What you need to know
The BFY (better for you) snacks category grew 1% from 2016-17, but has grown by 18% in the past two years powered both by consumer interest in snacking and brand development of offerings that find a middle ground between healthy and indulgent. Yet the category is still challenged by the depth in snack offerings and ambiguity of the definition of a healthy snack. Advancements in innovation along with expansion of distribution and variety can help BFY snacks reach new consumers and appeal to current category participants.
Definition
This Report focuses on processed snacks that are specifically positioned or marketed as BFY. Product categories included in the scope of this Report are:
Vegetable and fruit chips: Includes chips that are not made from either potatoes or corn, like apple chips, kale chips, sweet potato chips, carrot chips.
Puffed snacks: Includes potato, multigrain, corn, and rice and other puffed snacks.
Soy crisps and snacks: Including snacks made primarily of soy (including soy nuts) and marketed as a “soy snack” rather than a corn, potato, or rice chip/snack that contains soy, among other ingredients.
Other snacks: Includes items and snack mixes that don’t fit into other snack subcategories, such as wasabi peas, roasted chickpeas, and veggie sticks, as well as alternative-based chips like hummus chips, lentil chips, and bean chips.
