Additionally, today US consumers are less likely to skip their breakfast, lunch and dinner meal times than they were as little as five years ago – the number of items consumed during a main meal has also declined over time. Consumers now eat more “mini-meals” or snack-sized portions per day. There is good news, as consumers eat more times per day, they are eating more healthfully and adding fruits, yogurt and snack bars to their snacking options. THe HeAlTHieR OUR eATiNG HABiTS, THe MORe FReqUeNTly We SNACK BeTWeeN MeAlS. SOURCE: THE NPD GROUP/NUTRIENT INTAKE, TWO YEARS ENDING FEB 2011 THe SNACKiFiCATiON According to Packaged Facts, there are a number of cultural reasons for this shift in behavior. Adults under 45 say they are busier than baby boomers and seniors; thus making portability and convenience of food important. And snacking is so vital to the lifestyle of Millennials that Packaged Facts considers them a driving force that will continue to propel the Snackification of America by pushing snack market sales to some $77B by 2015. Additionally, Millennials and GenXers (I bet you’ve almost forgotten about them), frequently indulge in the phenomenon of “fourthmeal.” This is a modern version of the midnight snack, a mini-meal typically eaten outside the home and in a social environment. Essentially, the US has become a snacking culture where eating at any time of day – alone or in a group – and satiating hunger immediately is the norm. Increasingly, consumers believe that eating smaller meals more frequently is healthier and snacking bridges the gaps between meals due to long work and commute times.