Snack foods being consumed at main meals, Gen Zs and millennials driving trend
Health consciousness, more solo households, and convenience are among the reasons more U.S. consumers, particularly young adults, are eating snack foods as part of their main meals, finds The NPD Group, a leading global information company. Although most snack foods are eaten between meals, snack foods eaten at main meals now represent 24 percent of all snack food eatings, which is up from 21 percent five years ago, according to NPD’s continual tracking of U.S. consumers snacking attitudes and behaviors.
The trend toward eating snack foods at main meals is being driven by Gen Zs and Millennials. Older Gen Zs and Millennials are more comfortable eating alone than are previous generations, and snack foods offer a low-cost, smaller portioned alternative that fits that lifestyle. They are also shifting toward fresh foods and foods with a healthy halo, which is why fresh fruit and refrigerated yogurt are among the top snack foods included in main meals. As Gen Zs and Millennials age and move through life stages their interest in consuming snack food at main meals is expected to continue. Annual eatings per capita of snack food at main meals is forecast to grow by 12 percent by 2024, according to NPD’s Generation Study: The Evolution of Eating.