The overall sweet snack classification made slow but steady dollar gains from 2001 to 2005, closing out the five-year period at $18.2 billion in IRI-tracked sales. By category within the sweet snacks classification, snack candy is the single largest by far, claiming 35% of sales ($6.4 billion)- approximately two-thirds of which is comprised of chocolate candy and the remaining one-third of non-chocolate candy-followed by cookies and bakery snacks (30%), yogurt snacks (16%), food bars (10%), fruit snacks (7%), and gelatin/pudding cups (2%).
Looking Ahead
Healthier fare is certainly not the only trend in sweet snacks, but it is by far the most important
and widespread one, as well as the one that will pick up the most steam in the coming years. Looking across the six sweet snack categories covered in the report, the four healthier ones (yogurt, food bars, fruit snacks, gelatin/ pudding cups) gained market share from 2001 to 2005, while the two less healthy ones (candy, cookies and bakery snacks) lost market share. Other health-related trends that continue to gain momentum include portion control, high fiber/whole grains, cutting unhealthy ingredients (trans fats, process sugar, fat, etc.) and natural/organic.
Salted Snacks
The salted snacks classification made minimal dollar gains from 2001 to 2005, closing out the five-year period at $13.2 billion in IRI-tracked sales. By category within the salted snacks classification, salty snacks (potato chips, tortilla chips, pretzels, etc.) claims a whopping 53% market share, at $7.1 billion in 2005, followed by crackers (24%), nut snacks (13%), popcorn and rice/popcorn cakes (8%), and dried meat snacks (2%).
Looking Head
As in sweet snacks, heightened consumer interest in “eating for health” has been a mixed bag for marketers of salted snacks, benefiting those able to capitalize on this trend and hurting those whose products are gener-
Snack Food Trends in the United States
ally viewed as less healthy- if not outright unhealthy- food choices. Although salty snacks remain the largest category in the salted snacks market by far, at 54% of sales, its largest segment, potato chips, lost $81 million in IRI-tracked sales from 2001 to 2005 while sales of corn snacks (excluding tortilla chips) fell $95 million. Product portability and convenience remains a top priority across all packaged snack categories, a trend that is increasingly tying into portion control and the consumer trend toward more frequent grazing on-the-go.
Trends in Healthy Snacks
It is virtually impossible to talk market trends in packaged snack foods these days without the discussion veering repeatedly in the direction of healthier fare- then back to the all essential need to live up to consumer expectations that the products taste better than ever. During the five-year period from 2001 to 2005, IRI-tracked sales of yogurt snacks grew $721 million, while food bars rose $465 million and nut snacks rose $422 million. The other two
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