According to a presentation by Chicago-based Mintel at this year’s Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo, 89 percent of U.S. parents say they are likely to purchase breakfast foods that their children ask for, and about 40 percent say they will buy a treat for their kids if they ask for it. 

It has been a long time since I have stepped foot in a school lunchroom. Although it has been awhile since I packed my Barbie lunch box with a juice box featuring whichever popular cartoon characters graced juice boxes at the time, I still remember some of the staple items that me and my classmates enjoyed.