It’s a new year, which mean it’s the perfect time to have a look at what’s coming up in the global savoury snack food category. Last year, consumers wanted their snacks to be healthy, clean and served in small single-serve bags, so what can we expect from 2019? We’ve had a look at GlobalData’s prediction of what snacking could look like in the near future and here are the top three trends1:
It seems there is no way from stopping the army of creepy crawlies taking over our snacking habits. Already a big trend in 2018, proteins will remain popular ingredients in 2019, with both plant and meat-based proteins expected to become firmly established on the market. But it won’t stop there. GlobalData predicts there are no limits to new ingredient sources and a lot of manufacturers will continue to explore new alternatives. This will also prompt brands to focus on insect protein, such as edible insect fries and chips made from organic insect flour. Although the trend is still at a niche stage at the moment, it’s expected to gain momentum in the coming years given that insect snacks not only offer nutritional benefits, but are also environmentally-friendly and cheaper than meat snacks.
If 2018 was all about sustainable packaging, 2019 will likely see the sustainability trend expand even further and spill over into the ingredients segment. According to GlobalData, we will start seeing a lot more product claims such as ‘Fairtrade’ or ‘sustainably-sourced’ to appeal to the growing group of socially-conscious consumers and eco-conscious millennials. The latter will be a key demographic for the sustainability movement as this group tends to be more willing to pay extra for such products. With sustainability claims gaining popularity, transparency is expected to emerge as a norm in the snacks market, which in turn will compel more and more manufacturers to deliver the same.
For 32% of respondents in Germany and 27% in the UK, how ethical/ environmentally friendly/socially responsible the product is often/always influences the food choice.
What sugar is for confectionery, salt is for savoury snacks. Although the war on salt has been going on for a while now, new changes to nutritional facts labels as laid out by the FDA in the US2 (effective from January 2020) and renewed discussions in Europe around a new, combined labelling approach will soon force manufacturers to reduce added sodium levels to make their products more label-friendly. Some of the biggest food brands have already committed to reducing sodium content in their food and it’s likely others will soon follow.
Ethically-sourced, lightly salted cricket chips!
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1Opportunities in the Global Savory Snacks Sector: Analysis of Opportunities Offered by High-Growth Economies (GlobalData, August 2018)
2https://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm385663.htm#dates
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