaming war in public most mother's give in and are forced to purchase under pressure - This is not only unfair it is immoral. If your product needs a cartoon superhero to sell it's worth then it is likely to be filled with sugar.

They play on the male ego by getting sports heroes to promote their product and asking us how much of that product do you consume - Clever marketing as you try to consume more to "meet or beat the challenge issued by your hero".

They play on our guilt by telling us that it is low fat and with today's obesity crisis who isn't concerned by that - Again this can be true if it is not also calorie laden or filled with empty calories of sugar as most are.

The latest "breakthrough" is the use of WHOLEGRAINS.
This one annoys me the most.

Nearly all cereals start out as a whole grain but through the "manufacturing process" they remove the benefit for increased fibre which by the way can also lower the GI score (another benefit) and also improve bowel health. So to compete with the lastest research pointing out the benefit of having it included they are now adding it back to counter their competitors who have only ever had the natural product.

Compounding this annoying fact is that they are also not removing the original lower quality product that they have "now improved" but sit it right there alongside each other.

Breakfast should be about taking in quality nutrients to meet your next few hours expediture needs. Notice I never said daily needs because you are going to be having another refuelling stop in a few hours. Most people consume enough total calories in this first setting then go and reduce their levels of activity which means that most of that nutrient intake is stockpiled.

This is another part of OUR obesity problem.
Eating too much and then doing too little.

Think about what you consume for breakfast and which marketing genius' idea for his employer did you buy into, to add to the food company's bottom line (profits). Instead let's start to remove a little off our bottom (line).

Eat Less and Move More !!