Page 28 - Food & Drink Magazine April 2020

SNACKS & CONVENIENCE
Time to snack
active life and the impact on health is therefore emerging as a major influencer of purchase decisions. The definition of health and wellbeing is evolving with changing lifestyles.
Consumers today, not only seek products that are good for them, but also demand products that are good for the planet.
Snack makers are focusing on launching clean, organic and nutritional snacks to cater to this growing consumer desire for ‘better for you’ snacking options.
For instance, Botanika Blends claims to combine food science with plant power to craft innovative nutritional snacks targeted at health conscious consumers.
Similarly, East Bali Cashews launched an organic line of ‘East Bali’ cashews that claim to be free from preservatives and sourced directly from farmers to appeal to healthy consumers seeking clean snacking options.
Thai-Wa Lupin products launched a new line of health snacks under the brand name ‘Pinarie’. The chips are made with Australian sweet lupins, a legume that is full of proteins and fibres, and is fast gaining acclaim as a superfood.
THE PLANT-BASED MAINSTREAM
With vegetarian, vegan, and flexitarian diets gaining traction in recent years, more manufacturers and food
More Australians are replacing traditional meals with frequent snacks throughout the day. GlobalData consumer markets analyst Meenakshi Haran shares how snack makers are tapping into trends to meet consumer snack demand.
WITH busy lifestyles, the traditional eating habits of Australian consumers have been replaced with frequent and flexible snacking.
The desire for snacking is high as people feel time-pressed to eat full meals at traditional times and in conventional environments. Instead, consumers want options they can easily consume during their commute or in the time between tasks throughout
the day.
SNACK INNOVATION
Consumers want snacks that not only help them live healthier lives, but do not compromise on taste and other specific lifestyle- based requirements.
Snack manufacturers are realising the significance of focusing on innovation across the border ranging from health and wellbeing to taste, personalisation and clean living driven by their desire to capitalise on the changing landscape of ‘snackification’
in Australia.
In 2019, global snacking
giant Mondelez established SnackFutures, an innovation
hub based in Australia. The project combines the
company’s global strength and expertise with Australia’s thriving food and snack start-up industry.
Its goal is to develop innovative, unique and forward-thinking snack products to help the company stand out in a highly competitive market and create new growth opportunities through disruptive offerings.
28 | Food&Drink business | April 2020 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au
“ With evolving needs, consumers want what works for them and increasingly prefer ‘made for me’ snack options... and snacks that fit into their lifestyles. ”
STRONG INTEREST
IN SUPERFOODS
As more consumers replace traditional and portioned meals with snacks, our research shows for 87 per cent of Australians, health and nutrition play an important role in influencing their food choices.
The major driver for this trend is the desire to lead an
service operators are featuring plant-based nutrition prominently in their portfolios.
Accordingly, snacks makers are rolling out more plant-protein products and alternatives to popular meat-based snacks to appeal to consumers who prioritise sustainable and clean label foods.