Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Child population growth set to slow down
- Childhood obesity a major health issue
- PHE advises two 100-calorie snacks a day
- School lunchboxes drive demand for kids’ snacks
- Packaging waste set to become bigger issue
- Companies and brands
- Products for children make up a small share of snack launches
- Seasonal chocolate and fruit snacks see most kids’ claims
- Half of children’s launches have no additives/preservatives
- Products tapping into 5-a-day interest
- The consumer
- Buying of snacks for kids is almost universal
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- Figure 1: Foods typically bought for children to snack on, August 2018
- Seven in 10 parents buy snacks for school
- Children’s preferences are parents’ top consideration
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- Figure 2: Factors most important when choosing snacks for children, August 2018
- Most parents buy snacks both for children specifically and for whole family to share
- Eight in 10 parents like to buy new snacks for children to try
- Parents try to limit the number of unhealthy snacks kids eat
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- Figure 3: Behaviours related to buying snacks for children, August 2018
- Strong interest in healthier versions of popular kids’ snacks
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- Figure 4: Attitudes towards kids’ snacking, August 2018
- Majority of kids snack at least two times a day
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- Figure 5: What children think makes a good snack, August 2018
- Kids are big buyers of snacks in their own right
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- Figure 6: Snack eating behaviours and preferences of children, August 2018
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Healthier snacks that kids like will gain substantial following
- The facts
- The implications
- Permissibility will keep unhealthy snacks on the menu for kids
- The facts
- The implications
- NPD and introductory promotions are a necessity in the snacks market
- The facts
- The implications
- Single-serve snacks at risk of backlash over packaging waste
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Child population growth set to slow down
- Childhood obesity a major health issue
- Sugar reduction targets focus on nine categories
- PHE advises two 100-calorie snacks a day
- Restrictions on advertising of HFSS foods to children
- School lunchboxes drive demand for kids’ snacks
- Less than one in six children reaching 5-a-day target
- Packaging waste set to become bigger issue
- After school is the biggest time for kids’ snacking
Market Drivers
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- Growth in population of children and teens set to slow down
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- Figure 7: Trends in the age structure of the UK population (0-15-year-olds), by age, 2013-23
- Childhood obesity a major health issue
- Sugar reduction targets focus on nine categories
- Calorie reduction gets a bigger focus in 2018
- PHE advises two 100-calorie snacks a day
- Restrictions on food advertising targeted at children
- New restrictions on online advertising of HFSS foods
- Further rules mooted
- School lunchboxes drive demand for kids’ snacks
- Most parents buy snacks for school for kids
- Many schools have adopted healthy lunchbox policies
- Less than one in six children reaching 5-a-day target
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- Figure 8: Proportion of children aged 5-15 eating five portions or more of fruit and vegetables a day, 2006-16
- Packaging waste set to become bigger issue for snack foods
- Plastic waste makes headlines
- Consumers have high expectations that packaging be sustainable
- After school is the biggest time for kids’ snacking
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- Figure 9: Time of day children eat snacks, September 2017
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Products for children a small share of launches
- Seasonal chocolate and fruit snacks see most kids’ claims
- Half of children’s launches have no additives/preservatives
- Spotlight on sugar spurs leap ahead in claims
- Products tapping into 5-a-day interest
- Few kids’ snacks tapping into interest in vitamins/minerals
- All-natural claims can increase the appeal of snacks
- New varieties tap kids’ interest in trying new products
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Products for children aged 5-12 make up a small share of snack launches
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- Figure 10: Proportion of new launches assigned children (aged 5-12) claims in snack categories*, 2013-18
- Seasonal chocolate and fruit snacks see most kids claims
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- Figure 11: Breakdown of new launches assigned children (aged 5-12) claims in snack categories*, by sub-category, 2014-18
- Half of children’s launches have no additives/preservatives
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- Figure 12: New launches assigned children (aged 5-12) claims in snack categories*, by claim, 2014-18
- Low/no added sugar claims increasing
- Spotlight on sugar spurs leap ahead in claims
- Fruit snacks lead in sugar claims, leading brands reduce sugar in treats
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- Figure 13: Examples of children’s launches in snack categories making L/N/R sugar claims, 2018
- Products tapping into 5-a-day interest
- 5-a-day is high on parents’ radar
- Fruit purees and veg snacks explore 5-a-day claims
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- Figure 14: Examples of children’s launches in snack categories making 5-a-day claims, 2017 and 2018
- More free-from claims in kids’ launches
- Allergen-free claims shoot up in kids’ snacks
- Allergen-free label widely adopted by naturally allergen-free products
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- Figure 15: Examples of children’s launches in snack categories making gluten-free claims, 2018
