Sales of crackers have been relatively flat over the six years studied in this report, growing just 1% between 1999 and 2004. Although crackers are a popular snack for children, the voluntary ban on snack food advertising snack foods on children’s television has created a more elusive audience. Reformulations of crackers to remove trans fat and repackaging of snacks in 100-calorie pouches are two of the moves made by manufacturers to encourage parents to consider crackers as a healthful snack option for their kids. However, the wide availability of other snack options has created more challenges for cracker manufacturers.

Crackers aimed at the adult market have also been up against a lot of snack competition. Other salty or savory snacks—from chips to nuts and meat snacks—have stolen share from crackers. Experimentation with various diet plans and the low carb fad made eating snacks such as crackers a “dietary negative.” Fortunately, the low-carb fad has faded, and consumers are again considering crackers as a snack option. Manufacturers who reformat crackers to look like other snacks (marketing them in pouches or cups that fit in car cup holders, for example) may start regaining some of the ground lost during the height of the low-carb diet fad.

Mintel’s exclusive research brings you closer to potential cracker consumers, revealing important attitudes and purchasing trends. Every important driver in the cracker market is explored in depth, with accurate market size and trends. The supply structure is broken down by manufacturer, with analysis of each important player in the market. A five-year market forecast helps you address today’s challenges in marketing crackers to consumers.

This report includes crackers and saltines of all kinds, including graham crackers, flavored and unflavored crackers, cheese crackers, sprayed butter crackers, sandwich or filled crackers and crackers of all sizes (mini as well as regular and jumbo size). The report also includes breadsticks, matzoh crackers and a variety of grain-based and water or table crackers.

Excluded from this report are animal crackers (categorized as a cookie), Zwiebek crackers and oyster crackers. Potato chips, nuts and seeds, pork rinds, pretzels, fruit and health bars, power bars, rice cakes, and other non-related snacking items are also excluded. Also excluded are snack mixes (also known as party mixes), which may contain crackers, but also contain other non-cracker snack items such as peanuts, pretzels, and cereal bits. Cracker and cheese or meat products packaged together (such products as Oscar Mayer Lunchables) are excluded from this report as well.