Ready, steady, go!

Breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day, so we're told. The trouble is, with today's hectic lifestyles, many of us are skipping it, preferring to grab something on the run. Enter the cereal bar, which although not marketed as such, is increasingly taking the place of a good old fashioned breakfast of toast or a bowl of cereal eaten at home.

According to a new report by Weetabix, the UK cereal bar market is worth £258M, and is growing 7.2% year-on-year, driven by the growth of the current 'cash rich, time poor' demographic. "Cereal bars have become staple and convenient snacks, but it is a sector that is confusing to the consumer, with new launches from cereal, confectionery and biscuit brands, as well as from smaller manufacturers," it says.

But with format choice also broadening, ranging from muesli and fruit bars, to baked and confectionery style bars from the likes of Mars and Cadbury, the sector has "become swamped", claims the report.

What then, are the makers of these bars doing to ensure their product is picked off the crowded shelf instead of their rivals'? Some are taking the functional route, others the indulgent, while many are moving towards the healthier end of the spectrum.

New bars Something Xtra are a case in point of a smaller manufacturer entering the market, in this instance at the functional end. Developed by Multiple Marketing, the bars contain 10 "essential vitamins" and each of the five bars offers a different functional benefit, for instance, caffeine, taurine, folic acid and iron for alertness. The bars are available nationwide in Tesco and Sainsbury.

Jennifer West from Tesco Healthcare says: "Consumers are telling us they want to buy products that offer taste and nutrition but also have greater functional benefits as well."

Another entry into the healthy market, but this time at the natural end, is Jordans' Superfoods bar, which it claims is the first of its kind to market. "Superfoods are recognised by nutritionists as natural ingredients packed with powerful nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants that help maintain good health and wellbeing," claims Jordans. "These benefits are naturally occurring in the ingredients and are not gained through fortification."

The company has also recently launched a nut and seed bar, in response to "consumers saying they prefer foods that are natural". With this in mind, the bar contains no artificial colourings, flavourings or preservatives and no hydrogenated fat.

When talking about the natural approach, it is hard not to mention fast growing brand Eat Natural, which works on the ethos of using only simple, natural ingredients in its range of cereal bars that are bound with honey.

Harriet Gregory ('H') who is in charge of Taste Matters at the firm (its version of NPD) agrees the market has become more confusing for the consumer. "In recent years the cereal bar, breakfast, impulse and free-from markets have merged. It is now up to the consumer to determine the end use," she says.

Gregory agrees that the superfoods trend, in particular blueberries, has really taken off, hence the firm's launch of a seasonal blueberry and pistachio bar. It is looking at the flavour opportunities different varieties of honey offer, as well as new bar formats. "We do have mini bars, which are a third the size of the normal bar and lower in calories," she adds.

While superfoods and functional ingredients are growth categories, there is no escaping the trend towards lighter, low fat/calorie products and new product launches continue to appear at this end of the market.

Weetabix, for instance, recently introduced its Alpen Light bars, which have less than 70 calories per bar and an added prebiotic, while in July, Kellogg launched its Special K Bliss bar - a blend of cereal and fruit with dark chocolate on the bottom and less than 90 calories. Kellogg also markets the number one selling Nutri-Grain range, which has just been extended with Nutri-Grain Oat Baked Bars.

Kellogg says the bars "have been developed in response to consumer demand for a snack that is wholesome, tasty and substantial" but is quick to stress that none of its cereal bars are marketed as breakfast replacement bars. This is just as well, given the criticism fired at them, and others in the market.

Nutritionist Fiona McDonald Joyce believes cereal bars are partly to blame for the fact that 15% of UK teenagers are now obese (compared to just 5% in the 1960s). Although fat consumption is declining, our sugar intake is on the rise, she says, due in part to 'hidden' sugars added to processed food and drinks. "Cereal bars are often branded as healthy alternatives to standard high fat, high sugar chocolate bars and biscuits. In fact, despite their healthy image, they very often contain just as much sugar," she claims.

McDonald Joyce is particularly critical of Nutri-Grain bars, which contain 31g of sugar per 100g, thanks to an ingredients list of high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup and sugar. "The packaging claims that there are 'wholesome ingredients in every bar', but this 'fruit-filled' cereal bar is only around 8% fruit and 34% cereal, so over half of the bar is made up of fillers, mostly sugar, fat and bulking agents. This is more of a confectionery bar than a nutritious breakfast food. In fact, Nutri-Grain bar is a third sugar. It should be called Nutri-Sugar, not Nutri-Grain," she claims.

She is also critical of the Eat Natural Date and Walnut bar, saying it contains 4.5 teaspoons of sugar per 50g bar. "Walnuts are good - they are a natural foodstuff that is high in protein, but dates, glucose syrup, sultanas, puffed rice and honey are incredibly high GI/GL (Glycaemic Index/Load)." This means they are converted to sugar quickly, which is released into the bloodstream to cause a surge in blood sugar. This can lead to problems including weight gain and tiredness."

But these bars are not alone. According to McDonald Joyce, the Food Commission tested 18 cereal bars and found that all of them were high in fats, sugars or both. She wants a ban on marketing the bars as healthy snacks and believes all bars containing over the recommended 10g/100g of sugar should be classified as confectionery items.

However, Kellogg maintains its bars are intended as snacks, which are healthier than most indulgent snacks. It adds that referring to sugar content in 100g portions is unhelpful. "You would need to eat almost three bars to consume the level of sugar [McDonald Joyce] refers to."

Meanwhile, Eat Natural says it makes several low/medium GI bars and bars with lower sugar. But ultimately, it says: "Taste is the most important thing for us and we have never made any nutritional claims about the bars being low in sugar or GI. People who enjoy our bars see them as a natural and delicious treat rather than something that they would eat every hour of the day."

As to where the market is heading, Weetabix believes significant rationalisation and greater clarity of the roles of the different brands is needed to help consumers and revitalise growth of the sector. "Focused innovation that adds value and seeks to bring new users into the category is essential." FM

1. Kellogg's Nutri-Grain 10% (+20.6%)

2. Kellogg's Special K 8.4% (+22.9%)

3. Alpen Original 7.5% (-1.3%)

4. Kellogg's Cereal & Milk Bars 6.2% (+4.1%)

5. Cadbury's Brunch 5.4% (-7.7%)

6. Mars Tracker 4.5% (+4.1%)

7. Quaker Harvest Cheweee 4.3% (+12%)

8. Kellogg's Nutri-Grain Elevenses 4.2% (+23.5%)

9. Eat Natural 3.9% (+42%)

10. Jordans Frusli 3.4% (-7.6%)