Health and wellness continue to play a vital role in snacking. That is according to Kerry, which has released a webinar series, “Capturing Key Motivators that Deliver Winning Snacks,” focusing on consumer motivations across snacking applications.

The company is exploring key consumer trends driving the snacking industry today, highlighting how habits have shifted in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

The webinar series focuses on four specific consumer snack trends: Reward & Treat Myself, Make Better Choices, Future Proof and Live Clean Label. 

Each webinar is led by Kerry’s R&D, nutrition and marketing experts as they discuss consumer motivators, formulation challenges and key opportunities in the US$115 billion snack market.

An evolving sector
Speaking to FoodIngredientsFirst, Courtney Schumacher, marketing manager for Kerry North America, says: “We see the snacking market continuing to evolve and playing a key role in how consumers manage their overall health and well-being.”

Consumers turn to products with real, recognizable ingredients, looking for healthier trade-offs or looking for snacks with functional attributes, she argues. 

“Although health and wellness will continue to play a role in snacking, the taste will still be the most important attribute driving purchases – consumers want great-tasting snacks,” Schumacher maintains. 

“The world of snacking is evolving more with each product cycle,” says John Kaufmann, senior director of business development at Kerry North America. 

“The lines between meals, treats and snacks are blurring,” he continues. “The occasions and demand for snacking are increasing with consumers’ busy lifestyles, and we find it very exciting to see what is motivating them to choose one product over the other. 

Identifying opportunity
By breaking the drivers into four segments, Kerry can determine opportunities to help its customers give consumers the products they want, adds Kaufmann. 

“When identifying the motivators, we felt it was important to think about snacking holistically. Throughout the webinar series, we highlight how these consumer motivators take shape across savory snacks, bars and confectionery snacks,” Schumacher details. 

For Kerry, plant-based and dairy-free is a dominant theme across all areas of snacking. “For example, launches of dairy-free vegan chocolate and salty snacks have both been on the rise,” Schumacher notes. 

In the bars space, plant-based protein has been very popular in recent years, she highlights.  

Consumers today are “much more willing” to try new flavors in snacks, which has led to new launches with premium, culinary-inspired and international flavor profiles. 

In the snack space, Kerry sees new product formats such as nutritional bars now moving into the refrigerated space.

COVID-19’s effect on snacking
Food trust and transparency are top of mind for consumers, and they’re turning to familiar brands for guidance, reassurance and to serve as “comfort food.” 

Overall, the pandemic has had a few critical effects on how consumers shop and the products they seek, Schumacher flags. 

“Consumers were already becoming proactive with their health, but are now seeking out foods and supplements to strengthen their immune systems and support overall wellness. The economic pressures surrounding COVID-19 are pushing consumers to seek greater value products, but not at the sacrifice of health and overall taste.”

“We’ve also seen a surge in online grocery shopping and home delivery as consumers adapt to new ways to shop for food,” she adds. 

From a snacking perspective throughout COVID-19, consumers turn to traditional snack categories for indulgence and comfort. 

“Salty snacks and confections have experienced tremendous growth throughout the pandemic while more general health-focused categories like the nutritional bars space have struggled,” Schumacher comments. 

Indulgence comes to the fore
Living through the pressures of a pandemic, consumers are now looking for ways to get a break from everyday life at home with indulgent and nostalgic taste experiences. 

“People’s workday snacks are no longer dependent on what’s loaded in their office vending machine. They now have endless choices to be delivered to their door, via online delivery services and online shopping, making exploration, indulgence and functionality more readily available than ever before,” Schumacher concludes. 

In June, FoodIngredientsFirst reported that German consumers were bucking the trend for healthier nibbles, with indulgence claims being the single most important influence on snack purchase decisions in the country. 

In May, a webinar from Innova Market Insights revealed split responses as a result of COVID-19, with health and cost influencing purchasing patterns. Snacking has been booming in recent months as quarantine measures blur meal occasions, according to Mondelēz.

In August, Kerry revealed its range of festive beverage concepts, which include on-trend and botanical ingredients such as cardamom, cinnamon and rhubarb, designed to boost NPD this winter.