Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Definition
Executive Summary
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- The issues
- Dollar sales of bars grow 20% from 2012-17, slower growth projected through 2022
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- Figure 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of snack, nutrition, and performance bars, at current prices, 2012-22
- Future growth projected to slow in most segments
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- Figure 2: Sales of snack, nutrition and performance bars, by segment, 2012-22
- A third of adults think bars are too high in sugar
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- Figure 3: Attitudes toward bars – Challenges, by bar consumption, February 2018
- The opportunities
- Two thirds of US adults eat bars
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- Figure 4: Bar consumption, February 2018
- Three quarters of consumers turn to bars for snacks
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- Figure 5: Reasons for consumption – Any bar, February 2018
- Protein amount is second only to good taste as a bar attribute of interest
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- Figure 6: Important attributes, February 2018
- What it means
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Dollar sales of bars grow 20% from 2012-17, slower growth projected through 2022
- Snack bars lead; performance bars gain share
- Convenience store sales see strongest growth from 2012-17
- Competing categories make a play for cleaner functionality
Market Size and Forecast
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- Dollar sales of bars grow 20% from 2012-17, slower growth projected through 2022
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- Figure 7: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of snack, nutrition, and performance bars, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 8: Total US retail sales and forecast of snack, nutrition, and performance bars, at current prices, 2012-22
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- Figure 9: Total US retail sales and forecast of snack, nutrition and performance bars, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
Market Breakdown
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- Snack bars lead, performance bars gain share
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- Figure 10: Sales of snack, nutrition, and performance bars, by segment share, 2012-17
- Future growth projected to slow in most segments
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- Figure 11: Sales of snack, nutrition, and performance bars, by segment, 2012-22
- Convenience store sales see strongest growth from 2012-17
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- Figure 12: Total US retail sales of snack, nutrition and performance bars, by channel, at current prices, 2012-17
Market Perspective
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- Competing categories successfully make a play for functionality
Market Factors
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- America’s love of snacking benefits snack categories
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- Figure 13: Snacking frequency, March 2017
- Close to half of consumers eat breakfast on-the-go or skip altogether
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- Figure 14: Weekday and weekend behaviors, May 2016
- Three quarters of adults are currently managing their weight
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- Figure 15: Weight management status, July 2017
- Diet health may be a stronger focus than exercise
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- Figure 16: Lifestyle statements, February 2018
- 84% of consumers are limiting the amount of sugar in their diet
- Legislation grows less sweet on sugar
- Aging population may justify need for functional nutrition
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- Figure 17: Share of population by age, 2013-23
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- General Mills controls 25% of MULO dollar sales of bars
- Smaller brands gain big in the nutritional and performance segments
- Chocolate dominates across all segments
- Protein claims continue to climb in most segments
Company and Brand Sales of Snack, Nutrition, and Performance Bars
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- General Mills controls 25% of MULO dollar sales of bars
- Sales of snack, nutrition, and performance bars by company
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- Figure 18: Share of Multi-Outlet sales of snack, nutrition, and performance bars, by leading companies, 52 weeks ending Dec 31, 2017
- Figure 19: Multi-Outlet sales of snack, nutrition, and performance bars, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
What’s Working?
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- General Mills brands represent more than a third of MULO sales of snack bars
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- Figure 20: Multi-Outlet sales of snack bars, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Smaller brands make big gains in the nutritional bar segment
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- Figure 21: Multi-outlet sales of nutritional bars, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Chocolate dominates across all segments
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- Figure 22: Snack, nutrition, and performance bar launches, by leading flavors, 2014-18*
- Figure 23: Snack, nutrition, and performance bar launches, by growing flavors, 2014-18*
- Protein claims continue to climb in most segments
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- Figure 24: Snack, nutrition, and performance bar launches, by leading claims, 2014-18*
- Figure 25: Snack, nutrition, and performance bar launches, by growing claims, 2014-18*
- Whey proteins appear among leaders in most segments
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- Figure 26: Snack, nutrition, and performance bar launches, by leading protein types, 2014-18*
- Figure 27: Snack, nutrition, and performance bar launches, by growing protein types, 2014-18*
What’s Struggling?
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- Dollar sales of weight-loss bars decline in MULO channels
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- Figure 28: Multi-Outlet sales of weight-loss bars, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- Volatility seen in MULO sales of performance bars
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- Figure 29: Multi-Outlet sales of performance bars, by leading companies and brands, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
- White sugar leads as sweetener type across segments
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- Figure 30: Snack, nutrition, and performance bar launches, by leading sweetener types, 2014-18*
What’s Next?
