Snacking is good for you, according to the Chicago-based NPD Group. In its recent report titled “Snacking in America,” the market research company looked at Americans’ eating habits over a two-year period. The results suggest that the most health-conscious consumers snacked most often and chose from a wide variety of healthy snacks.
- Healthy dieters snack twice as often as less healthy dieters
- The “most healthy” consumer eats 36% more snacks a year than the average consumer
- The “moderately healthy” consumer eats 1% fewer snacks a year than the average consumer
- The “least healthy” consumer eats 29% fewer snacks a year than the average consumer
- The “most healthy” consumer eats a wider variety of healthy snacks including fruit, yogurt and cereal bars
“We are no longer as averse to snacking as we used to be—instead, snacking may be viewed as one way to improve healthy eating habits,” says Darren Seifer, NPD food and beverage industry analyst. “This way of thinking about snacking provides an opportunity for manufacturers to make health and wellness innovation part of their product development and marketing strategy.”
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