SPECTRA SPOTLIGHT

Breakfast Barkeeps Working professionals grab a granola bar in a dash out the door, while families munch waffles or cereal at the kitchen table, right?

So much for stereotypes. Big families are far and away the heaviest consumers of breakfast bars, as parents answer time compression with some assurance everyone will start the day with basic nutrients. These on-the-go munchers are educated, executive, and affluent, both white and Hispanic. They drive minivans and SUVs, own the latest electronic equipment, surf the Net, and play interactive and videogames. When they're not shuttling to baseball, soccer, or hockey games, they're running, hiking, doing aerobics - they're non-stop action. Pop and rock music radio plays as they leaf through business, technology, and car magazines.

That's the breakfast bar consumer profile synthesized by Spectra, Chicago, using ACNielsen, MRI, and Simmons data.