The inaugural State of Snacking 2019 Global Consumer Snacking Trends Study found that six-in-10 adults (59%) preferred to eat many small meals throughout the day, as opposed to a few large ones. This number increased to 72% in developing markets and 70% among millennials.
Snacking was the preferred choice for two-thirds of people who made health a top priority (66%), while 61% of respondents said they couldn’t imagine their lives without snacks.
The report also found that adults in the UK preferred to eat snacks at around 3:41pm, while France and Germany preferred to eat snacks at 3:22pm and 3:30pm respectively. The global average came out at 1:35pm.
Snacking right
Commenting on the report, Mondelēz chairman and chief executive Dirk Van de Put said: “As the snacking market continues to grow globally, we’re living our purpose to empower people to snack right by constantly learning about the many different ways consumers around the world are snacking and evolving their relationship with food.
“We see that the average global adult now eats more snacks than meals on a given day, driven by a number of evolving demands largely associated with how we live today, including a growing need for convenience, yearning to share nostalgic and cultural experiences, expanded wellbeing preferences and the desire for choices that range from wholesome to indulgent.”
Also covered in the report was the role that snacks play in a person’s cultural identity. Most said there were snacks their family ate that had been passed down through many generations (70%), while a majority of millennials said food played a major part of their identity (78%).
Health and indulgence
Mondelēz also identified the need for booth healthy and indulgent snacks, with 77% of respondents agreeing that there was a time and place for both in their lives. To that end, six-in-10 said snacks were for their own personal needs, compared to a meal that tended to meet the needs of others.
Martin Renaud, chief marketing officer at Mondelēz, added: “The inaugural 2019 Global Consumer Snacking Trends Study is yet another way we’re step changing our understanding of consumers’ busy lives and how our brands – both global and local – can play an important role.
“Around the world, snacking serves a greater purpose than nourishing body and mind. Ensuring our brands remain relevant means recognising that one-size-fits-all no longer works with consumers who want authenticity, meaning-for-me and local connections.”
State of Snacking report methodology
This survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Mondelēz International from 16–27 September 2019, among 6,068 global adults ages 18 and older.
The research spanned 12 markets, including:
- The USA (n=504)
- Canada (n=506)
- Mexico (n=505)
- Brazil (n=515)
- France (n=501)
- Germany (n=503)
- The UK (n=501)
- Russia (n=515)
- China (n=503)
- India (n=508)
- Indonesia (n=504)
- Australia (n=504)
Other key groups analysed included: centennials ages 18–22 (n=602), millennials ages 23–38 (n=2,404), gen Xers ages 39–54 (n=1,702), boomers ages 55–73 (n=1,236), and the silent generation ages 75+ (n=124).