One-Tenth of Americans Miss Breakfast Daily

CHICAGO -- Apparently, breakfast is not the most important meal of the day for some. Ten percent of U.S. consumers skip breakfast every day, according to a research study conducted by The NPD Group.

Men 18 to 34 years old skip breakfast the most. NPD's MealScape 2011 study, released today, found that 28 percent of men in this age group skipped breakfast.

Adults 55 and older skipped breakfast the least, with only 11 percent of males in this age bracket missing the meal and 10 percent of females avoiding the first meal of the day. Regarding teenagers aged 13 to 17, the percent of youngsters who are awake but don't eat or drink anything in the morning came in at 14 percent, the research revealed.

Top reasons individuals gave for not eating anything before 11 a.m. was not being hungry or thirsty, or they didn't feel like eating or drinking. Other reasons were consumers were too busy, had time constraints or were running late.

Among the 90 percent of U.S. consumers who do eat breakfast each morning, three-fourths of them consume it at home. About one in five eat foods and beverages both at home and on the road. Fourteen percent of consumers eat breakfast away from home.

"With 31 million people skipping breakfast each day, there is a significant opportunity for food and beverage marketers to reach these consumers," said Dori Hickey, director of product management at The NPD Group. "Marketing messages emphasizing the importance of having a morning meal should be age and gender specific in order to increase their effectiveness. To convert teens, a two-pronged approach may be necessary -- one that appeals directly to teenagers; the other to provide strategies for parents of teens."