millennial snacking trends


This means that manufacturers should not shy away from charging a premium price, for premium products, but they also need to focus on palatability and taste13. They have unique shopping habits, a growing taste for convenient and better-for-you foods, and indulge in daily snacking. Whats an adaptogen? They are dened as a generation that skips meals in favor of snacks and are more likely than any other generation to snack upwards of four times a day! Our flavors across Latin America are as rich as our culture, as our history, and as beautiful and as colorful as our actual beaches and nature and landscapes. According to the Pew Research Center, a millennial is defined as a person born between 1981 and 1996.

Snacks that offer functional nutrition represent the next frontier in healthy snacking. Gen Z snack aesthetics are more about permissible indulgence. For example, millennials tend to use snacks to replace meals because of their busy lifestyles, while Gen X has an interest in cutting down on sweet snacks; many boomers are actively making changes to their diets to become healthier. Understanding millennial purchasing habits and decisions is key to product developers and marketers because their food purchase decisions are markedly different from that of previous generations. Do different manufacturers, retailers, and consumers have different denitions for the term clean label? According to the Center for Generational Kinetics, 64 percent of millennials believe that fewer ingredients means a snack is healthier and better for you. However, cheese is chosen by about 60 percent of millennials, and nutritional bars are chosen by about 65 percent. Consumers in the 18- to 24-year-old age group are also more likely than older cohorts to seek out filling, portable and inexpensive snacks, says Marchick. I see that and I think, Hell yeah. All rights reserved. Were also looking forward to seeing the results from the online poll to gather more intel on shoppers preferences throughout the duration of the promotion to help us further serve consumers as well as our retail customers.. This contrasts with only 21 percent of baby boomers who answered. Demographically speaking, meal-skipping has historically been more tied to younger consumers, who say theyre more likely to be short on time and more reliant on convenience products.

that way; they reported greater trust in doctors and dieticians. The rise of sober curiosity also has a lot to do with that impulse. At Sodexo, the companys Simply to Go concept seeks to cater to this phenomenon by offering grab-and-go foods any time of day including: We have added more snacks and desserts to our menu lineup and offer dairy-free alternatives and gelatin-free options, says Jackson.

