Dive Brief:
- The snack aisle is thinning out, but instead of slimming down the number of snack products, it's the products themselves that are getting thinner.
- Thin snacks, such as Mondelez’s Oreo Thins and new Wheat Thins Even Thinner, come in skinnier pieces, which means consumers can eat a higher number of pieces while getting the same amount of calories or eat the same number of crackers for fewer calories. Wheat Thins Even Thinner crackers are 14% thinner, which means consumers can eat 22 crackers for the same amount of calories as 16 crackers in the original variety.
- Two consumer trends have impacted the influx of thinner snacks: consumers looking for healthier food options, and the growing tendency to graze and snack throughout the day.
Dive Insight:
"Here is where the two trends collide – when it comes to snacking, consumers want both indulgent and healthy options. With this, the ‘thinning’ trend we are seeing in the grocery snack aisle reflects another way for consumers to indulge in their favorite snacks with a little less guilt," James Russo, senior vice-president of global consumer insights at Nielsen, told Food Business News.
Healthy snackers made up the largest category of snackers surveyed for "Snacker Nation," a FoodThink whitepaper released in June, which is good news for purveyors of thin snacks.
Snacking innovations are becoming more common in manufacturers' product debuts, as snacking becomes a more prevalent way for consumers to eat, even edging out the concept of three standard meals per day.