Snack attack
the only food market that will experience more growth at home than
out of the home.
Market analysts Datamonitor have identified increased activity in the premium and 'sharing' snacks market. The company believes that these products, which are aimed at evening snacking, represent the only food market that will experience more growth at home than out of the home.
Although at-home dinners are in decline, the market analysts estimate that snacking in the home is set to increase over the period 2002-07. European consumers snacked at home (in the evening) an average of 5.4 times per week in 2002. This is set to rise to 5.6 times per week over the next five years.
Datamonitor says that snacking at home is strongly driven by the frequency with which people eat whilst watching television. 96 per cent of Europeans snack in front of the TV and 94 per cent do so when they rent a film. Many consumers are not aware of how much they eat in front of the TV or how often they do this.
The growth of large tub and grab pack formats are therefore perfectly positioned to capitalise on this pattern of eating. Products such as Jacob's JacoBites are being packaged in formats conducive to in-house snacking.
The recent launch of this product follows Walkers' immediate success with its Sensations snacks range. Now Danone's UK bakery business Jacob's wants a piece of the action. JacoBites will be positioned as a premium snack rather than just a cracker.
Datamonitor believes that manufacturers are aware that many consumers like to make an 'occasion' of snacking in-house, and are therefore willing to trade up to premium goods. This is a large part of the reason why snack companies are keen to upgrade their offerings.
As lifestyles become increasingly hectic, snacking is set to become a more familiar part of our eating repertoire. And doing so at home is likely to be no different.
