Page 16 - Food&Drink Business magazine September 2022

SNACKS & CONFECTIONERY
The changing taste of snacking
According to Euromonitor International, nearly 40 per cent of Australians are snacking between meals during the day. Euromonitor senior analyst Ayusha Amatya explains the fundamental shift underway with consumers’ eating habits.
Old favourites made healthy: Locako chocolate gummies have no added sugar with added functional ingredients.
THE pandemic has turned eating patterns and habits upside down for many, with the majority of consumers staying at home more often and adopting a hybrid lifestyle.
As a result, Australians seem to be shifting towards a flexible pattern of eating that is bringing about a wave of changes in the snacking industry.
nearly 40 per cent
of Australians are snacking between meals during the day, showing a fundamental shift in consumer eating habits from the traditional meal format.
Habits may be changing, but taste, nutrition and convenience continue to be
Smarter snacking choices that feature decadent flavour.
As attitudes around what we eat become increasingly health conscious and focused on nutrition, the Australian snacking industry is undergoing a collective effort to increase the range of healthier, better- for-you ingredient formulations.
Euromonitor’s Product Claims and Positioning tracker shows the significant increase in products with no artificial colours, flavours and preservatives indicating consumers are gravitating
preference for conveniently packaged super snacks is expected to strengthen.
Self-care is also more pronounced post pandemic, with brands like Locako introducing keto collagen bars with no sugar or dairy (above).
It is an example of a product promoting enhanced wellness – from within – and other benefits such as sustained energy as a snacking choice.
This move towards fortified snacks has led to an overhaul of newer formats and textures to complement easy on-the-go consumption without sacrificing flavour.
My Muscle Chef has identified a key space for growth by introducing its high
protein cookies (below) as a
snacks categories have the strongest forecast growth (3.9 and 4.8 per cent) as consumers seek to balance newer eating occasions with nutrition.
This has brought about a revolution in the snacking industry in the last two years, with industry players innovating new formats, textures, and occasions to drive a new era of growth. Convenience has come to the fore.
HEALTHIER VERSIONS OF OLD FAVOURITES
With the uncertainty and stress brought about by
the pandemic, consumers increasingly snacked at home for comfort.
This rise in snacking frequency has translated
to increased demand for healthier, guilt-free versions of popular snacks for consumers to indulge on.
Kellogg’s Krave mixed
grain bars (below) is an early example of how brands started offering smarter snacking choices that feature decadent flavour inspirations like caramel and churros minus the calories.
towards snacks with cleaner and simpler ingredient lists.
SUPER SNACKS SUPPORT LIFESTYLE CHANGES
Apart from increasing comfort snacking, Covid also accelerated health and wellness trends as consumers became more conscious about fitness and building good eating habits.
While at-home snacking heightened during the pandemic, as more Australians start leaving the house for work, education and socialising, the
“While at home snack consumption heightened during the pandemic, as more Australians leave home for work, education and socialising, the preference for conveniently packaged super snacks is expected to strengthen.”
According to Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer: Lifestyles Survey,
the three most important factors in choosing a snack. Confectionery and savoury
16 | Food&Drink business | September 2022 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au