Mealtime…what’s that all about?

In terms of eating, a normal day is breakfast, lunch and dinner…right?  Not so much, any more. The new norm is anytime, anywhere, and anyhow when it comes to feeding ourselves.  Food manufacturers and marketers are responding in large numbers by ignoring the traditional food “day parts”, and positioning their products as great choices whenever consumers decide to partake. The only rules appear to be product availability and portability. Jack-in-the Box sells breakfast items 24/7 and McDonald’s has claimed that it sells more than 20% of its oatmeal menu item outside traditional breakfast hours. Grab and go when you’re hungry seems to work best for current lifestyles and demands. While this trend has been around for awhile, it appears to be on the road to becoming a permanent fixture in eating culture. The task for food producers is to find innovative packaging and branding/positioning strategies to cash in on consumers free form feeding frenzy.