Breakfast cereal in some markets, and steady and continued growth throughout its history. The number of different types of breakfast cereals in the U.S. has grown from 160 (1970) to 340 (1998) to 4,945 (2012). In this highly competitive market, breakfast cereal companies have developed cereals in an ever-increasing number of flavors. Although many plain wheat and oat based cereals exist, other flavors are sweet. Some of the most popular brands include freeze-dried fruit and others are flavored like dessert or candy. Cereal, oatmeal and porridge quickly became an important breakfast component in North America. Barley was a common grain used, though
C.W. Post (cereal) C.W. Post (cereal) C.W. Post was a granola-type breakfast cereal introduced in the United States by General Foods in July 1974. It was named after C. W. Post, the founder of the Postum Cereal Company that later became General Foods. The cereal company unit was later sold off and is now Post Foods. It followed the debuts of other granola cereals by major U.S. cereal manufacturers in the early 1970s: Heartland Natural Cereal, Quaker 100% Natural Granola, Country Morning, and Nature Valley. The cereal was available with or without raisins, and its sugar content by weight was 27.8% and 24.8%,