Over one-third of Australians reported eating a meal on-the-go at least once a week, especially breakfasts, according to consumer research group Datamonitor.

The consumer insight survey data suggests that consumers in Australasia are seeking new and faster solutions to everyday tasks, and turning to on-the-go options to simplify their busy lives.

“Growing demands on time have significantly affected main meal consumption, which typically requires the type of planning and preparation that consumers increasingly cannot spare. This is particularly so for the breakfast occasion, which has suffered from fast-paced work lives that often deprive consumers the luxury of sitting down to a meal before work,” says Katrina Diamonon, a consumer analyst at Datamonitor.

Australian consumers are particularly prone to skipping daytime meals, with over one-quarter (29%) of Australians skipping breakfast at least 3 times a week, and 22% skipping lunch with the same frequency – even higher than the global averages of 26% skipping breakfast and 16% skipping lunch.

“Consumers’ busy lives, as well as their growing awareness of all things health and nutrition, has driven the success of liquid breakfast offerings which not only provide the requisite nutritional benefits but are also conducive to on-the-go consumption,” adds Diamonon.

Indicative of the growing ‘liquid food’ trend, functional drinks – particularly those that purport to boost energy – are in a significant growth phase in Australia and New Zealand, and are forecast to reach $1.7 million in 2014.

Companies such as Sanitarium have cashed in on the trend, recently extending the successful Up&Go range by launching the female-targeted Up&Go Vive energy drink, which claims to provide the“protein, energy and dietary fiber of two Weet-Bix and lite milk”, while also being a good source of calcium, 98.5% fat free, with 5.8% sugar content and no added preservatives.

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