Mondelēz International announced the launch of its first-ever State of Snacking report, a global consumer trends study examining the role snacking plays across the world in meeting consumers’ evolving needs: busy modern lifestyles, the growing desire for community connection and a more holistic sense of wellbeing. The study reveals the rise of global snacking, underscored by regional parallels demonstrating how snacks are helping lead the future of food by delivering on the spectrum of needs that exists in our day-to-day lives.

The State of Snacking report, developed in partnership with consumer polling specialist, The Harris Poll, complements Mondelēz International’s global snacking knowledge estate with new research conducted among thousands of consumers across twelve countries. The report sheds light on snacking as a growing behavior worldwide. Notably 6 in 10 adults worldwide (59 percent) say they prefer to eat many small meals throughout the day, as opposed to a few larger ones, with younger consumers especially leaning into snacks over meals as that number rises to 7 in 10 among Millennials (70 percent).

Key findings from the 2019 State of Snacking report, which is available for download at www.stateofsnacking.com, include

Our relationship with food is fundamentally changing.

• For consumers around the world, the role food plays in health and wellbeing is increasingly top of mind; people are more commonly considering how smaller bites—snacks—affect their emotional wellbeing, as well as their physical health.
  • For more than 8 in 10 people, convenience (87 percent) and quality (85 percent) are among the top factors impacting snack choice.
  • 80 percent of consumers are looking for healthy, balanced bites.
  • 71 percent of adults say snacking helps them control their hunger and manage their calories throughout the day.
• However, moments of indulgence continue to have an important place in daily routines.
  • 80 percent of adults worldwide acknowledge the need for balance by appreciating the option of both healthy and indulgent snacks depending on the moment of need.
  • 77 percent of consumers agree there is a time and a place for a healthy snack, and a time and a place for an indulgent one.
  • The majority of people say snacks are just as important to their mental (71 percent) and emotional (70 percent) wellbeing as their physical wellbeing.

Snacking is about so much more than what we eat.

• Snacking is a key way for people around the world to connect to their culture and share their sense of identity with their communities and families.
  • 71 percent say snacking is a way to remind themselves of home.
  • 7 in 10 adults make an effort to share their favorite childhood snacks with others (70 percent).
• Around the world, more than 8 in 10 parents use snack time as a small way to connect with their children (82 percent).
  • 76 percent of parents use snacks to pass cultural snacking rituals on to their children.
  • More than three out of four parents (78 percent) say the snacks they choose for their children reflect who they are as a parent.

“As the snacking market continues to grow globally, we’re living our purpose to empower people to snack right by constantly learning about the many different ways consumers around the world are snacking and evolving their relationship with food,” said Dirk Van de Put, chairman and CEO of Mondelēz International. “We see that the average global adult now eats more snacks than meals on a given day, driven by a number of evolving demands largely associated with how we live today, including a growing need for convenience, yearning to share nostalgic and cultural experiences, expanded wellbeing preferences and the desire for choices that range from wholesome to indulgent.”  

Mondelēz International launches the State of Snacking report a year after it announced a new business strategy and purpose. Over the last year, the company made strong progress on its mission to offer consumers the right snack, for the right moment, made the right way. This includes developing an ever-deeper knowledge estate of the demands that motivate people to reach for snacks while continuing to meet people’s more holistic understanding of wellbeing by focusing on sustainably sourced essential ingredients, evolving its product portfolio to a broader range of options and inspiring mindful snacking habits.

“We embrace the fact that snacking habits around the world are as diverse as the consumers who enjoy them,” continued Van de Put. “However people snack, they should not have to choose between snacking and eating right, or to worry about the impact their choices have on the world and their communities. That’s why we’re committed to empowering people to snack right.”

About the research methodology

This survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Mondelēz International from September 16 - 27, 2019, among 6,068 global adults ages 18 and older. The research spanned 12 markets, including: The United States (n=504), Canada (n=506), Mexico (n=505), Brazil (n=515), France (n=501), Germany (n=503), The United Kingdom (n=501), Russia (n=515), China (n=503), India (n=508), Indonesia (n=504), and Australia (n=504). Other key groups analyzed include: Centennials ages 18-22 (n=602), Millennials ages 23-38 (n=2404), Gen Xers ages 39-54 (n=1702), Boomers ages 55-73 (n=1236), and the Silent Generation ages 75+ (n=124). Data are weighted where necessary to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. A global post-weight was applied to ensure equal weight of each country in the global total.