Healthy Snacking: Future Trends & New Insights

The majority (61%) of European and US consumers have sought to improve the healthiness of their snacking in 2007. After all, snacking, despite its historically bad reputation and negative health connotations, remains an important component of consumers' daily eating and drinking behaviors. It is therefore crucial to understand what influences shoppers' choices for this growing occasion.



Report Highlights
For daily snacking, healthy options have emerged as the leading choice to satisfy hunger between meals, while less healthy snacks are reserved for more indulgent treating occasions. More than a third (36%) of Europeans and Americans overall consume healthy snacks once a day or more. Taste is by far the most important factor in governing snack choice for consumers. Brand was least important thereby suggesting that big name manufacturers and retailers cannot rely on brand strength alone to generate healthy snack sales. The need for convenient health is gaining momentum: nearly 6 in 10 (59%) of European and US consumers overall sought more convenient AND healthy food and drinks in 2006 compared to the 12 months previously. This behavior is driving the number of healthy snacking occasions, especially when on-the-go.


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DATAMONITOR VIEW 1
CATALYST 1
SUMMARY 1
THE FUTURE DECODED 2
TREND: Consumer interest in healthy snack alternatives is increasing 2
The frequency of healthy snacking is increasing 3
Healthy snacks are consumed with greater regularity than unhealthy ones 3
Healthy snacking occasions now outnumber unhealthy ones 5
Healthy beverage occasions are leading the market in growth terms 6
Healthy snacking is viewed as a viable regular mealtime alternative by consumers 7
TREND: On-the-go lifestyles are fuelling healthy snacking behavior 8
Consumers' on-the-go snacking is less likely to be healthy 9
On-the-go beverage occasions are becoming more healthy across Europe 11
TREND: Consumer desires for less healthy, more indulgent snacks will remain 12
Traditional snacks retain a strong appeal to consumers 12
There is a clash between the notion of healthiness and snacking 13
Skepticism towards snack's health claims persists 13
Poor alignment between "bad-for-you" snacks and healthy trends perpetuates consumer distrust 14
Health considerations have a limited bearing on traditional snack choices 15
INSIGHT: Healthy attitudes are influencing ingrained snacking behavior 16
Consumers are choosing healthy snacks to actively improve their diet and address bad habits 16
INSIGHT: Consumers seek to satisfy their health, convenience and indulgence requirements through snacking 16
Consumer demand for healthy indulgence is influencing new snack product releases 17
US beverage releases in particular are experiencing strong growth in healthy claims 18
INSIGHT: Consumer perceptions of what constitutes a healthy snack poses a challenge for the industry 19
Healthy versions of unhealthy snacks are not perceived as credibly healthy 19
INSIGHT: Taste is more important than healthiness in influencing snack and beverage choices 20
When making snack choices consumers place healthiness on a par with convenience, but behind taste 20
"Healthy" is often equated with compromized taste and flavor benefits by many consumers 21
INSIGHT: The emphasis on healthy snacking for kids will fuel market growth in the future 22
Companies are already responding to the children's healthy snack movement 22
ACTION POINTS 23
ACTION: More clearly link the notion of authenticity with health in snacks 23
Consumers are seeking more authenticity 23
Authenticity = better quality = healthier 23
Consumers want authentic, simple and thus healthy snacks 23
ACTION: Respond to consumers' changing health priorities in snack formulation and positioning 24
Case Study: One-shot fruit drinks offer quick convenient solutions to health on-the-go 26
Case study: Coca-Cola augments the Minute Maid juice range to target functional health 26
Back up healthy attributes with a strong sensory appeal 27
ACTION: Tailor product positioning and goals relative to the three consumer trends of avoidance, moderation and positive nutrition 27
ACTION: Focus on providing credible healthy offerings within typically "carefree" categories 28
Case Study: the Spanish market for functional cookies 30
APPENDIX 31
Definitions 31
Methodology 31
Further reading 31
Ask the analyst 31
Datamonitor consulting 31
Disclaimer 32

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Table 1: Consumer survey results: the extent to which consumers are making an effort to improve the health of their snacking behaviors 3
Table 2: Consumer survey results: frequency of consumption of healthy snack products 4
Table 3: Consumer survey results: frequency of consumption of unhealthy snack products 4
Table 4: Number of overall and per capita 'healthy and 'unhealthy' snacking occasions, by country, 2006-2011 5
Table 5: Number of overall and per capita 'healthy and 'unhealthy' non-alcoholic beverage occasions, by country, 2006-2011 7
Table 6: Consumer survey: the extent to which European and US consumers sought food and drinks which are both convenient AND healthy compared to 12 months previously, 2006 9
Table 7: Number of overall and per capita 'healthy and 'unhealthy' on-the-go snacking occasions snacking occasions, by country, 2006-2011 10
Table 8: Number of overall and per capita 'healthy and 'unhealthy' on-the-go non-alcoholic beverage occasions, by country, 2006-2011 11
Table 9: Per capita consumption (liters) of bottled water and carbonates, Europe & US, by country, 2002-2011 12
Table 10: Consumer survey: the impact of healthy options on impulse driven snack and beverage choices 15
Table 11: Consumer survey: reasons for engaging in healthy snacking 16
Table 12: Consumer survey: perceptions concerning the healthiness of key snack food categories 20
Table 13: Consumer survey: the relative importance of different need states in influencing snack choices 21
Table 14: Consumers see "fresh" as the key indicator of healthiness in the snacking context 25


Figure 1: The majority of US and European consumers are actively looking to eat more healthily 2
Figure 2: Consumers do not view healthy snacking as a nutritional compromize like they did historically 8
Figure 3: Busy consumers are looking for a combination of convenience and health 9
Figure 4: Unhealthy snacks retain a strong share of occasions and are declining slowly 13
Figure 5: Unhealthy snack beverages dominate occasions in Europe and the US 13
Figure 6: The majority of consumers doubt the health claims of snack foods and beverages 14
Figure 7: Eat sweets to look prettier? Unhealthy products jumping on the wrong functional/healthy trend add to questioning of healthy snacks' credibility 14
Figure 8: Consumers want to escape the pressures of everyday life through small indulgences 17
Figure 9: Health is becoming an increasingly prominent product claim in indulgent/snack categories 18
Figure 10: Beverage releases in the US lead Europe in claiming healthy attributes 19
Figure 11: Coca-Cola Zero focuses on delivering a healthier version of the original Coke taste 21
Figure 12: Authenticity in ingredients and production processes supports snacks' health claims 24
Figure 13: Current snack products that respond to consumers' indicators of healthiness 25
Figure 14: Shot-based fruit and vegetable drinks offer answers to a variety of consumer health needs 26
Figure 15: Healthy snack targeting can be guided by the three trends of avoidance, moderation and positive nutrition 28
Figure 16: Healthy snack variants in "carefree" categories are proliferating 29

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