Kids' Snacking - US - March 2008

Published by: Mintel International Group Ltd.

Published: Mar. 1, 2008 - 183 Pages

Table of Contents

SCOPE AND THEMES

What you need to know

Definition

Data sources and methodology

Consumer survey data

Abbreviations and terms

Abbreviations

Terms

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

All kids snack, but age and gender impact types eaten

Healthy snacks—parents seek out options that kids will eat

Savory snacks—bucking the small portion trend

Salty snacks—chips are popular, but crackers may have greater reach

Sweet snacks—diverse marketing and brand focus in sub-segments

Kids want snacks that focus on fun (sometimes more important than taste)

Factors influencing kids snacks

Brand qualities—how brands are positioned

Innovation relies more on tried and true tactics than exploring new ground

Marketing kids snacks

Kids’ snacking habits

How kids choose snacks

How parents choose kids’ snacks

ALL KIDS SNACK

Figure 1: Incidence of snacking between meals, December 2007

FOODS EATEN AS SNACKS

Key points

The juxtaposition of healthy snacks versus junk food snacks evident in kids’ snack choices

Figure 2: Foods eaten as snacks, December 2007

Snack choices vary by gender and age

Figure 3: Foods eaten as snacks, by gender and age, December 2007

HEALTHY SNACKS

Key points

Among healthy snacks eaten, fresh fruit offers greatest appeal

Healthy-positioned snacks favored by kids, questioned by parents

Fruit snacks

Yogurt

Cereal bars

Portion-control packaging implies healthy snack

Figure 4: Healthy foods eaten as snacks, December 2007

SAVORY SNACKS

Key points

Savory snacks are typically used as an after-school snack

Figure 5: Ways/times in which kids/teens eat frozen snacks, July 2007

Brands focus on young consumers, eating on the go, and helping children help themselves prepare snacks

Figure 6: Savory foods eaten as snacks, December 2007

SALTY SNACKS

Key points

Salty snacks are among kids’ favorite snack foods

Chips: unhealthy but a universal favorite—growth in BFY offerings

Popcorn: more nutritious options but less convenient

Crackers: marrying health, convenience, and child appeal

Figure 7: Salty snacks used by kids aged 6-11, Spring 2007

SWEET SNACKS

Key points

Sweet snacks are an integral part of children’s snacking habits

Figure 8: Kids’ attitudes towards food, Fall 2005 and Spring 2007

Cookies: widespread use of portion-control packages and character licensing

Snack cakes: relying on shapes and characters to retain child-appeal

Pudding/gelatin: category players have less focus on kids

Figure 9: Sweet snacks used by kids aged 6-11, Spring 2007

WHAT MAKES SNACKS FUN

Key points

Kids like characters

Figure 10: What makes snacks fun, December 2007

Younger kids favor characters, while older kids like unusual flavors

Figure 11: What makes snacks fun, by gender and age, December 2007

MARKET FACTORS

America’s population of its most fervent snackers is on the rise

Figure 12: U.S. population projections of kids, by age, 2003-13

Figure 13: Incidence of snacking between meals, by age, December 2007

Kids continue to battle the bulge

Figure 14: Attributes important to choosing snack for kids, December 2007

Broad-based government action targets adults and kids alike

Marketers are spending more to attract child consumers

Foodservice vying for its share of the snack market

BRAND QUALITIES

Frito Lay

Kraft/Nabisco

General Mills

Private label: Kroger’s Disney Magic Selections

INNOVATION AND INNOVATORS

Key points

More of the same in product launches targeting kids

Forward thinking innovators focus on function

Figure 15: New kids snack product launches* by sub-category and year, 2003-07

Kellogg—category’s top innovator

INNOVATIONS IN THE NATURAL CHANNEL/SPINS

Kellogg’s Kashi Division Stretch Island Fruit Company

Figure 16: Natural product supermarket retail sales of Stretch Island Fruit Leather and Fruitabu Organic

