Breakfast in the morning, midday and in the evening

 Traditional breakfast isn’t in harmony with the current health trends, and our pace of life hardly allows spending a lot of time at the table in the morning. However, the home office work in the pandemic period, combined with the indulgence trend, led to a sausage and pancake renaissance. Now we are in the “back to school, back to work” period, and at the same time our breakfast habits are altering.

What and how?

People associate breakfast with health more than other meals. Another trend is that many foods formerly eaten sitting at the table are now turning into on-the-go products; this also has to do with the availability of creative packaging solutions. The elements of breakfast frequently show up in the world of snacks, and they do it in many different ways. Breakfast foods are becoming desserts or snacks, and they can be eaten any part of the day.

The supertrendy cauliflower seems to conquer the breakfast table, too

When and for how much?

Pek-Snack has recently done an online survey on the breakfast habits of Hungarians, with the participation of almost 800 consumers. Most Hungarians have 10-15 minutes to enjoy breakfast, but one third of respondents only give themselves 5-10 minutes. 73% of Hungarians have breakfast, and more than half of them do it at home. When buying breakfast, most people tend to visit grocery stores, but one third choose bakeries or cafés. The majority of Hungarians eat something salty, sandwich, salty baked goods, processed meats and eggs are the most popular breakfast choices, in this order.

What can I get you: Breakfast or lunch?

Today there are thousands of breakfast places in Budapest, if we include the best bakeries too. The concept of 24/7 breakfast comes from the USA, but it is now conquering Europe. Consumers can choose from a stunning variety of foods. In Hungary there are already places where breakfast is served in menu format, which gradually turns this meal into the main meal of the day. Even a new word was coined, “brinner”, which designates a meal consisting of a fusion of breakfast and dinner; basically this is something like what we used to call “brunch”.

Consumers want healthy food for breakfast, such as high fruit content juices. With its Cappy brand, Coca-Cola Magyarország is present in every segment of the fruit juice market. This year functional fruit drinks were added to our portfolio. As for our coffee selection, currently we offer two premium brands to coffee lovers: Costa Coffee is the ideal choice for those who live a modern, urban lifestyle, while Caffè Vergnano products offer a classic Italian coffee experience. //

In 2020 we put Activia Mix and Go products on the market, and Activia Reggeli breakfast products were updated in 2021. We recommend the full Danone portfolio and Alpro plant-based drinks and “gurts” for breakfast. Our Alpro Shhh…This is Not M!lk oat drink is already available in shops: it is unbelievably tasty and can be bought in two versions, with 3.5% and 1.8% fat content. Alpro Barista plant-based products target the HoReCa sector. There are also sugar-, gluten- and lactose-free products in the Alpro portfolio. //

Location is important!

Manna ABC stores can be found in Budapest and two thirds of them sell fresh baked goods 24 hours a day. These are made with quality butter and contain no additives or preservatives. A large proportion of our products are supplied by Hungarian SMEs. Many of our shops are located close to newly built office buildings, and these offer several pre-packaged breakfast products, freshly baked rolls, sandwiches and salads. //

Eco-friendliness is the latest trend in the field of breakfast products (bakery items, drinks, porridges, cereals, cold cuts, patés, etc.) – this manifests in packaging, short supply chains and sustainable product ingredient sources. There is a health trend going on, the selection of vegan products is growing at partners, and they also want more free-from products. From 2025 we won’t be selling private label caged hen eggs to HoReCa partners anymore. //

We at Mizo want to satisfy a wide range of different consumer needs with our product portfolio. From breakfast products milk, flavoured milk drinks and cheese are the most important categories, and these are also the ones where healthy products are gaining ground. Last year we launched an E-free Trappist cheese and consumers love it, thanks to its excellent taste. We have added new products to the Mizo flavoured milk drink portfolio: after chocolate, the floating island and milk coffee flavours are now also available in this sugar-, fat- and lactose-free variant. //

Most baked goods are consumed in combination with something else, such a milk drinks, coffee or soft drinks. People like to buy these together, so we have teamed up with drinks suppliers, and now our franchise partners can serve customer needs better. Sandwich, French toast, chocolate roll, croissant and cottage cheese bundle are the most popular products. White bakery items are starting to become important in the product selections of Pek-Snack shops. //