On-the go is on the rise

LONDEN - The UK snack market is currently outperforming many other categories in the food and beverage market with a yearly growth rate of almost 4%. Consumers seem to look for snacks that answer a wide range of needs: a premium treat to be enjoyed with friends, a convenient bite whilst on-the-go or a ‘better for you’ alternative. Regardless the specific consumer need, one thing remains important: snacks should primarily deliver on taste.

Snacks are an important category for retailers. The majority of snacks still seem to be consumed at home, but the market shifts towards the out of home consumption. Suppliers should adapt their ranges to tap into this trend and retailers have a key role to play in making it attractive for shoppers to buy their snacks in the supermarket. A large snack segment is the crisps market where flavor type is still the number one purchase driver. Adventurous flavours like wasabi & ginger, chargrilled steak and chimichurri are leading the trend and – as Christmas is coming up – what to think of roast beef with red wine flavor?

The popcorn segment is showing similar upward trends like crisps – with even a new kids brand named Propercorn-  as do fruit & veg crisps and dried fruits, nuts & seeds. The latter segments benefit from the growing influence of health trends and are being consumed in different occasions such as breakfast and salad toppings. Other growing segments are the healthy bar segment, the ‘protein’ based cheese and meat snacks (for example Mr Porky Crispy Strips), rice and Itsu’s prawn crackers but of course the confectionary industry still takes a large share of the snack market - Mondelez’ number one position in chocolate, biscuit and candy with Cadbury, Oreo and Belvita illustrates this. The ‘better for you’ snacks deliver on taste, health and convenience and attract younger consumers, new occasions throughout the day and meet different needs as consumers look for permissibility. Lots of opportunities to explore we would say as this category is only set to grow further, and not just in the UK. 

Are you curious to explore your opportunities in the snack and on-the-go market? TEN advises and supports food & beverage companies that are aiming to broaden their horizons. We co-ordinate food export activities, encourage business development projects, and create new international links. We also help improve the standard of existing export activities, and we operate as SIB advisor (Starters International Business, an initiative of the Dutch government) to SMEs. For more information www.theexportnetwork.nl or contact us for a first meeting without any obligations: http://www.theexportnetwork.nl/contact/.

Source: The Grocer