Aussies' lifestyles fuelling on-the-go breakfasts

TO facilitate their multi-tasking lifestyles, over one-third of Australians reported eating a meal on the go at least once a week, finds Datamonitor (www.datamonitor.com). Australasian consumers are particularly prone to skipping daytime meals, with over one-quarter (29%) of Australians skipping breakfast at least 3 times a week, and 22% skipping lunch with the same frequency - even higher than the global averages. "Growing demands on time have significantly affected main meal consumption, which typically requires the type of planning and preparation that consumers increasingly cannot spare. This is particularly so for the breakfast occasion, which has suffered from fast-paced work lives that often deprive consumers the luxury of sitting down to a meal before work," says Katrina Diamonon, consumer analyst at Datamonitor. "Consumers' busy lives, as well as their growing awareness of all things health and nutrition has driven the success of liquid breakfast offerings which not only provide the requisite nutritional benefits but are also conducive to on-the-go consumption," adds Ms Diamonon, based in Sydney. Indicative of the growing 'liquid food' trend, functional drinks - particularly those that purport to boost energy - are in a significant growth phase in Australia and New Zealand, and are forecast to reach A$1.7m in 2014, according to Datamonitor.Air Max