CEREALS

A breakfast cereal is a food product designed especially to be marketed to consumers as a simple breakfast food. Breakfast cereals may be eaten cold and mixed with milk and fruit, or boiled like oatmeal, grits, etc. Though cereal foods such as porridge are a staple of daily meals in many countries around the world, in wealthier, consumer-conscious nations such as the United States, 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, Quaker Oats, Post, Nestlé and General Mills promote their products for the health benefits gained from eating oat-based and high fiber cereals. Nevertheless, the majority of breakfast cereal sold is marketed to young children. Cereal manufacturers have been criticized for manufacturing breakfast cereals with a heavy sugar content aimed at children. Sugar-laden breakfast cereals have been extremely popular with children for decades, and many adults also buy them out of nostalgia. Manufacturers often fortify breakfast cereals with various vitamins and advertise this fact to attract customers. Many manufacturers have recently released "lower sugar" versions of popular brands.

HOT CEREALS

Cereal grains are a staple of breakfasts around the world. Most hot cereals can be classified as porridges, in that they consist of cereal grains which are soaked and/or boiled to soften them and make them palatable.

COLD CEREALS

Cold cereal is largely an American invention, but its popularity has spread throughout the world. Companies such as Kellogg's and Nestlé market their cold cereals throughout the globe.