Get to Know the Snackers

Consumers who snack often are motivated by a variety of different reasons

By Brian Berk

THANKS IN LARGE PART to the COVID-19 pandemic, snacking trends have changed. Consumers, on average, now consume 2.7 snacks per day, with those snacking five or more times per day increasing by 3 percentage points in 2021 vs. 2016, according to IRI’s State of the Snack Industry report.

Snacking is primarily an at-home event, with fewer people currently working at offices and needing to travel in cars to get to their jobs. In 2020, 81 percent of snack consumption occurred at a consumer’s home, vs. 75 percent the year before, the most recent data available.

More at-home snack consumption has led to an overall increase in snacking due to others in the household (up 8 percent in 2020 vs. 2019), screen-time snack consumption in front of a TV or computer (up 9 percent), and snack consumption while playing games (up 12 percent), according to The NPD Group’s Generational Snacking After COVID-19 report.

Research by The Hartman Group reveals that there are four overarching reasons why people snack. The Bellevue, Wash.-based research firm calls these the “Four Pillars of Snacking Drivers:” nourishment, pleasure, distraction and optimization. Per year, snacking for nourishment accounts for 97.1 billion eatings in the United States; pleasure accounts for 92.9 billion eatings; distraction accounts for 72.6 billion eatings; and optimization accounts for 59.7 billion eatings.

Under these snacking drivers, consumers are specifically looking for taste, price, convenience, familiarity with a brand, positive nutrition (snacks free from perceived harmful ingredients), and quality, purity and values (freshness, ingredient simplicity, sustainable, organic), according to The Hartman Group’s Snacking 2020: Emerging, Evolving and Disrupted report.

Robertson Allen, senior consultant for The Hartman Group, notes that these numbers may shift as distraction snacking — characterized by snacking due to boredom or to fill the time — is likely to decline. As the threat of the pandemic fades, it is still unclear whether snacking for distraction will continue to have the same kind of impact it has in recent years.

“Pandemic-related anxieties have diminished, and these anxieties certainly drove some snacking-fordistraction behaviors. But other anxieties remain, such as those that are more economic and political,” Allen told Convenience Store News. “And people are continuing to work from home, which will likely alter how Americans snack to a certain degree, though children returning to school may also alter snacking

NOURISHMENT

Snacking that meets needs for daily sustenance, long-term wellness, and health management

DISTRACTION

Snacking that arises from the need to distract, whether due to stress, boredom, or other reasons

THE MODERN SNACKING FRAMEWORK

OPTIMIZATION

Snacking that helps one fulfill physical and mental performance demands

PLEASURE

Snacking that fulfills emotional desires for enjoyment, reward, discovery

needs as we begin to establish a new kind of post-pandemic normalcy.”

Even if distraction snacking does decline, Allen assured that the post-pandemic period will still keep plenty of momentum going for snacking.

“In both 2020 and 2021, 48 percent of all food and beverage occasions were snacking occasions, and this has remained relatively consistent in recent years,” he noted. “What will likely shift is the context. For example, moving forward, there will likely be fewer alone snacking occasions vs. the pandemic years, which saw a significant rise in alone snacking.”

The Demographics of Snacking

Generation X represents the future growth of snacks. NPD refers to this demographic as the “Snacking X Factor” because it focuses most on balancing health and indulgence.

However, this in no way means other demographics should be ignored. Many younger consumers see snacking as a great way to explore different flavors and cuisines through relatively low-risk formats that do not require the time or cost commitment of meals, or the expertise in cooking meals, according to The Hartman Group.

“The impact of children’s snacking on millennial parents’ snacking shouldn’t be discounted, too,” Allen added. “Seventynine percent of parents say that the snacks they give to their children are the same ones that they would eat.”

Convenience store retailers can perhaps deemphasize one demographic when it comes to snacking: older consumers. They are more established in their habits and taste preferences, and more likely to adhere to a “three square meals per day” model that prioritizes meals, said Allen.

“Younger generations are more comfortable with eating alone, and snacks are more highly individualized ‘me time’ occasions that cater to specific needs and wants in a more flexible way than meals usually can,” he pointed out.

