Breakfast roll men heartbroken as Centra goes healthy

Centra has taken a step away from the breakfast roll generation with the launch of dozens of new products aimed at tapping into the desires of more health conscious consumers.

The Live Well initiative aims to “redefine everyday convenience retailing” by providing shoppers with more than 300 healthier choices and more detailed information about nutritious food.

It is the most dramatic shake-ups of the convenience store market in a generation.

The chain of more than 400 shops has also committed to encouraging people to add activity to their daily routine through walking initiatives and involvement in GAA community events.

Centra's marketing manager Maighread Cremin said the Live Well campaign was the store's response to shopper preferences and tastes.

“Our customers have told us they want to be able to go into their local Centra and be able to choose from a healthy and nutritious food range, when it suits them,” she said.

She stressed that was a “determined and sustained initiative” aimed at addressing health issues “related to the food we eat – from obesity to heart disease - diseases that can be positively impacted by food we eat and physical activity.”

Instead of – or at least as well as – the infamous breakfast roll, Centra will now offer customers a choice of porridge or scrambled eggs for breakfast while spicy wedges wolfed down at lunchtime could be swapped for a chicken and wholegrain salad and stir-fries will join the ready meal roster.

When it comes to snacks, the store will be pushing fruit pots, health bar and nuts options.

More space will be given over to water and other healthier impulse drinks options which will see the calorie count across its drinks range fall by 27 per cent.

Quinoa is another product which will now be easily found on Centra’s shelves. Whether it is as easy to pronounce - or indeed like - is a different matter.