SOCIETY MIGHT be getting more health conscious, but it’s not giving up its sweet tooth.
Research from Mintel has revealed that 50 percent of people snack as a treat to themselves and more than 28 percent think that taste is more important than health. Nevertheless, 32 percent of consumers say the majority of snacks they eat are healthy and over one-quarter say they are snacking on healthier foods this year than in 2016.
The survey matches a global trend showing that snacks which purport health-related benefits are among the fastest growing snack launches. Items with low or no allergen content accounted for 46 percent of total new snack products in 2017 (an increase of 30 percent over 2013).
Not surprisingly, millennials (aged 23-40) are the most likely to snack four or more times per day (25 percent), compared to just 10 percent of Generation X consumers (aged 41-52) and 9 percent of those in the Baby Boomer generation (aged 53-71).
Additionally, and with little surprise, 37% of consumers say they snack to give themselves a break during the day.
