Savoury Biscuits - UK - March 2019
Overview
 
What you need to know 
Volume sales of savoury biscuits have declined by 3% over 2013-18. Their primary role as a snack has left the category vulnerable to ever-growing competition from a wealth of different sweet and savoury snack options. Marketing and NPD (New Product Development) activity have looked to tackle this threat and buoy sales by encouraging usage of savoury biscuits for other occasions, notably lunch and afternoon snacking. However, the category remains heavily reliant on evening snacking and the activity is yet to reverse the downwards volume trend.

Inspiring people to explore other toppings than cheese will likely be key for the category to grow usage beyond the evening occasion. However, as adventurous suggestions are already widely available on websites, putting this type of inspiration directly into the path of consumers looks to be needed to disrupt their habits – in marketing or through in-store activity. Meanwhile, exploring convenient formats will be needed for savoury biscuits to tap into the growth of out-of-home consumption.

Products covered in this Report
This Report examines the UK retail market for non-sweet biscuits. The market size includes products sold through the retail channel, including:

●	Crackers and crispbreads: includes savoury cracker biscuits, crispbreads, toasts, crisp rolls and matzos (eg Cream Crackers and Water Biscuits).
●	Savoury biscuits: including cheese-flavoured biscuits, thins, oatcakes, flavoured biscuits (not crackers), cheese straws, breadsticks and sesame seed biscuits.
●	Rice cakes: including rice cakes and rice crackers.

The market size excludes savoury biscuits and small rice cakes specifically marketed for snacking. These are covered in Mintel’s Crisps, Savoury Snacks and Nuts – UK, January 2019 Report.