Delivering on time

As breakfast time diminishes because of pressures on people’s time, caterers continue to look for ways to tempt them to take more interest in the first meal of the day. John Porter reports.

Your granny always told you that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and while some of the old girl's advice turns out not to be based on sound medical theory, it looks like she was right on the money when it comes to breakfast.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that we should get around 20% of our daily nutrition from breakfast. The figure, taken from FSA guidelines for public sector caterers, recognises the value of starting the day with food such as bread, cereal and fresh fruit, as well as a hot drink.

The reality, as we all know, can be different. For groups such as commuters rushing for buses or trains, or reluctant teenagers being urged to get up and go to school, a proper breakfast is not always high on the agenda. That clearly represents a challenge for caterers, as well as an opportunity if these breakfast refuseniks can be persuaded to take the time to eat.

Caterer BaxterStorey quotes figures linking the drop in employee productivity from not eating breakfast as costing an estimated £8.1bn or 46.5 working days per year. Research consistently reports that people who eat breakfast are more physically energetic, have better co-ordination levels and score higher in memory tests than people who skip breakfast.

One opportunity for caterers is Farmhouse Breakfast Week 2010 that takes place from January 24-30. The event, now in its 11th year, is organised by HGCA, a division of the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), and again businesses, schools and foodservice outlets taking part will be supported with promotional material.

While the 'full Monty' cooked breakfast it promotes is now more of an occasional treat than part of most people's everyday routine, Tony Goodger, BPEX foodservice trade manager – also part of AHDB – points out that skipping breakfast can be no better in dietary terms.

"There is no denying a traditional full breakfast delivers in terms of taste and satisfaction. This will often reduce the need for mid morning snacks, thereby helping with concentration levels and performance. When it contains good quality assured ingredients – low fat and salt alternatives if you choose – grilled to order, then it is also possible to achieve a nutritionally balanced meal.

"To persuade time poor customers to have breakfast, on the go options such as sausage and bacon sandwiches should be offered."

He advises caterers to swap back bacon for streaky to reduce costs and cut or slice sausages rather than placing them in the bread or bun whole.

Farmhouse Breakfast Week is also celebrating regional diversity, with everything from Northern Irish soda bread and Lincolnshire style sausages to Scottish porridge and Welsh bara brith. These feature in a recipe booklet that, along with a promotional pack, can be ordered on line.

To coincide with Farmhouse Breakfast Week potato specialist Aviko is asking caterers what makes the breakfast they serve the best. The chosen winner will enjoy a weekend for two in London and breakfast in style at the Wolseley Hotel. Ten runners up will receive a case of Aviko hash browns and every entry will receive free POS.

Another breakfast campaign is Feed The Children (UK)'s Breakfast2Live that runs from February 22-28. Cafés, restaurants, schools, colleges, businesses and people at home are being asked to stage breakfast events to raise money for the charity's projects in developing countries and breakfast clubs in the UK. The charity says it has many ideas people can see on its www.breakfast2live.org.uk website.

Pub group JD Wetherspoon recognised the untapped potential in the breakfast market several years ago. Changes to licensing laws in England and Wales, implemented in 2005, gave it the opportunity to introduce earlier opening hours across its business. Its 750 pubs typically open between 9am and 10am and the group serves more than 715,000 breakfasts and coffees each week. However this is still later than the peak morning rush.

Peter Haigh, brand development manager at Tetley GB, makes the point that 25% of tea drunk in the UK each day is done before 9am. "What makes takeaway tea so valuable is the profit opportunity it presents, with a cup of tea to go costing just a few pence and selling for around £1 or more, it is an incredible mark up."

Health perceptions play a growing part in the breakfast market. Such considerations are even more to the fore at this time of year. January is traditionally a popular time to start a diet or healthy eating regime, so it is especially important to look at your healthier meal options. For example Unilever Foodsolutions 0advises caterers to serve fruit crêpes or breakfast flapjacks using its Flora spread as a healthier alternative, as well as using it on rolls and toast.

The continued growth of the cereal bar market also reflects the trend towards consumers looking to combine health and convenience. Alpen bars and Alpen Light bars from Weetabix include variants such as fruit and nut, raspberry and yogurt, and strawberry and yogurt. Many caterers also take advantage of the Weetabix Week campaign which encourages people to add healthy toppings like fruit, natural yogurt or honey to a daily Weetabix.

"Breakfasts are undoubtedly getting healthier," says Chris McDonough, marketing and R&D director of Müller Dairy UK, "and it's bran, fruit, yogurt and 'healthier' cereals which are benefiting. It's important caterers respond to these changing trends and reflect this in the options they offer."

The company's response has been to rebrand its Corner range as Müller Bio Yogurt Corner. Single pots will be available in special foodservice cases of 12 – 4x135g pots of each flavour, with fruit and granola to accompany them.
Alongside health concerns, the time factor remains the biggest challenge.

Kerry Foodservice has found a fast way of delivering breakfast on the go with its new porridge pot range. V*Go is available in porridge, porridge with golden syrup and with dried fruit, which are made by adding hot milk or water.

Delice de France has also launched a range of hand held filled paninis to extend its range of breakfast options. Managing director Ian Toal says: "Consumers who value breakfast will make time and look for good quality products, whereas consumers with less time to spend on breakfast opt for more on the go lines for quick consumption."

The grab 'n' go consumer is a key target identified by Heinz Foodservice in its ongoing Let's do Breakfast campaign, which it launched in 2008 to offer caterers support for this under exploited meal. Senior brand manager Claire Vaughan says caterers began to respond to consumers' needs and made changes to their morning offerings, with power breakfasts and pre-ordered wake me up food becoming more popular.

"This has been great from our perspective but there is a sea change occurring – namely an increase in demand for breakfast options that can be ordered and eaten in a few minutes."

Of course, your granny would have told you not to rush your food....

Words - John Porter