Healthy Eating

Consumers are increasingly turning to the internet to stock up on ready-to-eat snacks. In fact, while the online channel remains small, it’s one of the fastest-growing sources of ready-to-eat snack purchases, in contrast to traditional channels such as grocery and discount clubs, which tend to plateau or decline.

One of the reasons snacking is seen as ‘bad’ is because we’ve come to associate snacking with ‘snack foods’. These kinds of snacks don’t make you feel full and can cause a vicious circle of snacking by giving you a short burst of energy, followed by a slump where you feel hungry again.

The traditional idea of a “snack” is a between-meal, quick bite that satisfies an urge. But in today’s world, snacking has become much more important. But why? What is driving consumer snacking habits, motives and frequency?

Done right, healthy snacks can keep hunger at bay, keep energy levels on an even keel and provide a great source of health-boosting nutrients. Done wrong, snacking can leave you feeling tired, sluggish and hungrier than before. The key is taking a smart approach to snacking.

There are over 170 different businesses operating within the UK snacks sector and represent around 2.7% of the agri-food sector’s total value. In 2019, the UK crisps and savoury snacks market was estimated at £2,581 million. For the same period nuts were valued at £319 million, popcorn at £127 million and baked snacks at £195 million.