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Hot cereals 2015: top 10 best-selling US hot breakfast cereal brands

By Vince Bamford

- Last updated on GMT

Volumes sales of hot cereals category are flat year on year. Photo: iStock - Vladislav Nosick
Volumes sales of hot cereals category are flat year on year. Photo: iStock - Vladislav Nosick

Related tags Quaker oats company Porridge Oat Wheat

For a market focused on heat, the performance of the US hot cereals category is looking a little cool.

Unit sales were virtually flat in 2015, according to IRI data, while price increases have pushed up the value of the category less than 1% in the past year.

The weak performance is largely down to decline in private-label products, which account for more than a fifth of the market and fell by around $15m overall across the year.

In contrast, sales of category giant Quaker Oats Company grew 3.7% - or $28m overall – in 2015, driven by a strong performance from the core Quaker oatmeal range that accounts for just shy of half the hot cereals market.

Second-placed brand Cream of Wheat - which owner B&G Foods recently extended with 'To-Go' instant pots - dipped by value and unit sales in 2015.

Quaker Protein - close to $20m

Quaker sub-brands have fared less well than the core range, with most in decline according to IRI data. The exception was the on-trend Quaker Protein instant oatmeal that was launched in November 2014 and raked in almost $20m in its first full year on shelf.

IRI analysts flagged up the launch as a good example of a product tapping demand for both portability and satiation.

Quaker owner PepsiCo has embraced another major food trend this year with the national roll-out of gluten-free Quaker oats following a launch in selected stores late in 2015.

Looking ahead, IRI is expecting further development of products that can bring a clear benefit to consumers, such as high protein content, ingredients such as whole grains, and indulgence.

Top 10 US hot cereal brands - year-on-year performance

Source: IRI 52w/e 27 December 2015 (Supermarkets, drugstores, mass-market retailers, gas/c-stores, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains)Note: data can be re-ordered by clicking on column heading

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