Cereal isn't favored by millennials for breakfast because it's too much work to eat, according to past studies getting new life from a recent New York Times article.
The
NYT story posted Monday pointed to a 2015 report by Mintel that found that nearly 40 percent of millennials found cereal too inconvenient for breakfast "because they had to clean up after eating."
Another survey from California food service business Bon Appetit Management, said granola, protein bars and hot cereals like congee or oatmeal were more popular breakfast choices than cereal for millennials.
In its own survey this past October,
Euromonitor International called the trend the "snackification" of U.S. food as millennials turn up their noses at sit-down breakfast options.
"Products like snack bars, Greek yogurt and even biscuits offer a high-protein, energizing breakfast that can be consumed on the go, and saw strong growth over the review period," said the Euromonitor study.
"Against this fierce competition, breakfast cereals struggled to remain relevant in 2015, with retail volume sales falling by 2 percent. This continued an ongoing trend, with volume sales falling by 10 percent over the review period as a whole."
The
Washington Post noted there may be more to the trend than "people are lazy."
"Families are working more than ever," said the Post. "Almost two-thirds of households are supported by two working parents today, according to the latest government data, which is the highest reading on record. The less time families have to prepare food or sit down at restaurants, the more convenience hovers over decisions about food, especially when there is an option that is easier."
