Review: Post Honey Bunches of Oats - Morning Energy

January is always a busy month in the cereal world as companies see it as a perfect opportunity to launch new brands and varieties. This year is no exception. So, over the coming weeks I will review a few of the new cereals that have caught my attention. As always, it is impossible (and not necessary) to review every cereal on the market, but hopefully these samplings will provide a glimpse into some of the noteworthy additions to the market.

One of the most successful current cereal franchises is Post's Honey Bunches of Oats, and there are now a plethora of varieties available. The latest, however, adds a slightly new twist. New Morning Energy Chocolatey Almond Crunch is obvious targeting those who are looking for a morning boost, both in energy and nutrition. It contains a mixture of chocolatey chunks, almonds, "crispy flakes, crunchy oat clusters, and a touch of wildflower honey." If it sells well, we may likely see other flavors coming in this sub-brand. So, how does this cereal stack up?


As a medley of various components Honey Bunches of Oats cereals typically provide a tasty breakfast, and new Morning Energy is no exception. In fact, the combination of chocolate and almonds alone make this is a delightful treat. Not too sweet, and only natural flavors. You can't go wrong on taste.

Again, a big part of the success of Honey Bunches of Oats has been the creative mixtures they have put together. This results not only in good tastes, but interesting textures. The combination here of flakes, clusters, almond slices and chocolate pieces gives a good feel in the mouth. Generally it all holds up well in milk, except that at 10 minutes the many smaller pieces lose the battle.

 

Keeping these 17 or so varieties of Honey Bunches of Oats interesting is no easy feat, but Post has done it with Morning Energy, by giving the box and logo a bold, energetic look. Even if the cereal doesn't offer much more appreciable food energy than most cereals, the box jumps. The overall experience is also enhanced by the chocolatey chunks - a touch of perceived authenticity.

An important part of the selling point for Morning Energy is its nutritional qualities, especially 6 grams of protein. For a cereal promoting energy it is not overladen with sugar (around 20% of total weight), but instead claims "energy that lasts", a reference to the higher protein quantity. It also boasts 5 grams of fiber per serving. All of this in combination with the usual fortified vitamins and minerals makes for a solid, healthful cereal.

All in all this is a solid new entry for 2014, and Post keeps finding a way to make Honey Bunches of Oats a brand of preference for many people. New Morning Energy certainly won't disappoint.

 (Review Protocol HERE)

Poppin' Pebbles bring fun back to cereal

If consumers are getting bored with cereal, one of the ways around that is to come up with innovative new cereals that jump out of the bowl. Perhaps even literally.

Post is trying this strategy with new Poppin' Pebbles, the latest iteration in its popular children's targeted brand, Pebbles. But this is more than just a cereal loaded with sugar and artificial colors and flavors. This cereal claims that it "Fizzes in Your Mouth with Burstin' Berry Flavor". The secret is round green pieces that actually contain carbon dioxide. Mixed with liquid they are designed to create a fizzing sensation, perhaps somewhat like Pop Rocks candy. Certainly Rice Krispies have had "snap, crackle, and pop" for decades, but admittedly this version of Pebbles is much more fun to play with and eat.

Will Poppin' Pebbles truly fizz in bowls across the country, or will they fizzle out like so many other ideas?

HOT cereal

With concerns that cereal sales are down, or flat at best, a recent report suggests that one notable category exception is hot cereal, whose sales are up 4%. The hottest company is unsurprisingly Quaker, the leader in Oatmeal.

I have talked about this phenomenon before, but the evidence is growing. There are many reasons for this, part of which is people looking for something different than the same old cold cereals. And, porridges are a great comfort food, especially at this time of year. In addition these are generally perceived as healthier, and there may be some evidence to support that belief. For example, a recent study found that oatmeal helps you feel fuller longer.

There is growing innovation taking place in the hot cereal sector, and this could be the hot trend to watch this coming year.

(Source: Bakery and Snacks)

Non-GMO Cheerios

General Mills is wasting no time at the beginning of 2014 to continue doing everything it can to stay on the growing edge. The company announced that Cheerios will be made entirely with non-GMO ingredients, particularly their source of corn starch and cane sugar (i.e. there are no GMO oats). The move comes because they "think consumers may embrace it", and they want to do everything they can to stay in the good graces of consumers in this tough market. And, people do care as is evidenced by the debacle Kashi faced a couple of year ago over GMO ingredients.

To be clear, General Mills has not had a conversion experience. They admit they believe genetically modified seeds are safe, and they claim that they are not responding to pressure. It's purely a PR move, and while somewhat disingenuous, it is an important move on their part.

