The new report, "On-The-Go Eating in the US: Consumer, Foodservice, Retailing & Marketing Trends" from Packaged Facts, states that although 65 percent of consumers are trying to eat healthier, 33 percent said they didn't have time to prepare or eat healthy meals.
Indeed, the report claims that the time issue drove 49 million Americans to fast-food solutions and 41 million to store-made, pre-cooked meals last fall alone.
The report also indicates that 33 percent of Americans regularly skip meals and graze on snack foods, in part fuelled by media reports about the health and weight-loss advantages of eating frequent small meals, and smaller portioned on-the-go options from the foodservice industry.
Such statistics could offer significant opportunities for industry to formulate snacks that offer time saving with health and nutrition.
"Foodservice sectors are seeking to increase their shares of this growing market by adapting to changing consumer attitudes toward meal times, meal sizes, and health issues in order to make their products more convenient, healthier, and otherwise appealing," said Tatjana Meerman, Packaged Facts' Publisher.
A recent report on the market by Information Resources Inc (IRI) stated that the snacking industry was facing increased competition with new players previously separate from the snacking arena are now coming forward and claiming a share of the marketplace. Examples include cereal, which is increasingly being positioned as an evening snack, as well as the development of a 'snack' concept by fast food chains.
But despite the challenges the industry faces, there are three main areas of growth opportunity that snack manufacturers can focus on in order to keep consumers in the market, said IRI: product development, marketing and merchandising.
Product development is broken down into three main categories, with health topping the list. This taps into wellness and weight management, as well as products with nutritional and functional benefits.
