Table of Contents
Overview
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- What you need to know
- Issues covered in this Report
Executive Summary
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- Market factors
- Majority of Irish consumers snack twice per day or more
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- Figure 1: How often consumers snack between meals in a typical day, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Four in 10 want more free-from snacks
- Flexitarianism continues to be a hot topic
- Obesity a growing issue, but consumers in denial
- Companies, brands and innovation
- The consumer
- Fresh fruit, chocolate and crisps most popular snacks
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- Figure 2: Types of sweet snack food that consumers have eaten in the last two weeks, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Figure 3: Types of savoury snack food that consumers have eaten in the last two weeks, NI and RoI, June 2018
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- Figure 4: Types of other snack food that consumers have eaten in the last two weeks, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Over nine in 10 snack at home
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- Figure 5: Where consumers have eaten snacks in the last two weeks, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Many concerned at sugar/salt/fat content in ‘healthy’ snacks
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- Figure 6: Agreement with statements relating to snacking, NI and RoI, June 2018
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Consumers snacking twice a day
- Obesity levels remain high across NI and RoI
- NI consumers following healthy habits most of the time
- ‘Free-from’ snacks appeal to Irish consumers
Market Drivers
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- Six in 10 snack twice or more per day
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- Figure 7: How often consumers snack between meals in a typical day, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Figure 8: Consumer price index for selected food items, RoI, 2015-18*
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- Figure 9: Consumer price index for selected food items, UK (inc NI), 2015-18*
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- Figure 10: Types of food products consumers have purchased from discounters in the last three months, NI and RoI, February 2016
- Women more frequent snackers – and key purchase decision makers
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- Figure 11: How often consumers snack between meals in a typical day, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Figure 12: Consumers who said they were mainly/wholly responsible for grocery shopping in their household, by gender and age, NI and RoI, September 2017
- Food intolerances and allergens continue to be a key concern for snacking
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- Figure 13: New snack product launches claiming to be free-from*, UK and Ireland, 2013-17
- Sales of free-from foods grow, despite low incidence of allergies/intolerances
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- Figure 14: Types of food/ingredients avoided because they/a member of household has a confirmed or suspected allergy/intolerance – or as part of a general healthy lifestyle/other reason, NI and RoI, April 2017
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- Figure 15: Types of free-from food and drink consumers have bought in the last six months, NI and RoI, April 2017
- One in 10 identifies as flexitarian
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- Figure 16: Consumers who adhere to a specific diet type, NI and RoI, June 2018
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- Figure 17: New snack product launches claiming to be free-from*, UK and Ireland, 2013-17
- Obesity continues to be a key concern
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- Figure 18: Obesity levels in adults aged 16+, NI, 2013-17
- Figure 19: Body mass index, by age group, RoI, 2017
- A third think their health has improved
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- Figure 20: Changes in perceptions of consumer health over the last 12 months, NI and RoI, June 2017
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- Figure 21: How consumers would describe their current body type/weight, NI and RoI, August 2016
- NI consumers more likely to ‘fall off the diet wagon’
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- Figure 22: Amount of effort consumers put into staying healthy, NI and RoI, June 2017
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Consumers are drawn towards snack products which are positioned as better-for-you
- Kellogg’s moving to rapidly reduce sugar in its cereal products
- Tayto NI is now the largest vending machine company in the UK following the Uvenco acquisition
- Chocolate remains popular despite consumers’ alleged concern with sugar
- Premiumisation is a key factor in growth of snacking
Who’s Innovating?
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- Total number of new snack product increasing in the last five years
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- Figure 23: Total new products launched in the Snacks and Chocolate Confectionary categories, UK and Ireland, Jan 14-May 2018
- Snack/cereal/energy bars dominate new product development
- Innovative new brand from PepsiCo developed using sophisticated data analytics
- Starburst makes a leap into chewing gum
- Despite consumers’ sugar concerns, chocolate remains a popular snack item
- Growth in hors d’oeuvres driven by premiumisation
Competitive Strategies – Key Players
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- Graze
- Key Facts
- Product Portfolio
- Brand NPD
- Recent Developments
- Kellogg’s
- Key Facts
- Product Portfolio
- Brand NPD
- Recent Developments
- Largo Foods
- Key Facts
- Product Portfolio
- Brand NPD
- Tayto NI
- Key Facts
- Product Portfolio
- Brand NPD
- Recent Developments
- Mars Ireland
- Key Facts
- Product Portfolio
- Brand NPD
- Recent Developments
- Mondelez International
- Key Facts
- Product Portfolio
- Brand NPD
- Recent Developments
- Nestlé Ireland
- Key Facts
- Product Portfolio
- Brand NPD
- Recent Developments
- PepsiCo
- Key Facts
- Product Portfolio
- Brand NPD
- Recent Developments
- Valeo Foods
- Key Facts
- Product Portfolio
- Brand NPD
- Recent Developments
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Fresh fruit, chocolate and crisps most popular snacks
- Most snacking is done in-home
- Many concerned at sugar/salt/fat content in ‘healthy’ snacks
Types of Snack Foods Eaten
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- Chocolate eaten by three quarters of Irish consumers
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- Figure 24: Types of sweet snack food that consumers have eaten in the last two weeks, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Women stronger users of chocolate compared to men
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- Figure 25: Consumers that have eaten chocolate in the last two weeks, gender and age, NI and RoI, June 2018
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- Figure 26: Selected statements relating to how consumers manage their sugar intake, by gender, NI and RoI, June 2017
- NI consumers prefer indulgent snacks when compared to RoI
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- Figure 27: Consumers that have eaten cakes/sweet bakery goods and sweet biscuits in the last two weeks, by gender, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Crisps the favourite savoury snack
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- Figure 28: Types of savoury snack food that consumers have eaten in the last two weeks, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Crisp usage higher among parents
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- Figure 29: Consumers that have eaten cakes/sweet bakery goods and sweet biscuits in the last two weeks, by presence and age of children, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Four in five snack on fresh fruit
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- Figure 30: Types of other snack food that consumers have eaten in the last two weeks, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Fruit consumption driven by health trend
Where Consumers Snack
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- Vast majority snack at home
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- Figure 31: Where consumers have eaten snacks in the last two weeks, NI and RoI, June 2018
- In-home entertainment helping to drive in-home snacking
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- Figure 32: Agreement with selected statements relating to the night in, NI and RoI, October 2016
- 25-34-year-olds most likely to snack at work
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- Figure 33: Consumers who have eaten snacks at work/school/college etc in the last two weeks, by gender and age, NI and RoI, June 2018
- NI consumers more likely to snack while out and about
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- Figure 34: Consumers who have eaten snacks while commuting/travelling vs while out-and-about (eg shopping) in the last two weeks, NI and RoI, June 2018
Attitudes Towards Snacking
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- Concern that healthy snacks aren’t actually healthy
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- Figure 35: Agreement with statements relating to snacking, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Irish women most sceptical about health claims of snacks
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- Figure 36: Agreement with the statement ‘I am concerned a lot of so-called healthy snacks are actually high in sugar/salt/fat’, by gender, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Preference for healthier snacks at checkouts among parents
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- Figure 37: Agreement with the statement ‘I prefer to see healthy snacks at checkouts in shops as opposed to confectionery’, by presence and age of children, NI and RoI, June 2018
- Concern with plastic packaging used for snacks
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- Figure 38: Agreement with the statement ‘I worry about the plastic packaging that many snacks have’, by age, NI and RoI, June 2018
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Definition
- Data sources
- Generational cohorts
- Abbreviations
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