How can families save time and still get a great start at breakfast? The products to fill this need must be convenient to prepare and easily consumed, even on the go. Convenience may mean a product as simple as cereal and milk (one that children can assemble themselves), and it should also be an option that provides a healthy start to the day. Cereal is now available in a portable, all-in-one package, making it a convenient on-the-go food choice for breakfast or as a snack. Better yet, General Mills (Minneapolis) offers a Milk n' Cereal Bar, with all the goodness of a bowl of cereal with milk, but it is much easier to eat in the car! Craving a hot breakfast that is portable? Try Quaker's[r] (Chicago) Oatmeal Express—just add hot water and a hot breakfast is ready in minutes.
The saturated cereal market must continually change and develop new, innovative products to catch the consumer's eye. Some of the newer products on the market include Kellogg's[r] (Battle Creek, Mich.) Special K Red Berries[r] and General Mills' Berry Burst Cheerios[r]; both products include dehydrated berries that are unique and offer a new twist on a familiar favorite. Pop Tarts[r] (Kellogg's) has new products to keep innovation associated with the Kellogg's name. French Toast Pop Tarts are a new variety, with a cinnamon-sugar topping instead of the usual frosting. Don't forget popular cartoon characters. SpongeBob SquarePants Pop Tarts[r] anyone?