(Source: General Mills blog)

2013 Cereal Year in Review

As we come to the end of the year it is a good time to look back on the major developments in the world of cereal. Like always there are new cereals that hit the market, interesting marketing tactics, and the occasional controversy, but the big story for 2013 is the realization that, in North America at least, the cereal industry is facing some major challenges. In fact, someday we may look back on this year as a critical point in the history of breakfast cereal.

Certainly purchasing and eating trends have been changing for quite some time, but this is the year that the big players were forced to make some big adjustments. This summer there were a number of commentaries on analysis suggesting that cereal has gone soggy. Cereal consumption is not as ubiquitous as it once was as consumers have so many other options available to them. And, despite a proliferation of new brands and varieties, very little innovation has taken hold. The result is that at least two of the big three cereal companies are feeling the pressure. Kellogg recently announced a sales decline and closure of some plants, and Post posted a loss.

The 2013 bright spot was definitely General Mills, indicative of the disproportionate amount of coverage they have received on this blog. They have actually had sales growth, and this is due to taking on the shifting cereal market aggressively. As I've already pointed out Big G leads the industry in use of social media, and gained attention with such things as provocative advertising and their popular monster cereal re-launch. They appear to be the company to beat right now.

In light of the challenges facing the industry 2014 should be an exciting one to watch. The Breakfast Bowl will be there to bring you the latest developments! (And, be sure to follow us on Facebook for even more cereal information and tidbits!)

Final word...

CEREAL PICK OF THE YEAR: There weren't any earth shattering cereal introductions this year, but the new one that stood out to me was Post's Grape Nuts Fit.

Super Bowl for Cheerios

General Mills continues their aggressive assault against the slide in cereal popularity. This year we've seen the focused use of social media, a willingness to be controversial, the return of the entire monster cereal family, and cereal box premiums, among other things. Their latest tactic is the announcement that the 2014 Super Bowl will include a Cheerios commercial, the first for the brand and something unusual for cereals overall. While details on the commercial are still secret, indications are that it will focus on "the power of family love and the important role that Cheerios and breakfast can play in building family connections".

We'll be watching.



Return of the Free Prizes?

Those of us who grew up in the 50's, 60's or 70's know that a fun part of breakfast cereal was the free prize inside many boxes. This was a marketing ploy that really worked, drawing in kids and sometimes adults to get a small toy, sports card, etc.

Cereal premiums still show up from time to time, but rarely. General Mills, who already is on a roll this year with some great new marketing initiatives, is offering free Stars Wars Pens in specially marked boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Reese’s Puffs, Golden Grahams, Cocoa Puffs, Trix and Lucky Charms. The eight different pens are each based around a character in the Star Wars movies, and will likely be in demand by the many movie fans and collectors out there, especially as we all anticipate the final trilogy, currently in production.

Hopefully this will see more free prizes in cereal boxes. I'm not sure why they ever went out of fashion. Perhaps it was an extra cost companies didn't want to absorb, or maybe they felt consumers were too sophisticated. But, at a time when cereal companies have to innovate to stand out this could be a winning strategy for the industry and for children building memories with little plastic toys.

Cereal targeted in new nutrition ratings

Cereal has long been a target of nutrition advocates, mainly because such a popular food consumed at the most important meal of the day has not always been a paragon of good nutrition. There have been moves to curtail the advertising of unhealthful cereals, especially to children. In recent years cereal companies have responded by tweaking their recipes to at least appear more nutritious.

One of the tactics used on many cereal boxes are simplified nutrition statements and graphics to help consumers make better choices. While this has likely assisted (or at least swayed) people's decision making in the store, there are still tons of sugared, artificially-flavored cereals sold each year. Let's face it, people buy cereal for more than nutrition, and for some it is still very confusing.

For several years now the Maine-based Hannaford Supermarket chain introduced the "Guiding Stars" program which displays up to three stars for food products to indicate their relative nutritional value. In a recent study of that program cereals that didn't qualify for a star saw a reduction in sales by at least 10 percent.

If such a program were to be more widely adopted, what would be the impact on our buying habits and our health? Certainly, there is much to be said about giving consumers information to make good nutrition decisions. But, can a star system really address the complexities of food and nutrition? Who determines the rating system, and how valid is it? And, could it give people a false sense of security on their overall eating habits?

One thing is for sure, the pressure is still on the cereal aisle. At least this approach takes the onus off the manufacturers to convey all the information, although they will still be forced to work harder to meet consumer demand.

In the end it's about choice. Giving consumers information is valid, but let's remember that there are many reasons why people buy the cereals they do. Many will make decisions despite the number of stars on the grocers on the shelf.

