What's the deal with granola?

When thinking about breakfast cereal, most of the attention is directed to the highly-processed cereals coming from the mainstream cereal companies. These are highly marketed, and get the most shelf space in the grocery store. Yet, often the grandfather of cereals, granola, seems to be missing in the discussion.

Granola is still a thing. In fact, go down any cereal aisle and you are likely to see a plethora of granola varieties, although they are usually in their own section, away from the boxed cereals that take up most of the space. Obviously, people are still eating granola, and we even see the big companies buying up granola startups and instilling innovation in the category, as with Kellogg's Bear Naked brand.

Granola goes back to the late 19th century, and came out of the same cereal-based health craze that also brought us corn flakes and the modern cereal industry. Granola gained new life back in the 1960's health food movement, although, interestingly, despite its whole ingredients, often contains as much or more sugar than many conventional cereals. Compared to other cereals, however, granola stands out as unique because it is typically based on oat flakes, and is mixed with a wide range of other ingredients, such as nuts, dried fruits, and sweeteners like honey. It is fairly easy for almost anyone to make themselves, and to this day many people still do that. Granola has its roots in the United States, and has similarities to its Europen cousin, muesli, although the latter is not baked or sweetened.

One of the main reasons for granola's continued prominence is its versatility. It can be eaten with milk, but is also easily blended with yogurt, and is a much more interesting snack food than conventional cereal. Granola can also be used as a topping on desserts, and made into other forms, such as the ever popular granola bars.

All this to say: granola remains a big part of the cereal equation, even though its significance is often underestimated. There is probably room for growth in this sector if companies are able to find unique selling points. The problem, however, is that granola faces the same challenges as other cereals. There are way too many brands, and not enough innovation. Sure, some claim to be organic, all natural, or with unusual ingredients, but it is hard to really stand out. Ultimately, this side of the grocery aisle is getting just as crowded, and suffers from the same problems confronting the entire industry.

Do you eat granola? Why or why not? I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

Cereal companies desperate to see what sticks

Although its hard to quantify, it certainly seems that 2017 could be one of the most prolific years ever (or at least in recent history) for new cereal introductions. A quick review of this year, reveals a plethora of new cereal brands and varieties, ranging from the usual infusion of new Cheerios to the reintroduction of classic Trix to the countless recipes brought out by smaller players. There are, in fact, so many new cereals coming out now that The Breakfast Bowl does not even bother to report on most of them, unless they stand out as truly unique or innovative. Quite frankly, most of the new cereals are quite boring and even predictable.

Why the recent surge in cereal introductions? In short, it's because cereal companies are desperate to find some new magic bullet that will help turn around overall slumping sales. The hope, of course, is that they will stumble across a brand or flavor that will go viral and boost sales revenues. So, they keep throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks.

For consumers, and especially true cereal enthusiasts, this can be a fun time. The abundance of options fights against the boredom that has been growing for this food category. Sadly, however, many of these new products will never catch on, and will quickly disappear from the grocers' shelves, never to be tasted again.

Yet, there's more to come. Typically, the beginning of a new year, which is just around the corner, sees a number of cereal launches. We just came across one of these. A video from midwest grocer County Market shows a taste test of some supposed new cereals coming from General Mills in early 2018: Lucky Charms Frosted Flakes, Peach Cheerios, and a new flavored shredded wheat product called Shreds in peanut butter chocolate and Cinnamon Toast Crunch varieties. And, we are very likely to see Kellogg and Post pull out all stops as well with some great introductions.

What has been your favorite new cereal of 2017? What are you hoping for in 2018?