Guilt-free nutritious convenience: What Austrians want from a snack

Austrians like to snack throughout the day with many of them skipping traditional meals such as lunch.

FMCG Gurus’ 2020 Austria Snacking Survey shows that 10% of consumers say they never eat lunch, while 26% say they choose to snack as a lunch replacement. The majority of consumers (44%) say they opt to snack mid-afternoon.

Time scarcity is one of the main reasons why consumers are replacing sit-down meals with snacking options. The modern consumer follows a jam-packed lifestyle cramming in multiple activities a day, which leaves little time to mull over a meal. But they still want the nutritious benefits, so are actively looking for healthier and nutritional snacks to fulfil their dietary needs.

FMCG Gurus consumer research shows that, one of the main reasons why consumers choose to snack is for a health benefit (59%). 50% of Austrians also choose to snack to increase their protein intake. As such, protein bars are one of the most snacked on products in that country.

Fruit (92%) and yoghurt (88%) are also popular snacking items.

Claims are very important when targeting the modern consumer and many are prepared to pay more for something that is conveniently nutritious. FMCG Gurus consumer insights found that 47% of Austrians are willing to pay a premium price for high protein claims, while 56% would be willing to pay a premium for zero sugar claims. 46% of Austrians echoed the sentiment for general health claims.

Many consumers are now snacking out of home and the demand for on-the-go products has never been higher. According to consumer insight, 33% of Austrians say they now typically eat out of home.

To fulfil this impulse, 49% want something that puts flavour in the forefront, while 57% say they pay more attention to the nutritional value of the product.

Like elsewhere on the globe, Austrian consumers continue to snack on-the-go, but are willing to go to that extra length to find a product that’s conveniently nutritious – especially one that is high in protein and low in sugar – to give them a guilt-free boost to get them through the day.