Snack manufacturers should anticipate sustained consumer interest in products that are supportive of generalized wellness, as well as specific health needs. While health and wellness is a longterm food culture trend in the U.S, the pandemic has underscored its importance to many and brought new consumers into the mindset of more intentional snacking choices, the consultant noted. Snacks will be called on to deliver more for consumers in this regard.

With consumers wishing to combat the negative health consequences of the pandemic, and some citing weight gain such as the “COVID-15,” messaging that focuses on health-supportive aspects of snacks will help garner attention and exploration.

While the pandemic continues to create uncertainty, long-term growth opportunities are strong, especially for more functional, sustainable snacks that can support holistic wellness, according to Chicago-based Mintel’s Salty Snacks 2022 report.

“Interest in BFY [better for you] options, as well as more environmentally friendly product, is driving innovation among fast-growing alternative salty snacks,” said Beth Bloom, Mintel’s associate director of U.S. Food and Drink.

54%

of all snacking reflects some need for

Nourishment

(vs. 63% for meals)

51%

of all snacking reflects some need for

Pleasure

(vs. 54% for meals)

33%

of all snacking reflects some need for

Optimization

(vs. 32% for meals)

40%

of all snacking reflects some need for

Distraction

(vs. 34% for meals)

Alignment of Snacking Drivers by Daypart Snacking Occasion

51%

50%

40% 42%

Early Morning Snack

63%

51%

43% 39%

Mid-Morning Snack

63%

52%

41%

32%

Afternoon Snack

49%

40% 38%

21%

After-Dinner Snack

56% 53%

41% 30%

Late-Night Snack

Pleasure Nourishment Distraction Optimization

Source: The Hartman Group Inc.

Allen echoes the desire for environmentally friendly products. Consumers in the future will seek more, wanting both retailers and snack manufacturers to take a stand on other social issues, including those involving public health, he predicts.

“Brands and corporations should anticipate rising demand for accountability on issues such as obesity, especially from larger mainstream companies with a strong presence in conventional snack categories,” he stated.

The Latest in Snack Trends

Looking to predict the hottest future trends by identifying ingredients that could lead the way in snacks during the next several years, Mintel released its 2030 Food and Drink Trend, Change, Incorporated report. Ingredients to watch include:

• Seeds, which are often underutilized and can be added to a mix containing more common ingredients, such as ancient grains and nuts, to bring taste and texture; • Oats, which are good for both consumers and the environment; • Probiotics that support immune health; • Pulses, such as chickpeas, lentils and fava beans, which can provide a plant-based source of protein and other nutrients; and • Coconut palm sugar, a natural unrefined sugar made from the sap of a coconut tree that satisfies consumer interest in natural and unprocessed ingredients. Mintel added in its separate Salty Snacks 2022 report that “alternative” salty snacks, such as vegetable puffs and snacks made with diverse grains, enjoy high associations with healthful qualities such as being low calorie, low carb, low sodium and made with organic, non-GMO and natural ingredients. “This may make them an ideal category for snacks with more functional ingredients supporting specific health issues,” the researcher stated.

A return to fresh-prepared snacks and global flavors could be other hot snack trends in the future. Global flavors align closely with healthy perceptions because consumers see ingredients in foods abroad as fresh and purer, according to Allen.

“Retailers and brands should anticipate the broadening of postpandemic consumer needs for more diverse culinary and snacking experiences, as many look to move beyond the pandemic bubble and stretch their tastebuds to new horizons,” he advised.

Zeroing in on specific perceived healthy foods that c-store retailers can stock on their shelves, NPD predicts that in 2023, fruit snacks, fruit, cheese snacks, refrigerated yogurt, hard candy, meal and snack kits, frozen novelties, crackers and ready-to-eat (RTE) popcorn/alternative salty snacks will show the most sales growth, while chewy candy and dips and salsa will experience the biggest sales declines. CSN

“Younger generations are more comfortable with eating alone, and snacks are more highly individualized ‘me time’ occasions that cater to specific needs and wants in a more flexible way than meals usually can.”

— Robertson Allen, The Hartman Group