Snacks in the Spotlight

Snack foods have a place in grocery delivery, prepared foods departments, grocerants, retail dietitian displays and in just about every location where people shop and eat.

Originally published in the free weekly e-newsletter, Facts, Figures & the Future.

Phil Lempert
Editor, Facts, Figures & the Future

Seventy-eight years ago SNAXPO was born. Today, the Snack Food Association's annual conference and expo is more relevant than ever as we see more consumers moving away from three square meals a day to six to nine mini-meals or snacks consumed throughout the day. 

Part of this trend is about eating healthier and helping our digestive tract better absorb the nutrients we require, part of it is that we love a variety of foods, part is for the convenience of eating while we are doing something else and part is, frankly, that snacking is a more fun way to eat than sitting down at a table and consuming an entire meal.

Snacks themselves have certainly changed, as well documented in our column this week on the evolution of Jerky. But it is also time to change where and how snacks are sold. As the front end displays of supermarkets are disappearing or changing, the time has come for snacks to find new homes throughout the food chain. 

Snack foods have a place in grocery delivery, prepared foods departments, grocerants, retail dietitian displays and in just about every location where people shop and eat. The time is here for innovative ideas for products and display to be presented to these retailers in order to satisfy the increasing demand of these snacking shoppers.