As we celebrated July 4th weekend and the 250th anniversary of American independence, it seems something has been written or said about just about everything that is quintessentially American, from our love of parades and fireworks, to the traditional backyard barbecue featuring hamburgers and hot dogs. But one American obsession didn’t seem to get any coverage—our love of snacks. So, I’m here to rectify that oversight with everything you didn’t know you didn’t know about American snacking.
Millions of us consume snacks daily. According to one research report, 66% of Americans snack every day. 17% snack three times a day or more.
Savory snacks make up the largest sector overall, but cookies, chips, and ice cream are the most popular items.
Many of us are replacing meals with snacks. That’s a regulator occurrence for 41 percent of snack consumers, especially younger ones. 38% of snackers aged 18 to 24 says it’s less stressful to snack than make a meal. 57% of those 25-34 say snacks are a better value than a full meal.
Snacks are the new comfort food. Consumers of all sampled generations describe their relationship with snacks as “comforting.” They say their number one reason for snacking is hunger, but number two is “to treat myself.”
“Newstalgia”is a big trend in snacking—classic snacks brought back to market such as Necco Wafers and Bonomo Turkish Taffy—or tweaked, such as Apple Jacks flavored Pop-Tarts. In one survey, 52% of salty snack consumers expressed a preference for products with nostalgic packaging or marketing.
Texture is having a moment. Snackers are increasingly drawn not just to taste but to the texture of products. Peelable candy has become popular. 38% of cracker purchasers cite texture as influencing their choices.
Even sound matters. There’s now ASMR candy marketed as providing an aurally satisfying crunch.
Snack makers have embraced the “functional ingredients” trend, perhaps striving to erase the guilt from snacking. Protein, probiotics, pretty much anything good for you or alleged to be good for you is now being touted on snack packaging. Belle’s Raspberry Rose Popcorn claims to contain collagen peptides, biotin, and vitamin E. Mallow Pop Dehydrated Rainbow Mini Marshmallows tout added probiotics.
Coffee and caffeine are popping up in a wide range of snacks. Hershey’s has created a new candy bar with espresso-flavored caramel. Alert Pop is offering sugar free lollipops with caffeine added.
Pickles are big. This trend is five years old but shows no signs of slowing down, with pickle flavors in everything from chips to candy.
Limited edition versions of popular snacks are on the rise, and not just for the traditional holidays such as Halloween and Christmas. Countless brands jumped on the 250th anniversary of American Independence with red, white and blue versions of just about everything.
Private label product producers have jumped on the trend. Walmart has added premium private label snack lines with items including oat milk ice cream and cassava powder tortilla chips.
In total, the American snack market is the biggest in the world—more than 170 billion dollars a year. It’s expected to top 193 billion by 2030.
On the next Culinary Characters Unlocked Podcast dropping tomorrow, Milwaukee Chef Zak Baker on cooking the way they do in Italy, using local ingredients to create what he calls Midwest Italian. Available wherever you get your podcasts:
YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCT4Zovt2BsSuh98FvyEwcFA
APPLE PODCASTS
SPOTIFY
AMAZON MUSIC
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/28353fc5-11df-4a3e-8481-f989eb4aeaab/culinary-characters-unlocked
CASTBOX
https://castbox.fm/channel/Culinary-Characters-Unlocked-id6566109?country=us
PODBEAN
https://www.podbean.com/podcast-detail/k2n6g-31b0b8/Culinary-Characters-Unlocked-Podcast
Eat (and snack) well,
David
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