New Snacking Strategies

3/10/2017

Snacking now represents 50 percent of all eating occasions, with 85 percent of snacks coming from food retailers and 80 percent being consumed at home, according to a new report from the International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA). And millennials are playing a key role in these snack attacks.

Forbes reports that millennials are having a significant impact on most retail segments, and the CPG food category is poised to reap even greater rewards than most, thanks to millennials’ love of snacking. Unlike generations before them, millennials find function in snacking, “whether psychological or emotional.” Forbes cites a new report from FutureCast that suggests the top five reasons millennials snack are: to stay full between meals, to replace meals affordably, to satisfy cravings, to stay energized, and because snacks are available.

Millennials also shop with their values intact, more so than any other generation, and their choices are guided by ways of enhancing themselves, society and the planet. Global flavor adventures and good nutrition address personal enhancements, according to researchers.

IDDBA research also finds that across generations, snacking has evolved from an incidental eating behavior to a purposeful, rich cultural practice, much of which (62 percent) evolves around health and wellness goals. As consumers seek more cultural, social, emotional and functional (health) benefits from their snacks, the lines between meals and snacks continue to blur. Snacks need to pack in protein, fiber, nutrients, vitamins and what could be called “meaningful” calories for consumers looking at the quality and nutritional density of calories.

In addition, FutureCast researchers see packaging as the “key message carrier for snack,” from compostable materials to positive messages and nutritional information.

Grocerant-Ready Ideas:

  • Signs that recast the salad and hot bars as “snack central”
  • Bento box packaging for snack building
  • Prepacked grain salads, oatmeal, dips, crudité and other health-minded treats
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