Granola Churns The Breakfast Market In Japan

The traditional Japanese breakfast is gradually disappearing, due mostly to the time constraints of the modern lifestyle. Lengthy preparation of miso soup, salmon filets, pickled vegetables, etc., is being replaced by breakfast cereals, especially granola, which Japanese adults do not associate with kids’ sugary ready-to-eat-cereals. Key evidence of the trend: shipment value of granola increased 55.3 percent from 2012 to $143 million in 2013. Sales of granola, introduced in Japan in the 1990s, stagnated for years until snack manufacturer Calbee changed the brand name to Calbee Frugra, marketing it with free sample giveaways. Exposure increased on social media, a cookbook was added, and positive health publicity boosted granola’s image. “As granola in Japan demonstrates, the opportunity to shake up the breakfast market is there,” according to Datamonitor.