Abstract

Breakfast is often regarded as the most important meal of the day. As the meal that breaks the overnight fast, breakfast is represented as providing sustenance and energy for the day ahead. However, breakfast cereals are a relatively recent invention, having arrived on US breakfast
tables in the late nineteenth century and UK breakfast tables in the early twentieth century. This chapter will explore the branding of one particular type of breakfast cereal in the UK: muesli. Specifically, it will look at how one of the first commercial muesli, Alpen, was marketed as a healthy breakfast choice on its introduction to the UK market in 1971, and how this compares and contrasts with the marketing of a more modern competitor, Troo Granola+, launched in the UK in 2018. Looking at how the same type of product was introduced over a period of time by two different brands will demonstrate how cultural norms allied with
developments in nutritional science influence their packaging, the health claims made and how the consumer is addressed.