{"id":9618,"date":"2022-01-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-04T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/?p=9618"},"modified":"2022-01-04T11:19:23","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T19:19:23","slug":"healthy-and-delicious-consumers-have-high-demands-for-todays-snacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rangeme.com\/blog\/healthy-and-delicious-consumers-have-high-demands-for-todays-snacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthy and Delicious: Consumers Have High Demands for Today\u2019s Snacks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the past decade, snacking has increased, and according to the 2019 IFIC Foundation\u2019s Food and Health Survey<\/a>, one-third of respondents say they snack a few times a week, and nearly 25% of those respondents said they snack once a day. The COVID-19 pandemic has also played a role in the increase in consumer snacking\u2014an NPD <\/a>s<\/a>tudy<\/a> found that 37%  of consumers felt it was important to have sufficient snack foods on hand during the pandemic. Now, the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry is even seeing a slow shift of snacking replacing actual meals, opening up new doors for snack brands to capture the consumers who are all about snacks, all the time\u2014or even just sometimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The caveat to this is that when many consumers think of snacks, what comes to mind are salty or sweet treats that are, well, maybe not the best to be consuming daily. Those types of snacks don\u2019t always mesh with many consumers\u2019 shift toward healthier eating, and as consumers request healthier options to curb their hunger pains, suppliers have listened. It used to be that when you talked about healthy snacks, a vision of carrot sticks\u2014and maybe a side of hummus if you were feeling fancy\u2014came to mind. These days, healthy snacks have gone beyond the basics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the basics  <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re not knocking carrots and hummus, but healthy snacks today go beyond just their ingredients. While flavor and taste are the main drivers for healthy snacks, consumers are also considering the values behind their snacks: Is this a sustainable brand? Are they organic? Plant-based? Natural? Are they transparent in their sourcing and production processes? These questions influence many consumer purchases and have paved the way for emerging brands that are now driving trends in healthy snacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One such trend in healthy snacks is upcycling, or using innovative processes to take byproducts that would normally be tossed in the garbage and create something both delicious and better-for-you (and often better-for-the-planet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUpcycling is both a trend and necessity,\u201d says Camilo Bernal, Co-Founder of The Other Side of Coffee. \u201cMore people are rethinking how they consume and are prioritizing sustainability, and functional ingredients. As shoppers become more aware of waste, there is a growing interest for upcycled, rescued, and repurposed ingredients and packaging.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n