Snack Foods in the U.S., 4th Edition

U.S. retail sales of packaged snacks rose to nearly $64 billion in 2010, and Packaged Facts projects sales to approach $77 billion by 2015, a total market increase of over 20%. Despite the lingering effects of global recession, American consumers are snacking more than ever, thanks to less frequent restaurant dining, frenzied lifestyles that encourage on-the-go eating, and a growing tendency to replace meals with several smaller snacks. Additionally, marketers have responded to concerns about the growing impact of obesity on the health of the nation, and have made great strides in developing healthier snack foods that still taste good. While value is still one of the primary drivers of snack purchases, the economy has recovered to an extent that consumers are once again making health, convenience, and even indulgence top priorities as well.

This fully updated Packaged Facts report examines the market for packaged sweet and salty snacks within the context of broader food industry trends in new product development and marketing. To accommodate the complexities of the U.S. market within shifting socioeconomic contexts, the report investigates not only the sales data, new product introductions and market positioning strategies, but also the lifestyle patterns that contribute to the rise and fall of snacking trends. This completely revised edition provides an omnibus approach to the market, examining snacks via two broad classifications, sweet and salty/savory, while providing greater detail for dozens of categories and segments in which market activity dictates closer inspection.

A new feature of this study is data from Packaged Facts’ new Food Shopper Insights Survey, conducted in March 2011. Gauging the shopping patterns and attitudes of adults who have shopped for groceries within 24 hours of being surveyed, these data paint a detailed picture of U.S. snack trends by broader consumer health goals and nutrition concerns, ingredient concerns such as low-sugar and gluten-free, purchase motivators such as “family favorite” and “product looked appetizing,” snack occasions and timing (e.g., “between meals,” weekday vs, weekend, at home vs away from home), brand loyalty by product type, store-brand appeal, and coupon usage. Additional data sources include multi-year Experian Simmons Market Research Bureau data, which provides a detailed look at category-level and brand penetration levels; InfoScan Review data, which quantifies marketer and brand shares across numerous product categories; and new product tracking data from Product Launch Analytics, a Datamonitor service. In addition, category-specific marketer and brand focus discussions help to define the relationship between consumer attitudes and product development.