Healthy Snack Options Are On The Rise

October 7, 2014 by  
Filed under Blog

 

Healthy vending machine snacks

“North Americans love snacking! A fact that will not change in the foreseeable future” according to the 2014 report by Packaged Facts. As children we are conditioned by having “snack time” in school, and as adults we have vending machines filled with a selection of cold drink and packaged snack food options in the workplace.

Our love of snacking has grown to the point where nearly 50 percent of eating occasions today are snacks and the market is predicted to reach $77 billion by 2015.

Besides consumer tastes and health considerations, some other factors driving the snack industry include: busy lifestyles that encourage on the go eating, a growing tendency with regards to younger people replacing meals with several smaller snacks.

The boundaries between meals and snacks are becoming even more blurred creating consumer consumption habits that will resonate for generations to come. As today’s children will pass these lifestyle traits on to their children, it ensures that snacking will remain a big part of North American life.

As consumers seek ways to achieve a healthier lifestyle, snack foods that are marketed as “better for you” will remain popular. As supermarkets increase their healthy product choices, more traditional companies are adding healthier cookies, crackers, and cereal & granola bars to their menu too, as consumers continue to choose healthier snack and cold (canned or bottled) soft drinks over traditional snack products.

Leading snack food vending machine companies like the Compact Refreshment Centre are realizing that they must highlight attributes such as vitamins, minerals, fiber content and lower sodium to both educate consumers and take advantage of demand for such products. At the same time, with the ever growing abundance of “better for you” snack products, marketers must also offer secondary appeals to attract consumers, such as unique flavors or ingredient blends, with great taste combined.