One Third of People in Ireland are Skipping Breakfast Each Week

New Study Shows 1.4 million of us are Failing to Eat the Most Important Meal of the Day

32% of people in Ireland are failing to eat the most important meal of the day, with a staggering 48% of people in their 20’s skipping breakfast and those who do eat it admitting to spending just nine minutes preparing and eating breakfast each day.  The results are according to a new study into breakfast behaviour by Kraft Foods Ireland which recently launched Belvita Breakfast Biscuits into the Irish market.  Belvita are the first specially designed breakfast biscuits to be made available to Irish consumers.

The Breakfast Report was commissioned by Kraft Foods Ireland to investigate Ireland’s breakfast habits compared to the rest of Europe.  It found that, with 32% of the population skipping breakfast, Ireland is a close second only to Britain in Europe’s breakfast skipping table.  34% of Britons skip breakfast compared to only 17% in France, 18% in Italy and just 13% in Spain.  The study also showed that almost one in 10 women in Ireland (nine per cent) never eats breakfast.  All this is despite the fact that 58% of people in Ireland admit to feeling happier and more energetic when they do eat breakfast.¹

One of Ireland’s leading consultant dieticians, Sarah Keogh, commented, “This new research shows that many of us are skipping breakfast even though we know we feel better when we have it.  Nutritionists recognise breakfast as one of the most important meals of the day and people who skip breakfast find it much harder to get their recommended daily amounts of iron and other vitamins.

“People who eat breakfast have better concentration levels and find it easier to maintain a healthy weight.  Any convenient, portion controlled and specially designed breakfast alternative that makes it easier for more of us to eat a balanced breakfast more often can only be a good thing.”

Belvita Breakfast biscuits are the only specially designed breakfast biscuits in Ireland. They are made with wholegrain, rich in cereals, a source of fibre and contain a selection of vitamins and minerals.  When eaten as part of a balanced breakfast such as with a latte and apple, these low GI breakfast biscuits are clinically proven to regularly release carbohydrates over four hours to keep you going throughout the morning.²

Of those of us that do eat breakfast, the research showed that we are bottom of the European table in the time we spend preparing and eating it, at just nine minutes compared to the UK, 9.8 minutes, France, 13.6 minutes, Spain, 14.9 minutes, and Italy, 11.2 minutes.  62% of Irish people in their 30’s spend less than five minutes preparing and eating the most important meal of the day.³

Sandra Gahan, Marketing Manager at Kraft Foods Ireland, said, “The research shows that while most of us understand the importance of breakfast, our increasingly busy lifestyles are prohibiting many of us from eating breakfast every day.

“For decades people in continental Europe have enjoyed eating biscuits for breakfast where it’s part of their breakfast culture and where breakfast biscuits rich in cereal are recognised as part of a nutritious, balanced breakfast.  Belvita Breakfast has been specially designed for breakfast.  Each individually wrapped portion provides just the right amount to get a good start to the day in a format that enables people to enjoy them their way as part of a balanced breakfast – whether at home, on the go, or at work.”

37% of people say that they skip breakfast because they have no time and have too many other things to do in the morning, which, alongside not being able to face food at that time of day or not being hungry (38%), is the biggest reason people give for not having breakfast.  One third of skippers choose to stay in bed longer (29%) and a quarter is spending time on their appearance each morning instead of having breakfast