The Shift from Cereal to Serial Snacking
The traditional image of families sitting down to a large breakfast before the kids head off to school is nearly as outdated as the black-and-white televisions that made those images so iconic. Today, everyone – from mom to dad to the youngest in the family – is busy from dawn to dusk. Nobody has time for the traditional idea of “breakfast” anymore, which has led to a seismic shift towards snacking on the go. Forward-thinking retailers should take steps now to cash in on this growing trend.
The Snack Food as a Meal Replacement
According to data from Euromonitor, snack food sales have climbed nearly 3% per year since 2008, a trend that is expected to continue through 2019. This trend outpaced traditional packaged foods which have grown around 1.5% through the same period.
Driving the snacking trend are Millennials, who tend to consume around 3.05 snacks per day, compared to just 2.26 snacks consumed by Generation Xers and 1.53 snacks per day eaten by Baby Boomers. The reason is simple: younger Americans use snacks as meal replacements, rather than just filler between meals. Millennials eat snacks for breakfast nearly twice as often as their older counterparts, which could eventually make the traditional breakfast a thing of the past.
All Snack Foods Are Not Equal
When it comes to breakfast, not just any grab-and-go option will do. People understand that sugary snacks for breakfast won’t fill them up, will lead to mid-morning sugar crashes and contribute to weight gain. One of the biggest growth segments in breakfast snack foods are high-protein options that are filling, even in small portions.
Millennials are also driving the demand for healthy snacks. The generation that came of age at the height of the US obesity crisis covered by the media. It was drilled into their heads that convenient foods are not always the healthiest choices, so they take their time and do their homework when choosing snack foods for breakfast.
Younger consumers are also driving the trend for more complex, interesting combinations in healthy snacking. Since their snack is acting as a replacement for a full meal, they don’t want something boring. They want something bold with more flair and complexity than a simple bag of nuts.
Goodbye Breakfast, Hello Healthy Snack
While Millennials may be driving the trend towards breakfast snacking, Americans of all ages are experiencing increasing demands on their time. Healthy snacks are the ideal choice for providing the energy needed to power through the morning, and even many parents are opting to feed their children healthy snack foods, since they are portable and kids can eat them in the car, saving valuable time. As kids get used to eating snacks for breakfast, they will carry that trend with them into adulthood.
Are you looking for Healthy Snack Offerings?
If you are looking to expand your healthy snack product offerings, Mister Snacks has solutions that will please your customer base – and your bottom line. We offer a variety of high-margin, healthy snacks to suit every taste, at any time of day. Contact us today to learn more about the ways in which we can help you increase your profits this year.