(Source: AP)

Kashi too "Mainstream"

Last week a big announcement in the cereal industry was Kellogg announcing another disappointing round of cereal sales, and a workforce reduction of 2000 employees. As we've discussed here before cereal has gone soggy in American culture, and the big companies are struggling to maintain, let alone grow, revenues.

Lost around that story was a much more interesting tidbit that came from the mouth of Kellogg CEO John Bryant. As he relayed the state of the company's financial performance he commented on the problems with Kashi, Kellogg's natural food brand. The reality is that health foods are now mainstream, and Kashi no longer has a unique place in the market. When Kellogg purchased Kashi 13 years ago they saw this as an opportunity to reach a population segment that was looking for something much more wholesome than regular cereals. If it has worked, that success is now waning, and Kellogg is in dire need of a new strategy.

Kellogg is not alone in the attempt to broaden their market reach by buying out healthy food brands. General Mills owns Cascadian Farms. Kraft bought Back to Nature cereals. Barbara's is owned by the U.K's Weetabix. And, Kellogg's has yet another natural brand in its arsenal: Bear Naked. These revelations could be a shock to many of you who thought you were thumbing your nose at the large corporations.

In other words, the big cereals companies have jumped on the bandwagon over the last decade or so to capture a portion of the breakfast bowl, knowing that consumers were increasingly looking past the nutrition mediocrity of popular cereals. But, nutrition conscious consumers are not stupid. They know the facts, and are easily put off by companies acting without authenticity. In fact, they also react negatively to inconsistency such as when it was discovered that Kashi used genetically modified ingredients. The result of all this, as CEO Bryant inferred, is that brands like Kashi are no longer desirable brands, they're as mainstream as Froot Loops.

The future for cereal companies is nothing less than innovation, reaching out to a broader base of consumers in fresh new ways. It appears, however, that going natural is no longer one of those ways.

(Source: Huffington Post)

Review: General Mills Frute Brute and Fruity Yummy Mummy

The biggest cereal story this year has been the major re-launch of General Mills' monster cereal family. Since the announcement this summer I have wanted to do a review of the two recent re-additions: Frute Brute and Yummy Mummy, but it has taken me until this past week to finally get my hands on Frute Brute. For some strange reason, despite checking numerous stores across my state, I couldn't find it.

My hunt is over, and it is time to take a closer taste of what all the marketing hype is about. In many ways this is a somewhat unusual review for me. Instead of doing just one cereal, I am doing two at once. The reason is quite simple. The fruit-flavored monster cereals are essentially the same products, just with different flavors, colors and marketing applied. For General Mills this is a fairly simple way for them to make cereal, and probably profitable considering the boat loads they must be selling leading up to Halloween.

So, let's get out our bowls and pull up a chair. It's time to go down memory lane!

To no one's surprise these are sugared cereals laden with flavor. For those who do not remember these two lesser known monster cereals Frute Brute is cherry flavored, and Yummy Mummy features orange cream. Of course, the key word to go along with these descriptions is the adjective "artificial". In fact, without the insane use of artificial flavors these cereals wouldn't be worth eating. Between the two, Yummy Mummy has much more pronounced flavor. The cherry in Frute Brute is much more subtle. In fact, I'm not sure I could even identify it as cherry without having first known it. Having said all this, one or two bites of these cereals is fun for the palate, but beyond that the taste ends up being too much. I'm not crazy about them.

The monster shaped cereal is lightly crunchy out of the box, and surprisingly retains its shape and remains somewhat chewy even after considerable time in milk. Texture is average.

 

Let's be honest, these cereals would hardly sell if it weren't for the brilliant marketing. Even the fact that General Mills only makes monster cereals available at this time of year adds to the excitement. These cereals are just plain fun to eat, probably more than any other cereal out there right now. The boxes are fantastic, both in the new wild, colorful designs, and the vintage boxes especially targeted to adults wanting to relive their childhood. The experience is absolutely fantastic!

Now another downer: nutrition. Anyone who purchases these cereals for their health value is either completely stupid about nutrition or delusional. Having said that, however, the modern version of monster cereals are not as bad as the originals or compared to a number of other sugared-cereals on the market. There is actually less than 30% of weight as sugar - not as bad as I would have thought. And, of course General Mills alleviates guilt by emphasizing the token whole grains. Still, not a truly wholesome breakfast, but deserving nonetheless of more than a one bowl rating.

What can I say? Overall this cereal ends up quite average, but because of the experience alone they are highly noteworthy, and worth at least one taste this fall. Enjoy!

 

(Review protocol HERE)