Snacking Evolution
Better-for-you nibbles keep gaining in popularity and inventiveness.
Under United Supermarkets' "Living Well" program, eating more healthfully — even when it comes to snacks — is a big deal.
"Healthy snacks sales are strong and continue to be on the rise as families are becoming more health-conscious and looking for alternatives to the less healthy snack items," affirms Jim Nicholson, Living Well business manager at the Lubbock, Texas-based grocer, which operates 51 stores under four separate formats: United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos and United Express.
Nicholson points to the popularity of such brands as SkinnyPop popcorn, Beanitos chips and Way Better Chips sprouted-snack items, which he notes "satisfy the snack cravings, but are guilt-free due to their attributes"; in Beanito's case, those include a low glycemic index, low sodium, high fiber and protein, and omega-3 content.
To capitalize on increasing consumer demand for healthy snacks, United Supermarkets recently conducted a SpongeBob SquarePants promotion for Pirate's Booty, an all-natural baked puff cheddar snack that's cholesterol-free, trans fat-free, gluten-free and 130 calories per serving. Next, United Supermarkets "would like to possibly do a New Year's rollout of healthy snack alternatives featuring … Way Better Chips and SkinnyPop end caps/lobby displays," Nicholson says, noting that the Pirate's Booty promotion "was well received — it targeted the younger consumer."
And interest in the segment hasn't peaked yet, in his opinion: "Healthy snacking is on trend and will definitely play a huge role in our sets (item assortment, merchandising, etc.) as we progress."
By the Numbers
Nicholson's observation that the rise in healthy snacks coincides with shoppers' growing overall health consciousness is borne out by recent consumer research. For instance, in a survey of healthy snackers released earlier this year by Chicago-based Mintel, 44 percent said they tended to eat healthfully most of the time and 42 percent said they snacked on more nutritious items, although 39 percent admitted to indulging in less-than-healthy treats from time to time.
"Eating healthy snacks can offer many benefits to consumers, such as increased energy and feeling fuller longer, so there is a big opportunity for the makers and marketers of snacks to leverage these connections to maximize health positioning," says Molly Maier, Mintel's senior wellness analyst. "The number of snackers who only consume healthy treats is a relatively small one, but one that shouldn't be ignored by snack food manufacturers."
As to the behavior of various demographics, Rockville, Md.-based Packaged Facts has found snacking to be so central to the lifestyle of millennials (adults under 30) that it predicts they'll play a leading role in propelling the U.S. snack market to sales of $77 billion by 2015, while Gen Xers, who tend to be parents, are concerned about their children's health, and older Americans (boomers and seniors), although they snack much less often, typically choose healthier items.
All of these trends present manufacturers and retailers with an opening to market better-for-you snacks not only for their superior nutritional content, but also their indulgent qualities, thereby appealing to the broadest range of consumers.
Getting Away From Gluten
As an example of just how mainstream health-oriented snacking has become, PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division has launched a gluten-free recipe section on its website, www.fritolay.com, for consumers with celiac disease or gluten sensitivities. The section features recipes that can be paired or made with the Plano, Texas-based division's gluten-free snacks, which include Lay's Classic potato chips, Fritos Original corn chips and Tostitos Scoops! tortilla chips.
The move comes after the May rollout of a multiyear initiative to validate many Frito-Lay products as gluten-free, followed by appropriate labeling in the form of an icon or text. The company developed a gluten-free validation process with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FARRP) for testing ingredients and finished products to ensure they contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten, the limit set forth by the FDA's 2007 Proposed Rule for Gluten Free Labeling, before making the claim.
Frito-Lay has also teamed up with Shauna James Ahern, founder of the Gluten Free Girl and The Chef online resource (http://glutenfreegirl.com), which offers daily recipes and gluten-free lifestyle advice, to provide tips on living without gluten.
Also on the gluten-free front, Baked Lentil Chips from the Boonton, N.J.-based Mediterranean Snack Food Co. has received official Gluten-Free Certification, meaning that the company's three key products (the other two are Lentil Crackers and HummuZ crispz) have all received the official OK from the Auburn, Wash.-based Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO). (For more on the gluten-free segment and the importance of the "free-from" consumer in general, see the guest column starting on page 72.)
For All Ages
Since, as mentioned above, parents are often conscientious about what their kids eat, healthy snacking can begin pretty early. New York-based EduFoods LLC, maker of Bitsy's Brain-food, is prepared for that.
"Parents are highly focused on getting it right from the start — teaching their children from day one to reach for good-for-you options in an effort to create healthy habits that benefit their kids for life," explains Alexandra Buckley Voris, the company's co-founder. "And [with] families on the move, consumers also need snacks that are both nutritious and grab-and-go."
To fulfill those needs, EduFoods developed Bitsy's Brain-food Smart Snacks, which hit shelves this past summer with four nutrient-rich SKUs: Zucchini Gingerbread Carrot, Orange Chocolate Beet, Lemon Broccoli and Sweet Potato Oatmeal Raisin. According to Voris, the letter-shaped product line, in addition to making snack time "a teachable moment," is an excellent source of omega-3 DHA and EPA, vitamins A, B12, B6 and D3, and folic acid; a good source of calcium, iron and whole grains; made with more than 90 percent organic ingredients, in addition to real fruits and vegetables; and free of GMOs, preservatives, trans fats, and artificial colors or flavors.
Merchandising for the product consists of "an awesome new shipper that works anywhere in the store, and is especially great at checkout," notes Voris. "[P]utting healthier options into the hands of families and kids is critical at this point of impulse purchasing." The company has also come up with kid-friendly characters Bitsy, Buck and Baxter, and a website that aims to keep young visitors engaged and mentally active.
As for slightly older consumers worried about packing on the pounds, Kellogg's has introduced Special K Popcorn Chips in Butter and Sweet and Salty varieties, each containing 120 calories per 28-chip serving. Following the successful rollout of Special K Cracker Chips, the new product line is made from corn and baked, not fried.
"Indulging in nighttime cravings doesn't mean you have to break the calorie bank," says Lynne Vandeveer, senior director for Kellogg Snacks Marketing at the Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg Co. "With these new Popcorn Chips, Special K makes it easier than ever to choose a delicious low-calorie option."
Up and Coming
Retailers and manufacturers alike expect that further innovation in the healthy snack segment will fuel future growth.
"We will see things like much cleaner ingredients, fruit-/veggie-type snacks to fulfill those daily servings, brand pairings across different categories to promote health and wellness — a healthy-snack-and-coconut-water pairing, for example," posits United Supermarkets' Nicholson.
According to Larry Cornick, marketing manager at Greenfield, Mass.-based New England Natural Bakers, whose latest product is Clusters, an all-natural whole grain granola snack with an attractive $1.29 price point per 2-ounce pouch, "We believe that the two most important factors that will drive the growth of the snack category are a commitment to healthier choices and diversity in offerings that appeal to niche consumers (i.e. organic, gluten-free, etc.)." A retail shipper and sampling effort should serve to shine the spotlight on this latest choice for health-minded snackers.
"There's a big opportunity for the makers and marketers of snacks ... to maximize health positioning."
—Molly Maier, Mintel