海角大神

General Mills has big expectations for Tiny Toast.聽

Tiny Toast is General Mills鈥� first new cereal brand since 2001, when the company released the now discontinued Harmony cereal. But it has been 25 years since General Mills鈥� introduced a cereal brand that remains on shelves today 鈥� Basic 4 was released in 1991.

鈥淲e heard from several consumers that the Blueberry Tiny Toast tastes like a blueberry muffin,鈥� Mike Evenson, product developer in General Mills鈥� Innovation, Technology and Quality division, says in a press release. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 exactly what we were going for. When we heard that, we knew we were on to something good.鈥�

Euromonitor International reports for all types of cereal sales between 2003 and 2013. And according to market researcher Nielson, all cereal sales between 2011 and 2015 with a slight uptick this year.

鈥淪ome of my business has definitely gone to my colleague running yogurt,鈥� Jim Murphy, president of General Mills鈥� cereals unit, tells The New York Times. To revive declining cereal sales, General Mills began marketing Cheerios and Chex as Gluten Free. 鈥淲e had tried everything to move the needle: new advertising, new flavors 鈥� and then we marketed it as gluten-free, .鈥�

And General Mills has seen from revamping old recipes like that of Cinnamon Toast Crunch as well as expanding the Nature Valley and Annie鈥檚 franchises. With real fruit and no high-fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or colors, General Mills created Tiny Toast with young, health-conscious consumers in mind.聽

But both flavors of Tiny Toast contains 鈥� the same amount as General Mills鈥� other cereals Reese鈥檚 Puffs, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, Cookie Crisp, Frosted Cheerios, and Honey Nut Cheerios. Lucky Charms and Trix contain 10 grams of sugar and Raisin Nut Bran contains 14 grams.聽

Comparatively original Cheerios, one of the brand鈥檚 healthier options, contains 1 gram of sugar.聽

鈥淵ou realize that it鈥檚 just a sugar delivery vehicle,鈥� Adam Feuerstein, who prefers juice to cereal for breakfast, told The New York Times in 2013. 鈥淲e鈥檝e all gotten a little smarter about the foods we eat, and while there are plenty of healthy cereals out there, I just don鈥檛 choose to eat much cereal.鈥�

And its not just a matter of health for Millennial consumers 鈥� it鈥檚 also convenience.

鈥淟ed by millennials, time-pressed consumers continue to turn away from sit-down breakfast options in favour of more portable snacks ,鈥� explains Euromonitor International in a 2015 report. 鈥淪ometimes called the 鈥榮nackification鈥� of US food, several smaller but rapidly-growing categories are emerging to challenge breakfast cereals for share of the breakfast meal occasion.鈥澛�

Americans are increasingly turning to breakfast bars, yogurt, or new fast food alternatives from McDonalds or Taco Bell. In fact, breakfast menu innovations offer an opportunity to fast-food chains struggling to find their footing amid new consumer trends, reports 海角大神鈥檚 Lucy Schouten.

鈥淭he dream of all these companies is to capture the all-powerful and elusive millennial eater, ,鈥� writes the New York Times鈥� Kim Severson in February. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just too much work, for one thing. Almost 40 percent of the millenials surveyed by Mintel for its 2015 report said cereal was an inconvenient breakfast choice because they had to clean up after eating it.鈥澛�

With Millennials in mind, General Mills has launched for Tiny Toast with Tumblr, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and YouTube accounts.

鈥淢illennials aren鈥檛 the only ones who prioritize convenience above all else at mealtime,鈥� filmmaker Joe Cross, who recently created the documentary 鈥淭he Kids Menu,鈥� tells the Monitor鈥檚 Lisa Suhay. 鈥淓veryone is short on time these days and convenience IS a big deal 鈥� but convenience food does not have to mean unhealthy food. The trick is making healthy choices more convenient.鈥