What’s for Breakfast?

With 1991 sales of $7.8 billion, ready-to-eat cold cereals are a breakfast staple. In fact, cold cereals outsell hot cereals 10 to 1. Not surprisingly, people 18 and under eat the most cereal, followed by those 55 and over. The cereal industry expects aging baby boomers to be a driving force behind growth in sales of ready-to-eat cereals.

Cereal Consumption by Age Group (1990)

Pounds consumed per capita 18 and under: 13.9 19-44: 7.7 45-54: 9.7 55 and older: 10.0

Top 10 Selling Cereals

1991 sales in millions of dollars Cheerios: $374 Frosted Flakes: $351 Honey Nut Cheerios: $265 Corn Flakes: $257 Rice Krispies: $257 Chex: $250 Raisin Bran: $242 Cap’n Crunch: 226 Frosted Mini-Wheats: $187 Grape Nuts: $179

Top Cereal makers

The two top makers of cold cereals, Kellogg and General Mills, command two-third of the industry market share in terms of dollar sales. Kellogg: 37.2% General Mills: 29.0% Kraft General: 11.1% Quaker Oats: 7.1% Ralston Purina: 5.6% Nabisco: 3.2% All others: 6.8% Source: Maxwell Report