The Breakfast Factsheet

What makes a breakfast skipper?

• As many as one in four consumers skip breakfast at some stage during the
week(1).

• Alarmingly as many as one in six adults never eat breakfast(1).

• More consumers are missing breakfast today than they were six years ago(1).

• 21% of adults miss breakfast at the weekend(1).

• Women skip breakfast more than men. Three in ten men versus five in ten
women(1).

• Younger adults show the greatest tendency to skip breakfast mainly due they
say, to ‘not enough time’ or choosing to ‘sleep longer’(1).

• The presence of children in the household also relates to skipping breakfast as

many consumers claim they are too busy getting the children ready for school
before going to work(1).

• One in four people that work miss breakfast compared to one in five of those not
working(1).

• 36% of consumers agree that skipping breakfast leads to overeating later in the
day(2).

• 32% of ten to sixteen year old children living in England do not eat breakfast
before leaving home(8).

• 7% of ten to sixteen year old children living in England never eat breakfast on a
school day(8).

About the breakfast market

• More than half of consumers have at least three different types of cereal in their
cupboard(2).

• The UK breakfast cereal market is worth £1.5 billion(3).

 • Cereal is the most popular breakfast food eaten by children (90%) closely
followed by toast eaten by one in four children aged between seven and ten(4).

• Just over two thirds of seven to ten year olds consider breakfast to be an
important meal – marginally higher than the average adult(5).

• Cooked breakfasts tend to be reserved for the weekend(6).

• In the UK, we eat 12 million large loaves of bread every day(10).

• A serving of toast uses approximately 25g of cereals(11).

• Most bread is made from wheat, though barley, oats and rye are used in some
speciality loaves(11).

Healthy breakfasts = Healthy nation

• Experts claim that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and plays a
key role in helping to tackle obesity, the NHS says, “eating breakfast has long
term health benefits. It can reduce the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart
diseases and diabetes”(9).

• One of the eight healthy eating tips from the Food Standards Agency is that you
should not skip breakfast. However, one in ten consumers claim to skip meals to
keep their weight down(5).

• 58% of consumers agree that eating breakfast helps to get the day started and
26% say they can’t concentrate if they don’t eat breakfast(2).

• Breakfast helps to improve concentration, memory and mental functions(2).

• Research shows that our healthiest food choices are made at breakfast(7).

- Ends -

For further information about Farmhouse Breakfast Week 2011 (23 - 29 January),
including events in your area, recipes, tips or images please visit
www.shakeupyourwakeup.com or contact a member of the team:

David Gough Karen Levy

Ceres HGCA
T: 0118 947 5956 T: 024 7647 8735
E : david.gough@ceres-pr.co.uk E : karen.levy@hgca.com
Editor’s notes:
• Farmhouse Breakfast Week is organised by HGCA, which is the cereals and oilseeds
division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
• HGCA aims to deliver a world class arable industry through independence, innovation
and investment. It funds R&D, marketing, export and promotional activities for the cereals
and oilseeds sector in the UK. Find out more at www.hgca.com.
• HGCA is a financial supporter of the Red Tractor quality assurance scheme
www.redtractor.org.uk.
• The new website is now live so visit www.shakeupyourwakeup.com for more ways to
Shake Up Your Wake Up.

Sources

(1) IGD March 2010 - 1,061 consumers

(2) Mintel MI Report Feb 2010 - 956 consumers in December 2009
(3) Kantar Worldpanel Data August 2010
(4) Mintel MI Report Feb 2010 - Youth TGI survey April 2009
(5) Mintel Consumer Breakfast Eating Habits UK - February 2010
(6) Mintel Market Intelligence - February 2010
(7) Grocer Breakfast - August 2010 (Kantar World panel tot 52 w/e December 2009)
(8) Guardian - 16 August 2010 (European Journal of Clinical Nutrition Study of 4,326 children)
(9) The NHS as quoted in Mintel MI Report Feb 2010
(10) Federation of Bakers September 2010
(11) HGCA 2010