- Few kids’ snacks tapping into interest in vitamins/minerals
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- Figure 16: Examples of children’s launches in snack categories making vitamin/mineral fortified claims, 2018
- Opportunity for more focus on fibre content
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- Figure 17: Examples of children’s launches in snack categories referencing fibre claims, 2017 and 2018
- All-natural claims can increase the appeal of snacks
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- Figure 18: Examples of children’s launches in snack categories making all-natural claims, 2017 and 2018
- Little reference made to number of calories
- Balancing convenience against packaging waste
- Pouches deliver portability but are hard to recycle
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- Figure 19: Examples of children’s launches in snack categories making convenient packaging claims, 2018
- Single-portion packs add to packaging waste
- Green packaging claims leap ahead
- New varieties tap kids’ interest in trying new products
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- Figure 20: Examples of range extensions in children’s launches in snack categories, 2018
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Buying of snacks for kids is almost universal
- Seven in 10 parents buy snacks for school
- Children’s preferences are parents’ top consideration
- Contributing to 5-a-day matters to two in five
- Most parents buy snacks both for children specifically and for whole family to share
- Eight in 10 parents like to buy new snacks for children to try
- Parents try to limit the number of unhealthy snacks kids eat
- Strong interest in healthier versions of popular kids’ snacks
- Majority of kids snack at least two times a day
- Kids are big buyers of snacks in their own right
Foods Bought for Children to Snack On
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- Buying of snacks for kids is almost universal
- Sweet treats remain popular snacks
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- Figure 21: Foods typically bought for children to snack on, August 2018
- Nine in 10 parents buy savoury snacks for kids
- Fresh fruit is another popular snack option, dried fruit lags
- Dried fruit/nuts lag in popularity
- Most parents buy kids a wide range of snacks
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- Figure 22: Number of different types of food typically bought by parents for children to snack on, August 2018
Where Children Eat Snacks
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- Seven in 10 parents buy snacks for school
- Many schools ban unhealthy snacks
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- Figure 23: Where snacks bought for children are eaten, August 2018
- School snacks fuel demand for convenient packaging
- Out-of-home and out-of-school snacking also important
Factors Influencing Choice of Snacks for Children
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- Children’s preferences are parents’ top consideration
- Taste is key for winning kids over
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- Figure 24: Factors most important when choosing snacks for children, August 2018
- Low/no added sugar among top health-related factors, but only of interest to minority
- Low/no added sugar beat 100-calorie claims among parents
- Contributing to 5-a-day matters to two in five, vitamins to one in three
- Highlighting vitamins/minerals gives added appeal among a minority
- All-natural ingredients sway one in three
- A third of parents attach importance to single-portion packs
- Few parents are acting on PHE calorie advice for snacks
Behaviours Related to Buying Snacks for Children
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- Most parents buy some snacks just for children and some for whole family
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- Figure 25: Behaviours related to buying snacks for children, August 2018
- Eight in 10 parents like to buy new snacks for children to try
- Price promotions sway eight in 10 parents
- Parents try to limit the number of unhealthy snacks kids eat
- Weekends are key time for relaxing the health efforts
Attitudes towards Kids’ Snacking
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- Strong interest in healthier versions of popular kids’ snacks
- Portion control is a key means to drive permissibility
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- Figure 26: Attitudes towards kids’ snacking, August 2018
- Most parents struggle to ‘sell’ healthier snacks to kids
- Vast majority of parents think snacks are important to keep children’s energy up
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- Figure 27: Whitworths Bright Little Nuts range, 2018
Frequency of Kids’ Snacking
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- Majority of kids snack at least two times a day
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- Figure 28: Frequency of kids’ snacking, August 2018
What Makes a Good Snack
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- Taste leads but snacks keeping them full is important to four in 10 kids
- Tasting good is top factor making a good snack
- Four in 10 kids want filling snacks
- 14-15-year-olds give more weight to satiety
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- Figure 29: What children think makes a good snack, August 2018
- Being healthy is much less important to kids than taste
- Fun positioning can help sales of kids’ snacks
Children’s Snack Eating Behaviours and Preferences
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- Number of different snacking situations
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- Figure 30: Snack eating behaviours and preferences of children, August 2018
- Kids are big buyers of snacks in their own right
- Most kids would want less packaging on snacks
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations, and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
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