Seven in 10 US adults snack daily, but what they are reaching for and when is changing rapidly, reshaping the competitive landscape and forcing brands to rethink product design, positioning and innovation strategy.
While snacks used to be limited to occasional ‘treats’ or consumed ‘after school’ or at ‘midnight,’ they are no longer “just fillers between meals,” but are consumed throughout the day and increasingly replacing meals, according to The Hartman Group’s VP of Syndicated Studies Melissa Abbott.
She explained during FoodNavigator’s Healthy Snacking Trends broadcast this week, which is available for free on-demand, that the percentage of adults who eat three meals a day fell to 37% in 2023 from 43% in 2020. Lunch took the heaviest hit – dropping 6 percentage points to 61%, while the percentage of US adults eating breakfast and dinner fell 5 percentage points to 58% and 75% in 2023, respectively.
At the same time, the percentage of US adults eating early morning snacks jumped 4 percentage points to 23% from 19% in 2020. In the same period, mid-morning snackers inched up to 23% from 22% and late-night snackers bumped up 3 percentage points to 23%.
Wanted: Nutrient dense snacks with clean labels
This shows that snacks “are now central to daily nutrition in today’s health-conscious but very convenience-driven world,” Abbott said.
She added that as consumers snack more frequently, they are demanding more from their snacks, particularly around nutrient density and convenience.
For example, data from the Hartman Group’s most recent Future of Snacking report found “high in protein,” “low in sugar” and made with “fresh ingredients” were “very important” attributes to about a third of consumers in 2023 and all were up 8 to 9 percentage points from 2020.
Lower calorie and low-fat or lower in fat were cited less often as important attributes of snacks but were still up notably by 6 and 4 percentage points to 26% and 18% of US adults respectively in the same period, according to The Hartman Group.
Clean label claims also gained importance, including a 3-percentage point uptick to 25% of consumers saying “simple, recognizable ingredients” was very important when deciding which snacks to consume. Likewise, minimally processed was up 5 percentage points to 21% and no artificial flavors or colors was up 4 percentage points to 20%. The percentage of consumers prioritizing a “short list of ingredients” when choosing a snack held steady at 17%.
Convenience is a top priority for snackers
Convenience is just as important as health for many snackers, according to The Hartman Group, which found 37% listing “ease of preparation” as very important attribute (up 4 percentage points from 2020).
Portability also is important to younger generations, who are more likely to replace meals with snacks – representing a “significant areas of opportunity for snack innovation,” Abbott said.
She added that an often-overlooked component of convenience is packaging. It needs to be easy to open, but 12% of adults surveyed by Hartman Group said it also needs to easier to dispose of. Likewise, as more consumers snack on the go, 16% said they wanted snacks that are more portable.
Discover what else is on snackers’ wish list as well as how food and beverage manufacturers, like Chobani and Danone, are rising to meet these needs by watching FoodNavigator’s Healthy Snacking Trends on demand. To learn more and tune in visit: https://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Events/healthy-snack-trends/
