KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 -- There was a time when breakfast was simple.

A couple of slices of bread spread with peanut butter, a bowl of cornflakes with cold milk and a mug of Milo were enough to start the day.

On some days, it was nothing more than a fried egg sandwich with a generous squeeze of tomato sauce - a quick, comforting school recess snack that many grew up with.

The pantry was rarely without essentials either: a tin of Milo, canned sardines and tuna for easy meals, a bottle of chilli or tomato sauce, and even canned peaches, a sweet after-dinner fruit snack.

These were simply everyday groceries that households bought without having to set aside a specific budget for them.

However, things are different today.

Many of those i...