FDBusiness.com

According to market researcher Technomic, snacking consumption has been steadily growing over the past several years, but has accelerated since 2014; 83% of consumers in 2016 vs. 76% in 2014 snack on a daily basis.

Driven by the quickening pace of consumers’ lifestyles, the rise of smaller households (that allow for more flexibility around meal times and sizes) and the increasingly widespread notion of snacks as part of a healthful diet, consumers are broadening their definitions of snacks and consuming snacks for more occasions, the company says.

“With consumers’ lives getting busier, snacks are serving more needs than in the past,” said Kelly Weikel, director of consumer insights at Technomic. “To gain share, operators and suppliers must adapt their snack lineup to meet consumers’ wide range of need states-from tiding them over to the next meal to replacing meals, to providing nutritious, supplemental treats.”

Using actionable data from more than 1,500 consumers, as well as Technomic’s exclusive Digital Resource Library, Knowledge Center and MenuMonitor databases, the company says the 2016 Snacking Occasion Consumer Trend Report will help guide foodservice operators and suppliers to better understand consumer attitudes toward snacking.

Key takeaways from the report include:

• Consumers are increasingly snacking between meals; 53% of consumers in 2016 vs. 41% in 2014 snack in between three daily meals
• Younger consumers drive away-from-home snacking; 40% of these diners’ snacks are consumed away from home vs. 25% of snacks overall
• Consumers continue to seek more nutritious snack options; 33% would purchase snacks more often at restaurants if they were healthier options.