At the same time rejecting the pretty pastel look in favor of a more punkish vibe. They want great-tasting products, and they expect these products to fit their lifestyle, she says. Millennials want to experiment and try new things. Miniature, bite-sized portions of traditional snacks represent a fun and innovative approach to this. This interview has been edited for clarity. In a consumer study, the International Food and Information Council discovered that about 40 percent of millennials say friends and family are their top sources for nutritional information. Satiety and higher energy are other benefits that have been tied to smaller, more frequent meals and/or snacks. Functional foods and beverages especially popular as snacks include bars and ready-to-drink beverages. Will this can of soda actually change my life? As suppliers roll out plant-based snacks across a variety of categories to target the growing flexitarian market, the continued development of taste, texture and experimental flavors will be of high importance, he added. Millennials are pushing food companies to meet their convenience need. This means, Cowling said, that fresh snacks from the deli and other perimeter departments will attract more and more consumers. It is estimated that up to 31 percent of U.S. consumers will consume organic food daily or weekly in 2018 (vs. 8 percent monthly in 2008). Millennials are pushing food companies to meet their convenience needs by demanding food packages that are easy-to-open, portable, and resealable. Our palates tend to be less sugary, much more focused on bitterness and acidity. Shoppers are encouraged to enter the sweepstakes for a chance to win one of three prizes chosen specifically with the Athlete, Foodie and Host in mind. Seven million millennials buy better-for-you snacks at convenience stores. Industry analysts state that, as millennials and Generation Z take a more prominent role in driving the U.S. consumer economy, the role of organic foods will only increase over time.207. This means that the concept of what constitutes a meal and what constitutes a snack is becoming more blurred. The less sugar trend is showing up across multiple food categories with claims that include reduced sugar, low sugar, no sugar, and no added sugars. Altogether these statistics have signicant implications for the food industry. Consumers are also seeking contrasts of textures products that are both chewy and creamy or crunchy and buttery. For many young adults, healthy and fresh food have become priorities. Duda puts snacking front and center in latest promotion. Your newsletter post on store-bought agua fresca mentions this explosive growth in Hispanic purchasing power, but when I think of Doritos-flavored tacos and chile-limn-dusted everything, I get curious about how we maintain autonomy and authenticity in the snack aisle.I think people can feel when something is inauthentic. Older consumers, for instance, choose smaller meals that blur the boundary with snacks because they associate such eating habits with ease of digestion, important at a time when more attention is paid to digestive health. Of course, the Latino population is so big. The YPulse research found that younger consumers are interested in the functional aspects of foods, with 73% saying they enjoyed eating superfoods that serve specific functional purposes. Yeah, exactly. Were snacking a lot more in lieu of meals. As a generation, millennials are unique because they are more racially diverse, highly educated, and more technologically literate than earlier generations.4 Younger millennials may be in college or still living at home, mid-range are in the workforce, and older millennials are starting families (11 million aged 25-35 are parents). Younger consumers are more likely than older consumers to dine out for snacks, she says, noting that two-thirds of consumers between the ages of 18 and 24 have purchased a snack from a quick-service restaurant in the past three months, according to Mintel and Aramark proprietary research. Millennials expect their healthy snacks to taste as good or better than traditional snacks. Pringles, so the fact that the ingredients seem healthier is just an added plus. Ad Choices. In particular, functional snacksfoods that claim to provide more than plain nourishmenthave presented a seductive logic. https://www.foodprocessing.com/articles/2018/market-view-millennials-and-all-day-snacking/, https://www.cbdmarketing.com/millennial-food-report/, https://amplifysnackbrands.com/documents/Amplify-2017-Snack-Study.PDF, https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/86401/eib-186.pdf?v=43097, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/9-ways-millennials-are-changing-the-way-we-eat/2018/02/20/6bb2fe60-11eb-11e8-8ea1-c1d91fcec3fe_story.html, https://www.forbes.com/sites/jefffromm/2017/02/08/what-brands-need-to-know-about-modern-millennial-snack-culture/, https://progressivegrocer.com/whats-driving-snack-food-purchases, https://www.fooddive.com/news/with-nearly-half-of-millennials-snacking-manufacturers-keep-an-eye-on-tren/422627/, https://trendincite.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/FoodBusinessNews8-7-18.pdf, https://progressivegrocer.com/how-meet-millennials-growing-snacking-needs, https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/12181-disrupting-the-future-of-food-at-ift18, https://www.packagedfacts.com/Salty-Snacks-Trends-Opportunities-11724010/, https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/11925-health-attributes-becoming-more-important-in-the-snacking-space, https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/12356-market-shifts-challenging-ingredient-suppliers, https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/12373-keeping-applications-clean. There are various denitions of the generation, but millennials are generally 22 to 37 years of age, Understanding how to market to millennials is essential, not only because they represent a large portion of the population, but, because they consume food information differently, their predecessors. Generally, they make a habit of spending more on foods which require less preparation when eating at home. Gen Z are more likely to view snacks as a meal replacement for financial reasons, so it is important to offer a variety of cost-effective, filling snacks, she says. Millennials are busier than ever.