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- Going green
- Embracing indulgence
- Getting your fill
- Nuts about cashews
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Two thirds of US adults eat bars
- Three quarters of consumers turn to bars for snacks
- Protein amount is second only to good taste as a bar attribute of interest
- The majority of bar buyers purchase multi-packs
- A third of adults think bars are too high in sugar
Bar Consumption
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- Two thirds of US adults eat bars
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- Figure 31: Bar consumption, February 2018
- Men make up the majority of performance bar eaters
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- Figure 32: Share of bar consumption, by gender, February 2018
- Performance bars find strongest appeal among young adults
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- Figure 33: Share of bar consumption, by age, February 2018
Reasons for Consumption
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- Three quarters of consumers turn to bars for snacks
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- Figure 34: Reasons for consumption – Any bar, February 2018
- Men are more likely to eat bars for functional outcomes
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- Figure 35: Reasons for consumption – Any bar, by gender, February 2018
- Bars don’t need to be all things to all people
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- Figure 36: Correspondence analysis – Reasons for consumption, February 2018
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- Figure 37: Reasons for consumption, February 2018
Important Attributes
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- Protein amount is second only to good taste as a bar attribute of interest
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- Figure 38: Important attributes, February 2018
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- Figure 39: Important attributes, by bar type, February 2018
- Women are more likely than men to be concerned about sugar totals
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- Figure 40: Important attributes, by gender, February 2018
- Older consumers look closer at nutritional information
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- Figure 41: Important attributes, by age, February 2018
Bar Formats
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- Pack size
- The majority of bar buyers purchase multi-packs
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- Figure 42: Bar formats – Pack size, February 2018
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- Figure 43: Bar formats – Pack size, by bar type, February 2018
- Men are significantly more likely than women to purchase single bars
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- Figure 44: Bar formats – Pack size, by gender, February 2018
- Multi-packs have stronger appeal among older shoppers
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- Figure 45: Bar formats – Pack size, by age, February 2018
- Protein amount
- 23% of bar consumers choose base with 20+ grams of protein
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- Figure 46: Bar formats – Protein, February 2018
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- Figure 47: Bar formats – Protein, by bar type, February 2018
Texture
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- The majority of bar eaters associate bars with being chewy
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- Figure 48: texture associations – Any bar, February 2018
- Consumers associate snack bars with more decadent features
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- Figure 49: Correspondence analysis – Texture associations, February 2018
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- Figure 50: texture associations, February 2018
Attitudes toward Bars
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- Efficacy
- Only 10% of consumers think bars deliver on promised claims
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- Figure 51: Attitudes toward bars – Efficacy, February 2018
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- Figure 52: Attitudes toward bars – “They deliver on promised claims”, February 2018
- Challenges
- A third of adults think bars are too high in sugar
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- Figure 53: Attitudes toward bars, February 2018
- Women are more skeptical of bars than are men
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- Figure 54: Attitudes toward bars, by gender, February 2018
- Older shoppers are more likely to be ingredient-conscious
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- Figure 55: Attitudes toward bars, by age, February 2018
- Higher earners are more critical of bars
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- Figure 56: Attitudes toward bars, by HH income, February 2018
- Artificial ingredients struggle with efficacy
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- Figure 57: Lifestyle statements – Artificial ingredients, February 2018
- Figure 58: Lifestyle statements – “I think artificial ingredients are more effective than natural ones”, February 2018
- Non-dairy
- Three in 10 consumers think protein derived from plants is as effective as that from dairy/meat sources
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- Figure 59: Lifestyle statements – Non-dairy, February 2018
Appendix – Data Sources and Abbreviations
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- Data sources
- Sales data
- Fan chart forecast
- Consumer survey data
- Abbreviations and terms
- Abbreviations
Appendix – The Market
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- Figure 60: Total US retail sales and forecast of snack bars, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 61: Total US retail sales and forecast of snack bars, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 62: Total US retail sales and forecast of performance bars, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 63: Total US retail sales and forecast of performance bars, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
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- Figure 64: Total US retail sales and forecast of nutrition bars, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 65: Total US retail sales and forecast of nutrition bars, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
- Figure 66: Total US retail sales and forecast of weight loss bars, at current prices, 2012-22
- Figure 67: Total US retail sales and forecast of weight loss bars, at inflation-adjusted prices, 2012-22
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- Figure 68: US supermarket sales of snack, nutrition and performance bars, at current prices, 2012-17
- Figure 69: US convenience store sales of snack, nutrition and performance bars, at current prices, 2012-17
- Figure 70: US sales of snack, nutrition and performance bars through other retail channels, at current prices, 2012-17
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Appendix – Key Players
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- Figure 71: Multi-outlet sales of snack, nutrition, and performance bars, by leading companies, rolling 52 weeks 2016 and 2017
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