Reese’s launches snack cakes for breakfast

Consumption of sweets and treats has increased in the United States as a result of the pandemic, and now consumers will have yet one more occasion on which to indulge: breakfast. Hershey’s just announced its Reese’s Snack Cakes, a chocolate cake filled with peanut butter cream and coated with a milk chocolate exterior, and it is marketed as a breakfast food.

The chocolate confectioner cited a study saying 83% of adults indulged in a dessert before noon. With these statistics in mind, Hershey decided to make dessert for breakfast official with the launch of this new cake product. “We know that sometimes you just don’t want to wait until lunch – that’s how Reese’s Snack Cakes were born,” Mike Orr the brand manager for the company’s Snacks division said in the release.

This innovation is not the first step that Hershey has taken to introduce its popular Reese’s line into other mealtimes outside of dessert. In the last several years, Reese’s has debuts limited-release Chocolate and Peanut Butter Lovers Cups, Reese’s Thins and Reese’s Crunchers. The candy has also made its way into the cereal aisle as part of a partnership between General Mills and Hershey to launch five new candy-themed cereals, including Reese’s Puffs Big Puffs.

Nor is Hershey alone in introducing a sweeter profile into the breakfast aisle. Cereals now boast an array of treats that have been transformed into a format where they can be consumed as part of the most important meal of the day. Post Holdings, General Mills and Kellogg have all launched indulgent cereals like Nutter Butter, Hostess Honey Buns and Peeps in recent months.

While this trend toward a sweeter start to the day is a long time coming, it is one that the pandemic has accelerated. Cravings for treats have caused more than half of Americans to admit that they are eating less healthfully as of June, according to an annual Food & Health Survey from the International Food Information Council. Chocolate has presented a particular siren call with chocolate sales rising 17.9% between March 15 and Aug. 9, according to data from the National Confectioners Association.

Reese’s is making a play to expand its appeal by stretching beyond the candy category and entering on-the-go breakfast. While this move may prove shrewd in the long run, breakfast at home is on the rise as consumers spend more time at home and less time out and about. In the meantime, Hershey can rely on the growth in the popularity of chocolate as a lifeline as it works to persuade consumers to introduce the sweet into more areas of their lives.