Healthy Snacking is driving Customer Adoption of C-stores Food

Alice May Block  famously said “Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.” However in the minds-eye of todays consumers its high protein, gluten free, keto, paleo, vegan, organic, local, fresh, all-natural, free from artificial ingredients, preservative free and non-GMO according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

In fact, 41 percent of consumers want snacks to provide an energy boost, while 80 percent are willing to pay more for snacks with health attributes, according to The Hartman Group’s The Future of Snacking study.

Paige Brown, director of marketing at Stryve Biltong Snacks, a maker of meat snacks stated "We've seen changes in the industry as certain fads have come and gone, [but] we are also seeing a trend that consumers are willing to spend more money on great-tasting, high-quality, healthy snacks, and manufacturers are filling that demand," 

Today's definition of healthy continues to evolve, so does the demographics of the healthy snack consumer. Healthy eating is becoming the new norm for men and women, both young and old, as they grow more mindful of nutrition and the role it plays in their everyday lives. However, if there is one thing that rings true across healthy snack consumers, it is that they'll flex different food values at different occasions.

Betsy Frost, director of platform marketing innovation at General Mills Convenience stated "In terms of pre-packaged snacks, you see a lot of different need states represented in different ways than in the past,"… "'Healthy' snacking was for a time about low-calorie options, where you often traded taste or texture of the 'real thing' for a lower calorie option or portion-controlled 100-calorie pack. Now, we see healthy snacking mirror the core values of the consumers."

Three macro trends that are driving this, according to Minneapolis-based General Mills Convenience, are:

1.       The changing of food values. Consumers are looking for more real food experiences.

2.       Consumers’ changing eating habits. "People snack more throughout the day and are looking for snacks to do more jobs for them than they have in the past, such as a meal replacement or mini-meal, a before- or after-workout supplement, or a mental or energy boost," Frost explained.

3.       The boom of the food entrepreneur. "With more snacks being in more non-traditional outlets, food entrepreneurs have found it easier to turn a home hack that served their personal needs into thriving, purpose-driven organizations," she added.

Snacks, min-meals, or just plain fun food fast one thing is clear the ‘halo’ of  better-for-you food is expanding in every sector of food retail today according to Johnson. 

www.FoodserviceSolutions.us can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization?  Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.