Dive Brief:
- Many millennials favor snacking over three meals per day, as eating throughout the day becomes more common, according to a new report from Canadean.
- Up to 41% of consumers ages 18 to 24 and about 44% of consumers ages 25 to 34 say they regularly eat snacks between meals.
- The report also identified a wide range of eating occasions and motivations for snacking, including for an energy or nutrition boost, stress relief, and other social reasons.
Dive Insight:
Trends in snacking motivations offer manufacturers a wider range of avenues to market all sorts of snack products, whether they are healthy snacks or purely indulgent sweet or salty treats.
Manufacturers from all segments, from candy and cereal to meat and dairy, have begun experimenting with snack-friendly versions of their products. Having so many snacking motivations to target has influenced the variety of items available in the market and currently in development.
The study showed regular snacking between meals became less frequent with consecutive older age groups, reaching as low as 23% for those older than 65. If millennials retain these snacking habits as they age and pass the consumption pattern on to their children, snacking could permanently alter the way manufacturers develop and market their products in the future.
While this report focuses on snacking between meals, snacks have become meal replacements for many consumers, and they may prefer to snack throughout the day without ever eating a traditional meal. Liquid meal replacements, such as smoothies and protein drinks, have become more prevalent and have also played a role in the downplaying of the need for three meals per day.