Almost two-thirds (63%) of UK snackers snack once a day or more; in the US, 94% of consumers snack once a day more, and 15% snack four times a day or more. By Katya Witham, Senior Food & Drink Analyst at Mintel
Snackers in other markets are equally enthusiastic. In Brazil, for example, snacking between meals (48% of snackers) is as common as snacking while working or studying, and 28% of snackers even prefer to eat snacks instead of meals.
Not only is snacking almost universal – and frequent – but consumers have come to rely on more than just the “usual” for a snack. The snacking universe has grown to the extent that almost anything, from soup to sandwiches and even classic main meals and sides such as hamburgers, pasta, and pizza are competing with chips, nuts and other salty snacks for snackers’ attention, giving a boost to frozen snacks. But snackers are demanding more from their snacks. In the UK, 53% of them would like to see healthier versions of their favourite snack foods, rising to 60% of 16-24s. In the US, 26% of prepared meals users would like to see more snack-sized portions, rising to 40% of adult iGen consumers (b.1995-99).
Innovation
New Product Development in frozen meals, meal kits and pizza is catering to consumers’ time-pressed lifestyles and evolving eating patterns with snack-sized options, ‘eat-in’ packaging, utensil-inclusive packs, ‘clean’ labels, and vegetable-rich formulations. Mintel’s 2017 Global Food & Drink Trend Time is of the Essence notes that the time investment required for meals has become as influential as nutrition or ingredient claims. Busy, multi-tasking lifestyles are propelling development of quick and portable meals and snacks that are also nutritious and customizable. Time is a precious resource. Snacking helps consumers manage their increasingly busy lifestyles.
Globally, the number of prepared meals, meal kits, salads, pizzas, and sandwiches/wraps with on-the-go claims increased 45% in the moving annual periods between Dec 2012-Nov 2017 and Dec 2016-Nov 2017, according to Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD). As snacking occasions have increased, consumers have now turned their focus to snack quality, nutritional density, and convenient packaging. Consumers are increasingly looking for a blend of health, quality and convenience in their food, and frozen products are in a unique position to satisfy all these requirements.
Improving perception
Frozen brands should use their expertise to elevate the overall image of the category by innovating with ingredients, flavors, formats and packaging design, while exploring untapped niches in the frozen sector. Apart from health and ethical aspirations, Millennials want to explore, discover and enjoy new food experiences. Adding desirability and excitement is crucial to attract young consumers to the frozen food aisle. Frozen food plays a strong role in the shopping preferences of European consumers, spurred by the strong value for money and convenience proposition. Also, in terms of quality, frozen food compares favorably to fresh products, with a significant proportion of European consumers perceiving frozen foods as being as nutritious as fresh.
In Europe, frozen foods, and especially vegetables, have a healthy image in this market and enjoy an excellent reputation especially among German consumers, as they fulfill consumer needs for freshness and convenience. Consumer food preferences are increasingly trending towards healthy, natural and convenient foods from manufacturers who offer maximum transparency and promote integrity and ethical values. Frozen food brands can effectively tap into these trends by delivering innovations in ingredients, flavors and formats with a focus on today’s definition of health and convenience.
Mintel’s 2017 Global Food and Drink Trend Time is of the Essence highlights that the time spent on – or saved by – a food and drink product will become a clear selling point over the coming years. This is likely to increase the value of ready-to-eat on-the-go meals. Although consumers want to save time on some occasions, they are willing to spend at least some time during others, such as cooking. This fuels demand for time-saving products that allow consumers to short-cut one portion of the meal-making process without sacrificing key elements such as nutrition or personalization.
Trends
As highlighted by Mintel’s Trend Bandwagon and Mintel’s 2018 Food & Drink Trend Full Disclosure, consumers are increasingly focusing on labels, ingredients and production methods, demanding transparency and embracing once-niche ways of living and eating. Europe has seen vegetarian and vegan references explode in the food and drink market, with a growing number of launches targeted at consumers who seek to integrate more plant-based goodness into their diets.
Consumers are increasingly looking for a blend of health, quality and convenience in their food, and frozen products are in a unique position to satisfy all these requirements. Frozen brands should use their expertise to elevate the overall image of the category by innovating with ingredients, flavors, formats and packaging design, while exploring untapped niches in the frozen sector. Adding desirability and excitement will be crucial to attracting young consumers, in particular, due to their adventurous nature and desire to explore, discover and enjoy new food experiences.