With spending power of $828 billion in the U.S., and 78% spending most of their money after tuition and bills on food, Gen Z is a population segment the food industry is watching closely as they wind their way through college dining hall lines, Food Management reports. Beyond clean label and removing unwanted ingredients, food formulators face the complexity of meeting the millennial consumer demand for ingredients that are perceived as natural. Her newsletter features the latest snack trends while serving a healthy dose of skepticism, wit, and undeniable expertise on the snack industry to 20,000 readers, who she affectionately calls her snaxbois. That is, indulging in something that tastes good and feels good without an overwhelming sense of guilt. Bon Apptit may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Younger millennials are, by far, most likely to replace meals with snacking very often or often (26 percent vs. 9.5 percent of baby boomers). There are various denitions of the generation, but millennials are generally 22 to 37 years of age (as of 2018). They are on the hunt for avors that excite and reect their appreciation of cultural diversity while also fullling social and environmental values. In addition, she notes that Generation Z is more ethnically diverse than other generations. Or you were only trying to relax by doing THC shots to unwind. Read our Privacy Policy to learn more. throughout the United States and across the world. Ive also noticed a lot of health trends that seem to take [long-held] human knowledge, repackage it, and sell it back to us at a premium. Additionally, over half of younger millennials sometimes replace a meal with snacks (compared to only 31 percent of baby boomers). I feel like now people are doing things in good measure, instead of just hanging out at the extremes. When specic ingredients and labels are promoted, such communicates and fosters trust in both the brand and the quality of the product.3 This creates a great opportunity for you the product developer, brand manager, or business development executive to effectively market to this large segment through smart packaging, judicious ingredient selection, and labeling. Their branding is literally eyeballs popping out and worms crawling and other horrible, grotesque visuals. Millennials are shifting into a lifestyle of daily snacking, replacing meals with snacks both savory, sweet, and in various formats (solid and liquid).

I want to be relaxed at the end of the day, but I also dont want to fall asleep. Recent YPulse research found that 81% of Gen Z and young millennials consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 believe healthy foods should be convenient, and 66% say they are willing to pay more for a healthy snack. Millennial consumers no longer accept a tradeoff between taste and nutrition. But the fact is that were so disconnected and severed from our roots as human beings that we buy into this commodification of regular things. So, jokes on you, boomers, because the snack actually became the meal. According to other research sources, a total of 96 percent of millennials saythey replace a meal with a snack once a week, and 58 percent say they snack 4-5 times a day! Of global snack bar launches in 2019, 1 in 3 featured a high protein claim. This story is part of Junk Food, Redefined, our new collection of snack recommendations, recipes, and perspectives that celebrate an undervalued food group. Those products are particularly popular among younger millennials as well as Generation Z consumers.16. Duda Farm Fresh Foods continuously looks for unique, interactive ways to engage with consumers year-round. Starting with fresh milk from its more than 14,500 family farmers, our team combines technical expertise with culinary prowess to create simple yet indulgent products. Like Immorel, this newly launched sparkling mushroom tea based in Brooklyn, has this very devilish, heavy metal 80s rock band energy.

Our selection of innovative dairy ingredients is made available to. Below are four key snacking trends to keep in mind when feeding Gen Z: Gen Z takes an unconventional approach to snacking, says Jackson. Previously, it was just about getting caffeinated, and you were getting jacked up on energy drinks. We are excited to partner with a well-respected brand like Fresh Cravings for this promotion, said Nichole Towell, senior director of marketing for Duda Farm Fresh Foods. New taste and avor combinations are expected to ourish, as are snacks that feature alternative ingredients, different proteins, grains, vegetables, and superfoods, while delivering nutrition. With their high protein, indulgent flavors, and built-in portion control, protein bites are checking all the boxes. They make their own decisions. In addition to the frequency of consumption, the way millennials snack is different. Chips, cookies, crackers, and fruits remain common snacks.

They are increasingly interested in knowing how a products ingredients have been produced, processed, and transported, as well as how the natural resources are being replenished. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies in accordance with our. A good example are high-protein bars, and in those products, the majority of protein remains dairy.18 However, incorporating very high levels of protein can present taste challenges. They want to know how your products are made; where ingredients come from; how they are sourced, and what manufacturers do to care for the environment and their Community. Read all the stories here. Indian, Middle Eastern, South American and Asian flavors are popular in our college locations.. They have more sophisticated taste buds, crave exotic flavors and have been exposed to many more international flavors than their predecessors. Whats behind all of this functional messaging? Companies that support charitable causes and have cruelty-free practices or ethically sourced ingredients matter to this generation.. A Progressive Grocer survey reported that protein was the top factor in snacking health concerns, with 46 percent of all respondents stating protein is a product attribute and characteristic that millennial consumers are looking for. Snack bite offerings continue to expand with options such as energy bites, paleo bites, breakfast bites, and of course, protein bites. People have known mushrooms are good for us for hundreds of generations. Also important to understand is that this new wave of consumers reads product labels. available for purchase directly on our e-commerce website. While savory snackssuch as roasted chickpea snacks, ancient grain crackers, and veggie chipshave an inherent advantage here, great strides are being made in creating delicious, low and no sugar nutrition and snack bars, as well as sports nutrition and meal replacement beverages.

