3 reasons Americans are abandoning cereal
Kellogg, which owns brands like Frosted Flakes, Rice Krispies, Froot Loops and Special K, saw morning food sales fall 8% this quarter, reports Devin Leonard at Bloomberg Businessweek.
Sales of 19 of the brand's top 25 cereal brands fell last year, according to Bloomberg.
Here are a few reasons Americans are abandoning cereal.
1. Too busy.
In many households, both parents work and don't have time to eat a bowl of cereal, according to Businessweek.
Kellogg is responding by offering more healthy cereal bars and snacks.
"We recognize that sometimes consumers don't have time for a bowl of cereal and milk," Kellogg vice president Paul Norman said in an earnings call.
2. Fewer children.
People are having fewer children, meaning that they aren't going through as much sugary cereal.
"The company flourished in the Baby Boom era, when fathers went off to work and mothers stayed behind to tend to three or four children," Businessweek writes.
The US fertility rate fell to a record low last year, The Washington Examiner reports, citing the National Center for Health Statistics.
Today, the average family has two children.
3. Health-conscious attitudes.
Consumers are increasingly wary of packaged foods and big corporations.
For years, people thought sugary cereals were healthy because of their low fat content.
But Americans' dietary guidelines have changed to include fatty foods like eggs. Now, people are encouraged to avoid sugar for their health.
Rather than eating cereal out of a box, many Americans are choosing to make their own bacon and eggs.