The Next Hot Food Trend? Hot Sauce On Your Oatmeal, According To A New Survey From The Quaker Oats Company

CHICAGO, Oct. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Quaker Oats Company, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, Inc., recently surveyedⁱ Americans nationwide to see how they rise and shine. The leader in oats for over 142 years uncovered everything from Americans' can't-live-without breakfast foods to their culinary inspirations.

The survey found Americans – more than eight out of 10 – still believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Thankfully only eight percent of them would skip their morning shower to eat breakfast. But half would miss their morning TV show. As for avocado toast, it's West versus Midwest, with the former saying "avocaDO" and the latter saying "avocaDON'T." One thing everyone agrees on? The smell of coffee is one of the best wake-up calls.

"As one of America's leading breakfast brands we like to hear how consumers are looking to bring more flavor to their mornings," said Robbert Rietbroek, senior vice president and general manager at Quaker Foods North America. "Quaker Oats inspire creativity, so we hope consumers keep exploring all the ways to enjoy oats, whether they enjoy their oats with traditional toppings like fruit and cinnamon or if they like them savory."

What else did the oat experts at Quaker uncover about regional breakfast trends in the United States?

• On the Savory Train: Savory and over-the-top breakfasts are national favorites, but ingredient preferences vary depending on location. Ride the savory train by trying this Everything Bagel Baked Oatmeal that offers a new spin on a classic breakfast staple.
• Around the Clock: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, according to those surveyed, but breakfast foods are also enjoyed at dinner time. Satisfy your breakfast for dinner craving by cooking up a Savory Oat Bowl topped with eggs, avocado and shiitake mushrooms.
• Some Like it Sweet, Some Like it Spicy: While classic oatmeal toppings such as brown sugar and cinnamon rose to the top, Americans also enjoy spicing up their oatmeal with ingredients such as hot sauce. Keep it sweet with this Cinnamon Oatmeal Banana Bread Skillet or spice it up with these Quaker Kale Fritters that feature a yogurt dip made with hot sauce.
• #TBT (Throwback Breakfast Trend): Americans feel nostalgic when it comes to breakfast and are inspired by foods that remind them of childhood. Just ask Quaker partner Tia Mowry-Hardrict, who created her Banana Chocolate Oat Pancakes based on a family tradition growing up.

To introduce new and creative ways to enjoy the taste and versatility of oats, Quaker partnered with actress and cooking show star Tia Mowry-Hardrict to share her love of oats, cooking tips and a recipe inspired by the tasty morsels uncovered in the survey.

"My favorite meal of the day is breakfast and I've always had Quaker Oats in my pantry," said Mowry-Hardrict. "Learning other Americans are as nostalgic about breakfast as I am inspired me to create my Banana Chocolate Oat Pancakes recipe that combines two of my favorite things – oats and pancakes. Cooking pancakes as a family on the weekends is one of my best childhood memories, and I've carried on that tradition with my family now."

Consumers Sample Regionally Inspired Oat CreationsThe survey results will also be on the menu at two pop-up dinners hosted in Boston and San Francisco where Quaker Oats is supporting The James Beard Foundation's (JBF) Taste America tour as a local partner. Bites from Quaker will be featured at the pop-up events at SRV in Boston October 22 and at Noosh in San Francisco November 3. Both oat-inspired tastes will celebrate the regional traits that make the United States' food culture so rich and diverse while showcasing the endless possibilities of oats. While tickets for the San Francisco dinner are sold out, Boston tickets can be purchased on the JBF Taste America website.

To further celebrate the versatility of the oat, Quaker launched its Oats Across America promotion October 1. Share your own original recipe – using Quaker Old-Fashioned, Instant oats or other Quaker Oats product – and be entered for the chance to win $1,000 in one of the daily drawings. There's also a chance for the recipe to be included in the Quaker Oats Cookbook. For more information on how to enter and the Official Rules visit CookwithQuaker.com.

About The Quaker® Oats Company

The Quaker Oats Company, headquartered in Chicago, is a unit of PepsiCo, Inc., one of the world's largest consumer packaged goods companies. For more than 140 years, Quaker's brands have served as symbols of quality, great taste and nutrition. Quaker® Oats, Quaker® Rice Cakes and Quaker Chewy® Granola Bars are consumer favorites. For more information, please visit www.QuakerOats.com, www.Facebook.com/Quaker or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @Quaker.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $64 billion in net revenue in 2018, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

About The James Beard Foundation

The James Beard Foundation's mission is to promote good food for good™. For more than 30 years, the James Beard Foundation has highlighted the centrality of food culture in our daily lives. Through the James Beard Awards, unique dining experiences at the James Beard House and around the country, scholarships, hands-on learning, and a variety of industry programs that educate and empower leaders in our community, the Foundation has built a platform for chefs and asserted the power of gastronomy to drive behavior, culture, and policy change around food. To that end, the Foundation has also created signature impact-oriented initiatives that include our Women's Leadership Programs, aimed at addressing the gender imbalance in the culinary industry; advocacy training through our Chefs Boot Camp for Policy and Change; and the James Beard Foundation Leadership Awards, which shine a spotlight on successful change makers. The organization is committed to giving chefs and their colleagues a voice and the tools they need to make the world more sustainable, equitable, and delicious for everyone. For more information, please visit jamesbeard.org and follow @beardfoundation on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

ⁱ Quaker Oats and TRUE Global Intelligence™, the in-house research practice of FleishmanHillard, conducted a 10-minute online survey among 1,000 American adults, 18 years of age and older, from 26 July through 1 August 2019, to explore regional breakfast trends. Quotas were set for age, gender, and region to ensure national representation. The margin of error is +/- 3 percent at a 95% confidence level.