What’s new on the shelf: Breakfast gets an upgrade with peanut butter cereals, oat bars and stuffed donuts

04-Jul-2019 - Last updated on 04-Jul-2019 at 07:48 GMT

Cereal giants launch a slew of new flavors this summer. Pic: Getty Images/i love images

Morning snack bars and flavor-packed cereals from General Mills and Kellogg's show that breakfast is still big, with colorful and hearty options hitting shelves this summer.

Nature’s Bakery Oatmeal Crumble Bars

Spinning off its standard oat-based snack bars, the new ‘crumble’ bar offers fresh fruit jam – either strawberry, cherry or apple – inside a soft oat bar topped with a crunchy oat crumble. The 1.4oz bars provide 140 calories with 3g of fiber and 14g of whole grains.

According to Mintel, half of consumers are today eating breakfast on the go.

This bar is available in US grocery stores, including Target, Kroger and Publix, as well as on Amazon and the company’s website. A six-count box runs for an RRP of $6.00.

Nature's Bakery founder Dave Marson said the bars - like other Nature’s Bakery bars that offer fiber and wholegrain - give families ‘peace of mind’ when searching for nutritious and accessible’snacks outside the home.

Marson started the company in 2011 with his son Sam, building off a foundation of quality ingredients, whole grains and real fruit. The company's portfolio also includes a wholewheat and gluten-free fig bar, as well as brownie bars.

Nature Valley Big & Crunchy Oats and Dark Chocolate Granola

General Mills-owned Nature Valley - which is credited with pioneering the granola bar category in 1975 - has expanded its line of granola.

The newest flavor prominently features pieces of dark chocolate mixed with crunchy oats, inspired by the company’s popular Oats & Dark Chocolate bar. A ¼ cup serving provides 120 calories, with 3.5g of 'good' fats, 2g of fiber and protein, plus just under 1mg of iron (or 4% of the daily recommended value).

Nature Valley also offers a high-protein version that packs 13g of protein per serving.

Other granola flavors include Oats & Honey, Cinnamon, Peanut Butter and Cranberry Raisin Almond.

A 16oz pouch runs for an RRP of $3.77.

Post's summer cereal lineup

Post Consumer Brands and Mondelēz have also been busy sprucing up the cereal aisle, introducing a cereal in collaboration with Cold Stone Creamery and Malt-O-Meal.

The cereal comes in two sweet flavors: Our Strawberry Blonde, featuring honey grahams and strawberry flavor with marshmallows, and Birthday Cake Remix with chocolate marshmallows. A resealable 20oz bag runs for an RRP of $5.98.

Post has dipped into the peanut butter flavor pool adding this American favorite to its famed Cocoa Pebbles crispy rice cereal. The company cautions that the cereal is not gluten-free.

Additionally, the Nutter Butter and Chips Ahoy cereals will join the lineup again after a limited run in December 2017.

“We continue to listen closely to our consumers and evolve our brands to deliver some of [the] best tasting cereals available,” said Roxanne Bernstein, Post’s CMO.

“This summer is jam-packed with new and delicious additions,” she added.

The company has partnered with Major League Soccer and will be hosting an adjoining nationwide stadium tour.

Mermaid Cereal and Peanut Butter Chex

General Mills' Mermaid Cereal offers star and tail-shaped orange and pineapple flavored corn puffs, colored to match the ocean in orange and teal.

The box itself is fairly whimsical, with a sparkly metallic text, an ocean background and a cartoon mermaid with purple hair. A 20.7oz family-sized box costs an RRP of $4.99.

General Mills has also added another gluten-free flavor to its Chex lineup, bringing peanut butter into the mix. A standard-sized box costs $3.59 and a family-size box $4.89.

Kellogg’s Strawberry Crunch Krave

Another cereal giant has been busy with new offerings, too, launching two sweet ones this summer.

Kellogg’s Strawberry Crunch Krave offers a cereal ‘crafted for chocovores’ who also desire a hint of fruity flavor. Crunchy multigrain shells are dusted with a sweet strawberry flavor and stuffed with real chocolate.

The Krave line also added a cinnamon crunch flavor earlier this year. A 17.3oz family-sized box runs for an RRP of $3.79.

Kellogg’s White Choc Coco Pops

Meanwhile, in the UK, Kellogg’s debuted a white chocolate version of its popular Coco Pops.

The chocolate version is known for transforming a bowl of milk into chocolate milk, but the white chocolate version will not offer much color difference. Still, the company claims consumers were clamoring for this rendition.

“Our food developers have succeeded and for the first time in the cereal’s 59-year history, a white chocolate version will hit the shops,” said brand manager Katy Bailey.

The crispy rice cereal (RRP £2.99, or $3.78) received a recipe update to reduce the sugar content by 30% and remove artificial flavors and colors.

Catalina Crunch Maple Waffle Cereal

Catalina Snacks, a breakfast brand focused on naturally sweetened keto products, has expanded its portfolio with a zero-sugar maple waffle cereal.

It features a subtle maple sweetness and buttery undertones, with a nice crunchy bite, according to the two-year-old company.

Four 9oz pouches run for $49, and consumers can also subscribe to receive regular shipments for $39 each.

Catalina’s cereals are all gluten and grain-free, vegan, and made without artificial ingredients. They use a combination of pea, potato and corn fiber, combined with chicory and acacia fiber, as well as tapioca. Monk fruit provides the sweetness.