News and Trends

 

Following several consecutive quarters of post-COVID recovery, 2024 saw a steady slowdown in the growth of the global out-of-home (OOH) snacks and non-alcoholic drinks market. Value growth of 17% in Q4 of 2023 steadily declined to 4% in Q4 of 2024, compared with a much shallower drop from 7% to 5% for products purchased to consume in-home, which can be attributed to an ease in price inflation. This trend is putting pressure on the overall global snacks and beverages market, with total value growth decelerating from 10% to 4% over the year. The slowdown is particularly evident in the UK, Spain, and Portugal. In fact, in-home is winning over OOH in all markets measured by Kantar except France, Mexico, China and Thailand. As a result, the OOH share of total spend on snacks and beverages remains stuck at 36% – dropping slightly from 36.2% one year ago – resulting in a slight rebound from 63.8% to 64% for in-home purchases. This is the first time in 14 quarters (since summer 2021) that OOH ...

The study tracks snacking attitudes and behaviors among world consumers. Courtesy of Mondelēz International Mondelēz International, Inc.  has released new findings on love, connection, and snacks from its sixth annual State of Snacking report, a global consumer trends study examining how consumers make snacking decisions. In time for Valentine’s Day, the survey results show 71% of global consumers agree that sharing snacks with others is a love language. Developed in partnership with The Harris Poll, the State of Snacking survey tracks snacking attitudes and behaviors among thousands of consumers across 12 countries. The 2024 survey findings show consumers are increasingly using snacking as a way to express love to others, as well as to themselves: Snacking is love:  Love is expressed in many ways and sometimes, it’s through the simple joy of sharing a snack. Seventy-one percent of global consumers agree that, “sharing snacks with others is my love language” – an 8% incre...

  The ‘ready to eat’ meal trend grows, as consumers opt for less formal channels in Q2 2024. The global out-of-home (OOH) snacks and drinks sector continued to outstrip the performance of the in-home sector in the second quarter of 2024, with year-on-year value growth of 8% compared with 2% for take-home purchases. This is the case in all markets covered by Kantar’s Worldpanel data, except for Spain, Portugal and Thailand. India saw the biggest surge in spend at 27%, followed by Brazil and Mexico.   The proportion of total ‘in and out’ value coming from OOH has risen for the 8th consecutive quarter, rising to 38% from 37% in Q2 of 2023. Growth was fastest in India, with an uplift from 68% to 71%. Only in Spain and Portugal has the OOH share dropped slightly, from 35% to 34%, and 39% to 36% respectively. Spend has risen across all three OOH categories, compared with last year: snacking food (+9), non-alcoholic drinks (+8%), and meals. (+7%). Growth is organic and incremental Th...

As  more Britons incorporate snacks into their daily routines , understanding their preferences could be essential for brands looking to capture a share of the market. From fruits and vegetables to indulgent confectionary and savoury treats, the snacking landscape in the UK is diverse. When it comes to daily snacking frequency, fruits and vegetables lead the way. Research shows that 57% of Britons snack on fruits daily, while 41% eat vegetables just as often. These healthy options are staples in the British diet; however, indulgence also has its place in the snacking routine.  Confectionary items are a popular choice, with 45% of Britons indulging weekly. Similarly, crisps (41%) and savoury biscuits (32%) are go-to snacks for many, highlighting the nation’s love for salty and crunchy treats.  Yogurt is another favoured option, with 24% of Britons enjoying it daily and 30% weekly. Despite being promoted as nutritious options, only a small percentage of respondents consume ...

  Source: Ginsters Butter Chicken Bake From pies, slices, bakes, and quiches, to crackers, loaves, rolls, and buns, the nation’s bakery brands have been busy of late rolling out new savoury offerings. The food-to-go sector has been boosted by several snacking pastries with comfortingly familiar flavour combinations, along with some petite quiches disrupting the standard family-sized format. There are also new options for those wishing to indulge in rich savoury flavours at home. Here are the latest savoury innovations from the bakery sector: Pies and slices, Pukka Five new recipes have been added to Pukka’s savoury pastry line-up including an All Day Breakfast Pie, Sausage Casserole Pie, and Chicken, Ham & Leek Pie, as well as a Cheese & Bacon Toastie Slice and Margherita Pizza Slice. Pukka said its trio of new pies – each with a rsp of £1.99 and rolled out at Morrisons, Tesco, and Asda stores – is aiming to disrupt the pie fixture with tasty recipes delivering on the brand...

Image source: Getty/Shannon Toth Inspired by interior design and fashion, “newstalgia” blends together vintage and contemporary design elements. Within the snacking category, it’s a fusion of familiar snack brands with new flavors and formats, Ryan noted. From re-emerging retro brands like Bonomo Turkish Taffy and Necco wafters and updated familiar snacks with functional benefits like Snickers Hi Protein bars to leveraging recognizable flavors and formats like Apple Jacks-flavored Pop-Tarts, snack innovation pulls from the past to engage consumers’ emotions while keeping them on their toes with new technologies, ingredients and formats. “There’s this tension about, ‘Should I try something new?’ and I think what newstalgia does is it allows you to get some of that innovation that you want as a consumer but still get something safe,” Ryan said. "All snacks have an emotional resonance" Since the pandemic, consumers turned to products that provided a sense of comfort, safety and ...

Source:  WGSN Snacking opportunities are bigger than ever as consumers seek comfort, health, convenience and status boosts. We forecast the key trends and product development opportunities across the snacking category, with a focus on flavour, ingredients and packaging.  Hype treats Snacks are emerging as status symbols, with innovator brands building buzz via limited-edition drops and products that target lifestyle-driven communities and subcultures. From It-desserts to must-have crisp collabs, snacks are emerging as edible accessories with cool currency. Innovators are collaborating with brands or creators that align with consumers’  personal values , identities and lifestyles to create snacks that tap into niche communities or nod to in-group knowledge. Secondhand fashion platform Depop collaborated with Pop-Tarts on user-curated collections based on Pop-Tarts flavours, which were then sold as a limited-edition assortment box; while Pringles released LTO Minecraft-ins...