Snacking's Broadening Role
1. Snacks are replacing meals for many people worldwide. Consumers say their definition of what a snack is has evolved over the last 3 years to include more or different types of foods, and occasions for eating.
imagine there will be more snack options to choose from in the next 3 years.
confirms that "snacks have served different purposes for me at different phases of my life."
"I prefer to eat many small meals throughout the day, as opposed to a few large ones."
"I replace at least 1 meal each day with a snack."
Convenience and freshness are top rising impactors of snack choices, but consumers are also more likely to seek both indulgent snacks and healthy snacks, both comforting bites and energizing ones. Gen Zs are more likely to snack to relieve anxiety and boredom, while Millennials snack to meet their nutritional needs.
2. The ‘Fun’ & ‘Functional’
Consumers’ habits indicate that both sustenance and indulgence are part of a balanced lifestyle.
“It's important that my diet includes foods that are for nutrition, as well as for satisfaction.”
of global consumers eat at least one snack for sustenance and 1 snack for indulgence each day.
End of day serves as peak moments where people look to satiate their emotional wellbeing with a little snacking indulgence.
3. Appetite For Experimentation
New snacks are a source of excitement and variety to break up every day routine. 82% of global consumers say they “look forward to trying new snacks.”
get excited when they find a new snack to try.
Year after year, consumers are more likely to be actively looking for new snacks to try. Consumers are also increasingly finding snacks to try based on their communities, via trial of snacks that either recommended by family or friends or received as a gift. Gen Zs are especially likely to find new snacks on social media (45%, vs. 31% total)