The nutritionist’s mantra has long been that breakfast is the most important meal and that people who eat a healthy breakfast have more energy and are less prone to weight gain.

Dole Pouches
A big part of eating more healthfully, says Chris Lock, VP of Sales & Marketing with Dole Foodservice in Westlake Village, California, is more fruits and vegetables. While serving Brussels sprouts at breakfast might require major arm twisting, few need to be coaxed into eating fruit. “We’re seeing growing interest in fruit on a breakfast buffet,” says Lock. “Operators want to add fruit; consumers want to see it.”

Dole has two main options for foodservice, starting with Tropical Golden pineapple in an 81-ounce shelf-stable pouch. Pouches have virtually replaced cans, says Lock, because there are fewer issues with disposal and pouches eliminate the metallic taste cans sometimes impart. “And it’s a different variety than what’s traditionally used in a can,” Lock says of the pineapple, “Super sweet … it’s the bright yellow everyone’s looking for.”

The pineapple comes in random cut chunks “so it looks like it could have been cut up at the back of the house” and, says Lock, is ideal for using on its own or as a base for other recipes.

Dole also has another pouched product, a colorful tropical fruit salad made from chunks of pineapple, red and yellow papaya, and guava. “Tropicals are a hot trend,” notes Lock.

The company also has a full line of frozen fruit products packed in fivepound poly bags. “You can have a lot of mix-and-match opportunities with frozen fruit,” Lock says.

Lock recently read that fruit is the most popular snack in America, which means, he says, “it’s not just for breakfast, it’s for any time.”

McCain's Special Spuds
“Breakfast is one of the fastest-growing menu parts in the marketplace,” says Don Moos, director of foodservice potato brand marketing with McCain Foods USA in Lisle, Illinous.

However, continues Moos, everyone is rushed, making grab-and-go foods very important. And more hotels are serving bag breakfasts. "We're seeing a preference for consumers to take breakfast with them ... so what's selling best are portable items."

McCain, the world’s largest producer of frozen French fries, has taken advantage of these trends—renewed emphasis on breakfast and lack of time—and developed Snacksations Hash Brown Stix, a flavored hash brown that comes with a sleeve. They can be baked, fried, or cooked on a roller grill. Another popular product is McCain Homestyle BabycakesTM. The small potato pancakes can be put in a sleeve and eaten on the run. “A comfort food, it reminds people of potato pancakes they may have had as a child,” Moos says.

Sara Lee Covers It
The Sara Lee Corporation covers every aspect of breakfast from A to Z. Leslie Chase, communications manager with Sara Lee Foodservice, Rolling Meadows, Illinois, says, in response to requests for more healthful options, Sara Lee has developed a line of “Wholesome Indulgence” muffins and bagels with zero trans fat, which are also a good source of fiber “and taste delicious” says Chase, dispelling any visions of dutifully eating a muffin merely because it is good for you.

Responding to demand for leaner, healthier breakfast meat, Sara Lee introduced sausage patties made from turkey under the Jimmy Dean brand. Chase says consumers “want bolder tastes,” whether they be savory or sweet. And, echoing Moos’ observations on the importance of portability, Sara Lee’s breakfast sandwiches, available on croissants, bagels, or English muffins, are perennially popular.

Tyson Brings the Bacon
For some people, breakfast isn’t breakfast without a serving of meat, and one of the most popular is bacon. According to the National Pork Board, bacon sales are predicted to grow 15 percent between 2002 and 2007.

Tyson Foods, Inc., headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, the world’s largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork, offers raw and fully cooked bacon in hickory smoked, applewood smoked, and maple flavors.

Raegon Barnes, Tyson Foods product manager, says, “The company’s extensive breadth of line offers a variety of quality tiers so you get the product, quality, and price you need.” For example, she continues, “Fully cooked Tyson® Bacon provides a great solution for hotels with continental breakfast. The bacon can be warmed in the microwave before serving, and guests feel they are getting a more upscale continental breakfast offering.”

The company notes increasing sales in its homestyle bacon, which Barnes says is “perfectly suited” for buffet breakfasts. Flavored bacons, specifically applewood, are gaining momentum.

BAF Goes Global
Basic American Foods in Walnut Creek, California, provides dehydrated potato products to the food service industry. More chefs are turning to BAF’s Golden Grill RussetTM Premium Hashbrown Potatoes, says Corporate Chef Keith Darling, using them to develop their own signature breakfast items.

The average consumer has a more global palate, observes Darling, and “wants interesting breakfast dishes that offer full-balanced flavors and spices.” BAF’s hashbrowns (which have an ACF seal of approval) can be used with egg to form a frittata that tastes great and has a holding time ideal for brunch buffet service. Or, chefs can add a contemporary twist to traditional breakfast specialties, like huevos rancheros, by using Golden Grill hashbrowns as a base instead of a tortilla. “Top them with beans and eggs, and finish it ranchero style,” he says.

To stay on top of changing taste preferences, says Darling, BAF works with operators to develop recipes reflecting today’s tastes. “We conduct focus groups and trend research, ensuring our products meet the operational priorities of our customers, as well as consumer tastes.”