SAlTy SNACKS STill ReiGN Consumers are eating smaller portions and more often. They are eating more healthy snacks, but more than 90% of households still say they have consumed salty snacks within the last 30 days. According to Packaged Facts, potato chips are consumed by 85% of households; and corn/tortilla/cheese snacks fall right behind with 72% of households consuming them. Even though salty snacks are a mainstay in the US consumer diets, some consumers crave them more than others – there are some 50 million consumers who prefer salty snacks to all snacks. We love to snack. We like salty snack options. We also want healthy salty snack options! The latest research by Packaged Facts identifies a cadre of 14.2 million “healthy salty snackers.” These frequent snackers cite salty snacks as their favorite snack because they also claim that they usually only snack on healthy foods. They do not see a conflict between craving salty snacks and pursuing a healthy snacking diet. Suppliers are responding to this demand, in their Salty Category Insights report done last March, Mintel showed where the launches of traditional snack formats, such as potato and cornbased chips, have decline while at the same time, the development of inherently healthier options, such as wheat and other grain-based snacks, vegetable snacks, rice snacks and bean-based snacks have increased. “HeAlTHy SAlTy SNACKeRS” ARe NOT COUCH POTATOeS. THey ARe iN MUCH BeTTeR PHySiCAl SHAPe THAN OTHeR US CONSUMeRS. MORe THAN Six iN TeN (63%) exeRCiSeD ReGUlARly iN THe PAST 12 MONTHS, COMPAReD TO 45% OF OTHeR FReqUeNT SAlTy SNACKeRS, AND 52% OF FReqUeNT SNACKeRS WHO DON’T PReFeR SAlTy SNACKS. HeAlTHy SAlTy SNACKeRS ARe AlSO MUCH MORe liKely TO eNGAGe iN FiTNeSS ACTiViTieS SUCH AS WAlKiNG, JOGGiNG AND USiNG A CARDiO MACHiNe.” – PACKAGeD FACTS SOURCE: MINTEL SALTY CATEGORY INSIGHTS MARCH 2013 96 OnTREnD May-July 2014