Breaking down bars: With overall growth faltering, breakfast bars hold up well

摘要

For many years, the bar category — whether it be snack, granola, breakfast, cereal or nutrition — benefited from a perfect fit with consumers seeking greater convenience at every turn. The ever expanding market for bars appeared to narrow over the past year, though, with growth slowing dramatically. Whether this slowdown is a temporary reflection of economic weakness or a more lasting phenomenon remains to be seen. In the interim, though, new product development has slowed. Globally the number of new snack/cereal/energy bars introduced peaked in 2007 at 1,959, but fell to 1,768 in 2008 and was only at 1,411 through Nov. 18,2009, according to Mintel Global New Products Database.