Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
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CONSUMER SNACKING PREFERENCES AND HABITS Most of Some of the Time % the Time % Fresh fruit 34 48 Cheese 27 50 Cereal 25 41 Ice cream 22 50 Yogurt 21 39 Chocolate 20 49 Nuts/seeds 20 46 Potato/corn chips 16 47 Raw vegetables 16 42 Cookies 15 49 Crackers 15 53 Popcorn 14 43 Snack bars (e.g., energy, cereal or diet bars) 12 34 Canned soup 10 34 Frozen yogurt 10 32 Dried fruit 8 30 Pretzels 8 38 Trail mix 8 30 Bagels 7 31 Meat snacks (e.g., jerky) 7 23 Fruit snacks (e.g., roll-ups) 6 20 Rice cakes 5 16 Snack Consumption by Type, March 2012 Source: Mintel Rarely % 13 16 22 22 21 25 24 29 28 30 26 32 Never % 4 7 12 6 19 6 10 7 14 5 6 12 31 32 31 34 37 35 37 33 31 29 23 24 28 28 17 27 25 37 43 51 Base: 2,000 internet users aged 18+ Fresh fruit, cheese and cereal rank as the top three snacks that are chosen most of the time. Interestingly, the top performers in this area don't align with the leading segments in product launches. Developing portable versions of these segments could gain additional sales among the 36 percent of snackers who eat on the go. RECENT PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONS • 479º Popcorn's Ginger Sesame Caramel Small Pouch • Braga Organic Farms Organic Pistachios & Nut Mix • Buddy Fruits 100% Apple Chips and Jiggle Gel • Cabot Creamery Greek Style Yogurt • Columbia Cheese Sheridans Cheesemongers Irish Crackers • Goodness Knows Almonds & Berries Squares • Hasselbeck NoGii Kids Marshmallow Rice Crisp Bar • La Panzanella Multigrain Croccantini • Love Grown Foods Hot Oats • Najla's Bodygood Bar • Natural Nectars Cracklesnax Veggie Squares • Nutorious Cha Cha Chipotle Nut Collection • Plocky's Fine Snacks Single-Serve Hummus Chips • San Gennaro Foods Inc. Individual Frozen Oatmeal • Yogavive 100% Organic Apple Chips SNACK ATTRIBUTES THAT MATTER ATTITUDES TOWARD HEALTHY SNACKS % Nutritional (low/no): Reduced/low/no calorie 51 Reduced/low/no sodium 51 Reduced/low/no sugar 50 Reduced/low/no fat 49 Comes in a portioncontrolled package 44 Reduced/low/ no carbohydrates 43 Diet restricted (aligning with dieting programs such as Weight Watchers) 28 Nutritional (high in): High in fiber High in vitamins and/or minerals High in protein Whole grains Provides full serving (daily value) of fruit and/ or vegetables 67 66 64 64 62 Snack Attributes That Matter (Nutritional), March 2012 Base: 1,979 internet users aged 18+ who eat healthy snacks Source: Mintel Fiber wins when it comes to nutritional attributes that matter most to consumers, giving popcorn manufacturers a great promotional boost, and appealing particularly to older consumers looking for foods that support a healthy digestive system. Other snack attributes that ranked well were items high in vitamins and/or minerals, protein and whole grains, and those that provide a full serving of fruits and/ or vegetables. Other nutritional attributes that consumers seek include reduced/low/no calories, sodium, sugar and fat. % I like to occasionally indulge in unhealthy snacks Healthy snacks are more expensive than unhealthy snacks I would be interested in trying healthy snacks that come in more exciting flavors There are more health claims on healthy snack packaging than there used to be I prefer to eat healthy snacks from brands I'm familiar with Snacking helps prevent me from overeating at mealtimes I tend to still feel hungry after eating a snack labeled as healthy Healthy snacks usually taste bland 77 71 68 66 55 51 38 35 Attitudes Toward Healthy Snacks, March 2012 Base: 1,979 internet users aged 18+ who eat healthy snacks Source: Mintel As with any food, taste rules. More than two-thirds of healthy snackers indicate they would eat more healthy snacks if there were more interesting flavors to try. This attitude is most prevalent in the 18- to 24-year-old age group, which is often the driving force behind trends; this age group is also more likely than average to think healthy snacks generally taste bland. To satisfy these and other healthy snackers, manufacturers can consider adding ethnic and other exotic flavors to their product line. Editor's Note: Specialty Food Magazine is pleased to be working with Mintel on Research Spotlight. Mintel is a leading supplier of competitive media, product and consumer data. A 33-year reputation for delivering dependable and original market information has allowed Mintel to maintain Business Superbrand status in the U.K. Mintel's product line includes: Mintel Reports, a renowned market intelligence report series, publishing more than 600 reports annually covering the U.S. and Europe; and Mintel's GNPD, the Global New Products Database, which monitors worldwide product innovation in consumer packaged goods markets. For more information call 312.943.5250 or visit www.mintel.com. Specialty Food Association members may purchase Mintel's Healthy Snacking report at a 10 percent discount. Denise Shoukas is a contributing editor to Specialty Food Magazine. MARCH 2013 53