Mondelez International in its third global consumer trends study, titled State of Snacking Report, highlighted the broader role snacking plays in the lives of consumers’ along with insights on emerging trends driven by pandemic induced changes.
This year again, Indians emerged trend setters as snacking took over traditional meals at a statistically significant pace. With 74% adults preferring small meals throughout the day than large ones, and 81% indicating that they replace at least one meal each day with a snack, consumers are always on the search for the right snack.
The findings from the report not only demonstrate the expanded meaning of snacking in consumers’ lives, but also indicate opportunities to fulfil the demand gap in the world of snacking through future innovations across categories.
In fact, bite sized moments of flavour and enjoyment are becoming increasingly indispensable. 76% adults mentioned that they could not imagine a world without a sweet treat during their day. Majority of Indians say they feel the same way about chocolate (78%) and birthday cake (78% ). Furthermore, food products ranked No.1, with 75% consumers looking for maximum choice in the category when making a purchase.
Anil Viswanathan, vice president – marketing, Mondelez India, said, “Snacking remains intrinsic to India’s consumption culture, enabling everyday social moments, being a source of comfort and providing needful indulgence. However, with the evolving role that snacking now plays in our lives, Indian consumers are getting a lot more experimental. Going beyond variety, taste and accessibility, our study indicates a clear connection between snacking and wellbeing, with consumers acknowledging indulgence the right way. With it is also the growing demand for judicious purchase choices- right from the ingredients, manufacturing to packaging. These insights only strengthen our purpose to empower people to snack right as we lead the future of snacking.”
It is an era of rapid change and consumers are now open to taking new risks with snacking experimentation. 90% of Indian consumers say they look forward to trying new snacks. Majority of this risk-taking attitude is inspired by social media, as 9 in 10 adults mentioned that they prefer their social feeds to be as appetising as their plates. Topping their list of priorities with food content rich with sensory experience, interesting food trends, grocery hauls.
While the pandemic has given way to more indulgence, as per the 2021 report, 9 in 10 Indian adults (88%), shared they are snacking more, a 20% jump from the global average.
Consumers are striving for a healthy balance between taste and health. 77% consumers agree that certain snacks can be reserved for the enjoyment of snacking rather than worrying about nutrition. Portion control and labelling are also gaining notice for consumers with 86% stating say it is important for them to have control over the portion size and ingredients in their snacks.
The report, developed in partnership with consumer polling specialist, The Harris Poll, and supported with trends intelligence from Nextatlas, complements the company’s robust snacking trends data bank with insights from across 12 countries, including India
