Better-for-You Snacks Market Rises to $39 Billion

The U.S. food and beverage industry has been impacted heavily by COVID-19. In 2020 especially, more people looked to improve their health to prevent or lessen the severity of illness. Consumers are buying more better-for-you snacks that have health claims or label claims perceived to be healthier to improve health and hopefully ward off illness. Snacks with claims that are better-for-you feature good taste, indulgence, and convenience while being healthier than standard snacks by virtue of nutrition or portion sizes.

In 2020, sales reached $39 billion on the strength of pandemic trends as reported by Packaged Facts' new report Better-for-You Snacks: Market Trends and Opportunities. Snack products in the scope of this report include...

U.S. Restaurant Industry Recovery Will Depend on Strength of Key Dayparts

The U.S. restaurant industry has shown remarkable resiliency, having lost as much as 35% of visits at the beginning of the pandemic, but still has a ways to go to get back to pre-pandemic levels, reports The NPD Group. Total restaurant visits were down -6 percent in May 2021 compared to May 2019 but were up +23% from a year ago, recovering from a -23% decline in May 2020. The key to the industry’s recovery will be the strength of each daypart. Each daypart — morning meal, lunch, dinner, and P.M. Snack — will recover differently depending on the new rhythms of home, school, and work-life, according to NPD’s continual tracking of the U.S. foodservice industry.

Visits, online or physical, at morning meal, which includes the breakfast and A.M. Snack periods, were down -5% in May 2021 compared to May 2020, and for a pre-pandemic view, down...

Awareness and Retention Rate for Plant-Based Protein on the Rise in China

According to China Plant-based Protein Topical Report from The NPD Group, plant-based proteins are gaining acceptance in China as Chinese consumers seek more protein in their diets, and plant-based foods become more available and appealing. Although plant-based protein currently has a small serving share compared to meat proteins in China, awareness has reached 90%; and the retention rate for plant-based proteins is on the rise, increasing from 53% in October 2020, to 68% in January 2021.

“There is no doubt that consumers in China view plant-based proteins as healthier alternatives to traditional meat protein,” said Gimantha Jayasinghe, Senior Vice President of APAC Foodservice at The NPD Group. “Though these products have a long way to go in terms of...

Hormel Foods Announces Closing of Acquisition of Planters Snacking Business

Hormel Foods Corporation announced the closing of its acquisition of the Planters® snacking portfolio from the Kraft Heinz Company.

The acquisition includes the Planters®, NUT-rition®, Planters® Cheez Balls and Corn Nuts®brands, as well as three production facilities.

"This is an important day for Hormel Foods as we close the largest acquisition in our company's history. As a global branded food company, we have been making a purposeful and strategic shift in our portfolio of brands and products, which includes enhancing our snacking offerings. The Planters® snacking business is...

Meijer Reveals Unique Shopping Trends One Year into Pandemic Living

As the one-year mark into pandemic living has officially passed, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer Meijer reveals some of the most surprising shopping trends from the height of the shutdown to the ongoing changes in home and work lifestyles across the Midwest.

While home delivery and pickup services doubled at Meijer stores over the last 12 months, customers used the retailer's Shop & Scan technology more than 100 million times as they shopped and bagged while practicing social distancing to shorten time spent in the store. Additionally, customers also ate more...

American Food and Grocery Shopping Patterns have Changed One Year Into the Covid Pandemic 

Since the emergence of the COVID-19 global health crisis, 96% of Americans say they clean and disinfect their homes as much or more than before; nearly half (47%) are eating healthier and half are cooking more; and almost one in seven are watching more television as a form of self-care and snacking while they do it. These new or increased consumer behaviors have contributed to a 14% increase in American household grocery spending, according to NCSolutions (NCS), a leading company for improving advertising effectiveness for the consumer packaged goods (CPG) ecosystem.

Marking the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, NCSolutions conducted an analysis of 12 months of its consumer purchase data as well as findings from a newly fielded...

Londoners Driving Trend for Delivery of Snacks and Coffee

There’s a new food trend emerging in the capital. Latest analysis from The NPD Group shows a significant rise in families in London ordering snacks and coffee delivered to their home. Demand from families for snacking delivered by foodservice operators and delivery platforms like UberEats and Deliveroo increased strongly, up +95% in London in 2020 versus 2019. This is significantly ahead of the +11% increase in orders placed by families across the country as a whole.

London currently represents one quarter of the UK’s snacking via delivery market. Dominic Allport, Insights Director (Foodservice), The NPD Group says “During 2020, London was the only region to see a rise in snacking via delivery. The main reason is the greater use of delivery subscriptions such as...

Hormel Foods Adds Another Strategic Leading Brand to its Portfolio with the Acquisition of Planters

Hormel Foods Corporation, a global branded food company, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the Planters® snack nut portfolio from the Kraft Heinz Company. The proposed transaction is expected to close in calendar Q2 2021, subject to regulatory review and approval. The acquisition includes the Planters®, NUT-rition®, Planters®Cheez Balls and Corn Nuts®brands. Hormel Foods will acquire the business for $3.35 billion in cash in a transaction that provides a tax benefit valued at approximately $560 million, equating to an effective purchase price of $2.79 billion.

"Planters®is an iconic leading snack brand with universal consumer awareness," said Jim Snee, chairman of the board, president and chief executive officer of Hormel Foods. "The acquisition of the Planters®business adds another...

KIND Snacks Founder Daniel Lubetzky Invests in Quevos Following Shark Tank Deal

KIND Snacks Founder Daniel Lubetzky has invested in Quevos, a brand of fun and flavorful snacks whose first ingredient is egg whites. As announced on ABC's Shark Tank, Lubetzky will partner with budding entrepreneurs, Quevos Founders Nick Hamburger and Zack Schreier, to help more people discover their introductory line of high protein, high fiber, low carb snacks in bold flavors including Honey Mustard, Cheddar, Sour Cream & Onion, Sweet Barbecue, Quevos Rancheros, Dill Pickle, and Mesquite BBQ.

Lubetzky's investment is a vote of confidence for both Quevos' snacks and co-founders Hamburger and Schreier, who impressed Lubetzky with their entrepreneurial spirit and life-long friendship turned partnership. Leveraging his experience growing KIND from...

Over the Past Five Years, U.S. Consumers Added 25 Between-Meal Snacking Occasions Per Capita

Whether it’s for a nutritious treat, comfort from stress, or a quick meal, U.S. consumers increasingly turn to fruits, nuts, and ready-to-eat snack foods throughout the day, reports The NPD Group. Over the past five years, Americans added 25 between-meal snacking occasions per capita, from 505 between-meal snacking occasions per capita in 2015 to 530 in 2020, and consumption of snack foods at meals increased from 21% of eatings in 2010 to 26% in 2020, according to NPD’s Eating Patterns in America, an annual compilation of the company’s daily tracking of the who, what, when, where, why, and how of U.S. consumers’ eating behaviors.

Snacking and snack food consumption follow a daily rhythm in most U.S. households with better-for-you snack foods, like fruit or yogurt, being eaten in the morning; more savory snacks, like...