Snacks and health – really ?

We’re definitely snacking more.

We’re scaling down our weekly shop and topping up at discounters or local convenience stores.

We’re also eating more often during the day. The recent Nielsen Global Survey of Snacking, which collated online responses from 30,000 consumers in 60 countries, found that:

• 91% snacked at least once a day
• 21% snacked 3 to 4 times a day.

Snacks have increasingly become meal replacements, with:

• 52% sometimes snacking instead of breakfast
• 43% in place of lunch and
• 40% instead of dinner.

The study apparently discerned a “shift in a consumer mindset to one focused on health”, but the biggest category in key regions was:

• confectionery in Europe and Middle East/Africa
• salty snacks in North America
• cookies and snack cakes in Latin America.

There were, however, some encouraging signs on health, with:

• fresh fruit being top of the wish list
• vegetables scoring strongly
• yogurt and cheese coming high in the preference rankings.

If only intent translated into action.