Were all shopping in the dark. Millennials graze instead of eating large meals. Agua fresca is a great example because there is that health benefit. From ready-to-drink protein juice smoothies to snacking cheeses to refrigerated bars, expect the appeal of fresh perimeter snacking to grow as more consumers embrace a healthy eating lifestyle. They also allocate the highest budget shares of all generations to prepared foods, snacks, sugar and sweets (50-70 percent more). 5 Food Trends Millennials Will Set for Generations to Come.

Now it feels like were trying to be in both states simultaneously, which is why I came up with the term functional unwinding. The rise of adaptogenic coffee is really a good example. There are brands coming out like Gooey, this hazelnut spread, and the messaging is pretty much, We dont have any function, we just want to taste good. Another brand, The Good Crisp Company, is doing a similar thing. the stats say my generation and Gen Z are not eating full meals. If youve noticed a change in food trends over the last ve to 10 years, you can thank a millennial! By the time they get to college, they expect to have a large variety of protein alternatives, she says. Consumer preference for clean label has made stevia a go-to ingredient for manufacturers working to meet the growing demand for lower sugar snacks. Prefer to eat away from home and dedicate less time to eating meals and more time to eating snacks. I think being on social media has sort of primed our brains to crave the dopamine hit that comes from experiencing something new, and that shows in the datacollectively, millennial and Gen Z brand loyalty is the lowest in comparison to older generations. This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from. I feel like were giving food imposter syndrome, trying to force it to be things its not, like when we try to make cauliflower act like meat or whatever. Traditionalists (Silent): Born 1928-1945 (73-90 years old), Baby Boomers: Born 1946-1964 (54-72 years old), Millennials: Born 1981-1996 (22-37 years old), Gen Z: Born since 1997 (21 years old or younger). Starting with fresh milk from its more than 14,500 family farmers, our team combines technical expertise with culinary prowess to create simple yet indulgent products. Every generation has its own take on food, and Generation Z. document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Get the latest news impacting the food and beverage industry. Slideshow: European pastries as easy to bake as they are to love. KANSAS CITY For many Americans who fall under the demographic heading of millennial-and-younger (and even for an increasing number of older folks), the phrase three square meals a day doesnt mean much. I want to have the energy, but I also dont want to have a spike and then a crash. Research from YPulse shows that these consumers are true foodies who are: Their food preferences show up in the snacks and dessert choices they make, according to operators. Ive noticed a similar trend in the way, as Latinos, our culture is marketed back to us. I like to joke that, unless a snack comes from the Function region of France, its not actually functional. Oviedo, Fla.-based Duda Farm Fresh Foods, a leading grower of fresh vegetables and citrus, has teamed up with Fresh Cravings to launch the Summer Snacking Games Sweepstakes to drive consumption of produce during the warmer weather months. Just give people the stuff that they want. Shop less often at traditional grocery stores (they make half as many visits to food stores as traditionalists), and shop for food more frequently at convenience stores, gas stations, or online. We want to drink, but we also dont want to be overly indulgent and be hungover the next day. These are the scams, the stars, and the shifts that are defining the meals we eat between meals, according to Andrea Hernndez. What are you excited about in the world of snacks right now?I feel like were finally getting away from that better-for-you messaging that was everywhere when I first started Snaxshot in 2020. How do you perceive todays landscape of snacks and how did we get here?I was witnessing this trend around the mid-2010s, when I started to see a lot of the so-called better-for-you and functional messaging really popping offthis idea of snacks that were going beyond nutrition and trying to be something more. Those who entered the workforce during the Great Recession generally experienced stagnating wages, despite, on average, being more educated. Its been really cool to see people saying lets take ownership of our identity and lets show people that were more than just the stereotypes of sombreros and handlebar mustaches and whatever.. I think theyre just a better-tasting version of the O.G.

