Linda Cullen, Strategy and Planning Specialist , Bord Bia – Irish Food Board
With the blurring of boundaries between main meals, snacking has become ingrained into the daily dietary routine of today’s consumer. Fluid eating and drinking occasions reshape and shift to suit consumers who seek to maximise their days and nights, forcing rapid change for food and drink manufacturers and channels. Consumer demand for convenience and flexi food as identified in the latest Bord Bia’s Consumer Lifestyle Trends (Fuller Lives), is opening unlimited opportunities for snack manufacturers. The Bord Bia Healthy Snacking Report (2018) revealed that over 70% of Irish consumers snack every day with 40% increasing their snacking occasions over the past couple of years. Mintel report that 67% of snackers in the USA snack instead of having a meal with 84% of snackers choosing to snack in the evening.
A recent Mintel report (May 2019) has identified six snacking trends that manufacturers need to know and provides potential product development opportunities for snack manufacturers now and into the future.
The six trends are:
1. It’s not just about the taste - Taste is an important attribute in snack products but other factors such as appearance, packaging, colour, texture and aroma are also important to consider. Products that offer stand out appeal on Instagram and Pinterest are effective in engaging the snack consumer and provide connections with share worthy experiences.
2. Every snack should tell a story - Consumers like to know the provenance of snack products and where they are made. Transparency around ingredients and clean labelling are key purchase drivers in the snacking category. Snacks with history and heritage resonate with consumers and nostalgia and new-stalgia (new snacks that tell their stories) are emerging themes in the category with manufacturers such as Cadbury tapping into this nostalgic trend by reinvigorating some of their classic offerings.
3. Personalised and customised snacks - Personalised and customised products are popular with consumers looking to take control of their lives and diets and proactively design their lifestyles. Online snack companies Snacknation, Graze.com and Trailmyx.com offer a range of subscription and delivery options tailored to various consumer needs.
4. Balance is key for today’s snackers – Balance is key for today’s consumers who are looking to juggle the good and bad when choosing their snacks. Healthy snacks that offer permissible indulgence are now available from snack companies such as Made Good Chocolate Chip Granola Minis which are high on taste with a low calorie count of 150kcal per serving.
5. Any time is snack time and everything is a snack – Snacks are now coming from beyond traditional snacking categories and include meats, vegetable and fruit crisps, cheese, yogurts. Multiple channels such as new direct-to-consumer channels and delivery models make snacking more accessible at any time.
6. The growing recreational CBD market will bring new challenges to the snack category – Companies are exploring options to incorporate CBD and hemp oil enriched ingredients into their snacking products including chocolate and sugar confectionery to maximise the health benefits of these products.
Snacking products that appeal to all the five senses are growing in popularity with consumers presenting new opportunities for Irish snack manufacturers to broaden their horizons.
References:
Bord Bia - The Irish Food Board. (2019). Consumer Lifestyle Trends. Retrieved from https://www.bordbiaconsumerlifestyletrends.ie/trends/fuller-lives/
Mintel – Six trends snack manufacturers need to know right now (May 2019)
https://mintel.com/report/six-trends-snack-manufacturers-need-to-know-right-now/
Bord Bia. (2018).Healthy Snacking UK and Ireland - January 2018. Retrieved from https://www.bordbia.ie/globalassets/bordbia.ie/industry/marketing-reports/consumer-reports/healthy-snacking-uk-and-ireland-january-2018.pdf