Smooshed Fruit, 2005-07

Homegrown Naturals Bunny Grahams

Figure 17: Natural product supermarket retail sales of Annie’s Bunny Grahams, 2005-07

Honest Tea Juice Pouches

Figure 18: Natural product supermarket retail sales of Honest Tea Juice Pouches, 2005-07

Clif Bar and ClifKids

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

OVERVIEW

Character power

Yogurt

Figure 19: Television ad for Dannon’s Danimals with tie-in to High School Musical

Figure 20: Television ad for Yoplait’s Trix yogurt with tie-in to Over the Hedge

Snack cakes

Fun factor

Crackers

Figure 21: Television ad for Pepperidge Farm goldfish, “Bon Voyage, Finn”

Figure 22: Television ad for Pepperidge Farm goldfish, “Flavor Blasted Goldfish”

Figure 23: Television ad for Pepperidge Farm goldfish, “Goldfish at Play”

Cookies

Figure 24: Television ad for Kraft Nabisco’s Chips Ahoy!, “Do not you want me baby”

Figure 25: Television ad for Kraft Nabisco’s Chips Ahoy!, “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy”

Salty snacks

Figure 26: Television ad for Frito Lay’s Cheetos Flaming Hot

Figure 27: Television ad for Frito Lay’s Cheetos Baked

Family-centric

Figure 28: Television ad for Kraft Nabisco’s Oreos, Generations

Figure 29: Television ad for Kraft Nabisco’s Oreos, Home video

Healthy snacking

Figure 30: Television ad for Quaker Granola Bites

Figure 31: Television ad for Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs granola bars

FREQUENCY OF SNACKING

Figure 32: Frequency of snacking in a typcial day, December 2007

Figure 33: Frequency of snacking in a typcial day, by gender and age, December 2007

WHEN SNACKS ARE EATEN

Figure 34: When snacks are eaten, December 2007

Figure 35: When snacks are eaten, by gender and age, December 2007

ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOR

Figure 36: Attitudes and behavior towards snacking, December 2007

Figure 37: Attitudes and behavior towards snacking, by gender and age, December 2007

Figure 38: Attitudes and behavior towards snacking, by race/ethnicity, December 2007

Figure 39: Attitudes and behavior towards snacking, by region, December 2007

CHOOSING SNACKS FOR KIDS (AND YOURSELF)

Figure 40: Attributes important to choosing snack for kids and for yourself, December 2007

Figure 41: Attributes important to choosing snack for kids, by gender, December 2007

Figure 42: Attributes important to choosing snack for kids, by household income, December 2007

THE CHANGING SCHOOL VENDING MACHINE

Figure 43: Snacks sold in vending machines at school, May 2006-June 2007

APPENDIX: OTHER USEFUL CONSUMER TABLES

Foods eaten as snacks

Figure 44: Foods eaten as snacks, by race/ethnicity, December 2007

Figure 45: Foods eaten as snacks, by number of kids in household, December 2007

Figure 46: Foods eaten as snacks, by region, December 2007

What makes snacks fun

Figure 47: What makes snacks fun, by race/ethnicity, December 2007

Figure 48: What makes snacks fun, by region, December 2007

Frequency of kids’ snacking

Figure 49: Frequency of snacking in a typcial day, by race/ethnicity, December 2007

Figure 50: Frequency of snacking in a typcial day, by region, December 2007

When snacks are eaten

Figure 51: When snacks are eaten, by race/ethnicity, December 2007

Figure 52: When snacks are eaten, by region, December 2007

APPENDIX: TRADE ASSOCIATIONS

Abstract

• A foundation in the basics: The types of foods kids snack on, how frequently they snack, and their thoughts on snacks
• What parents think about when they choose snacks for their kids
• How shifts in the child population affect the market
• Rising child obesity, and the effect it has on kids’ snack foods
• The present and future impact of government broad-based actions for wellness education
• How the major players position their brands, and to what degree are they seeking “conversation” with kids and parents
• Why and how marketers are spending more money targeting kids
• The potential for foodservice to carve a niche in kids snacking

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