The U.S. salty snacks market is forecast to grow to $29 billion by 2022, up from $24 billion in 2017. 17. Recipes you want to make. In the snacking realm, these can include foods such as fruits, nuts and seeds, alone or incorporated into other food or beverages. Generation Z is poised to become the largest segment of consumers in the country, and their dining preferences are playing out in the foodservice facilities of the nations colleges and universities.

Some of the hot trends driving millennials include demand for: While members of previous generations might have dened healthy as low-fat or high-ber, millennials may dene healthy from a more wholesome perspective. Prefer to eat away from home and dedicate less time to eating meals and more time to eating snacks. Because theyre young and not yet in a set routine, their lives are being lived moment to moment.. In a consumer study, the International Food and Information Council discovered that about 40 percent of millennials say friends and family are their top sources for nutritional information. You have this huge, untapped market. Its not like 20 grams of added sugarall of the sweetness is coming from things like fresh fruit and natural produce. The YPulse research found that 64% of younger consumers surveyed say that they wish there were more ethically produced snacks available, and 67% of them said they would pay more for snacks with an ethical pedigree. By continuing to navigate on this website, you accept our policy regarding the usage of cookies. We use cookies to provide you with a better experience. To catch a glimpse of the future of snacks, we spoke about the scams, the stars, and the trends that are defining the meals we all eat between meals. These are perfect applications for cheesy, creamy, and buttery avorings that boost a products appeal, even in high-protein formulations. These are the big questions in the world of snacks, a space rife with buzzwords and hype. Gone are the days of cooking and sitting down three times a day to eat. Think marketing campaigns about the hidden powers of mushroomslike normal, non-magic mushrooms. Knowing what makes millennials tick matters to your business. Many brands now use extracts and fermentation products for avoring. According to the Pew Research Center, a millennial is defined as a person born between 1981 and 1996. Our site delivers snacking insights to foodservice professionals, and it uses cookies to make your experience better. More plant-based concepts are appearing on college campuses to accommodate this trend. If youve noticed a change in food trends over the last ve to 10 years, Whos in Generation Z? This includes offering new avors, interesting textures, and fun, creative combinations, both in the savory and sweet snack categories. This trend will feature opportunities to develop new healthy and nutritious savory treats that feature cheesy avors (a favorite snack in itself). More than that, though, Id love to be done with the functional shit in general. highly knowledgeable about foods from around the world. While thats still true to some extent, Cowling said, consumers of all ages are increasingly snacking instead of eating traditional meals throughout the day. Manufacturers are placing texture claims on their products, and it is estimated a third of those claims feature crunchy, crispy, crusty, brittle, or nutty, while another third were classied as smooth, velvety, creamy, and buttery. Millennials rely heavily on websites, bloggers, and social media tness professionals for health information. Millennials are one of the largest U.S. age demographic groups, second only to baby boomers. Close to 90 percent of millennials eat better-for-you snacks at least once a week.

a candy bar or a bag of chips), millennials now also search for energy and nutrition. Not that thats a bad thing.

What makes millennials different? All evidence points to millennials being different inuenced by their peers rather than traditional media. This contrasts with only 21 percent of baby boomers who answered in that way; they reported greater trust in doctors and dieticians. The popularity of high-protein snacks is another top trend, with 51% of global consumers stating theyve switched from traditional snack products like chocolate and confections to high protein/low sugar alternatives. According to the IFICs 2017 Food and Health Survey, 55 percent of millennials say convenience is a top driver when buying food, while taste is a more important driver for baby boomers. But one thing I find really interesting is consumers trying to coexist between different states, like how theyre changing how they drink caffeine. They want products that are natural, organic, and sustainable. This begs the question: Are these just fads, or do all these changes represent a true generational shift? they replace a meal with a snack once a week, and 58 percent say they snack 4-5 times a day! Right now, there are more millennial consumers in the U.S. workforce than any other age bracket. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. 2022 Cond Nast. Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: COVID accelerated the trends that appeal to younger generations, Deli soup categories eye innovation as they get attention of younger Americans.