January/February 2021 - 19

SNACK FOODS
TRENDS
Savory, vegetable-based snacks
continue to thrive with 9% growth
over the past year to $4.2 billion.
Veggie snack producers, such as
Off The Eaten Path, have taken to
combining vegetables, whether snap
peas, beets or sweet potatoes, with
nuts and legumes, such as black beans
and chickpeas. Use of chickpeas in
snack foods is up 35%, while the use
of beans is up 25%.
" This has been probably the most
innovative category in terms of snacks, "
Walsh said of savory snacks. " It's been
a great category for vegetables. "
Cauliflower and onions were two
more vegetables Walsh cited as sources
for innovative new products. Peppers
have been utilized greatly in new snacks,
as consumers continue to want bold new
flavor combinations, with spicy being
front and center. Also, exotic flavors are
on the rise, said Walsh, who used blood
orange as an example.
" Globalization in flavors is important, "
Walsh said. " (During COVID), consumers
may seek snacks to fill the desires they
would normally get at restaurants. "
The original snack chip - the potato
chip - was already the largest potato
category in retail prior to COVID, but
has only increased in sales. Potato
chip sales in the U.S. were up 10.1%,
year-over-year, from July through
September, according to IRI data.
Packaging
IRI reports 92% of millennials and
Gen Z members replace at least one
meal per week with snacks, while 7%
don't eat traditional meals anymore.
This trend has resulted in a want
for larger package sizes, as well as
multipacks and more variety packs. Just
because there has been more working
from home and less on the go, this
trend isn't reversing.
While 4.5to
8-ounce package
sizes is still the largest seller, like it
was pre-COVID, the 10- to 16-ounce
category has seen the biggest increase.
IRI studied snack size sales from three
separate weeks, one apiece in March,
April and May, and reported 10- to
16-ounce snack packages were up 57%
to 87%, year-over-year.
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" Snacking on the go is turning into
snacking at home, " Walsh said.
Packaging can help drive snack
purchases. Walsh highlighted some
questions snack producers should ask
themselves.
" Is the packaging elevating the
product? " he said. " Is it fun and engaging?
Plus, the younger generation is looking
for sustainability in their packaging. "
Some on-package claims
resonate with consumers include:
high protein, organic, vegan, natural,
certified gluten-free, hahal, kosher,
paleo-friendly, low carb, high fiber
and low fat. Highlighting green
manufacturing processes also is a
positive with consumers.
While snacks perceived as healthy is
a major driving focus in the category,
Walsh stressed that taste is still the
No. 1 factor in determining snack
that
purchases.
" Taste still reigns supreme, " he said.
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January/February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of January/February 2021
