A breakfast cereal is a food product marketed to consumers as a breakfast food. Breakfast cereals may be eaten at any time of day. It may be eaten cold and mixed with milk or yoghurt and fruit, or boiled like oatmeal. Although cereal foods such as porridge are a staple of daily meals in many countries around the world, in wealthier, consumer-conscious nations an entire industry has been created dedicated to the sale of breakfast cereals.
Breakfast cereals are marketed to all ages. For adults, companies such as Kellogg's, Sanitarium, Quaker Oats, Post, Nestlé and General Mills promote their products for the health benefits gained from eating oat-based and high fiber cereals. Manufacturers often fortify breakfast cereals with various vitamins and advertise this fact to attract customers. Cereals with relatively high sugar content are also produced. Sugar-laden breakfast cereals have been extremely popular with children for decades, and many adults also buy them.
