Indulgent but Healthy Snacking

• Consumers are showing preference for indulgent, but also healthy snack options.
• Consumers may opt to snack on vegetables or fruit, but allow themselves a chips snack for the next one. They also have a preference for healthy indulgence in the same snack, with snackers choosing wholegrain or vegan snacks to satisfy snack urges while supporting good intentions.
• Consumers are also drawn to snacks that offer new sources of protein on the go.
• This trend is driven by the consumers' coming to terms with the reality of their own mortality. Projections indicate that 'by 2020, preventable diseases such as diabetes, stroke and heart attacks will contribute to 73% of all deaths.'
• Consumers are, as a result, driven to opt for healthier lifestyles and options that provide solutions to these rising concerns.

Flavors with Global Influence

• Studies indicate that international flavors top US snack preferences.
•  26% of consumers surveyed prefer flavors from Latin America, 14% prefer mainland Asia flavors, while comfort foods that mix regional flavors are the most popular options.
• The snacks that consumers lean towards as new sources of protein are both sweet and savory snack foods such as yogurts enriched with protein.
• This trend is driven by consumers' increased openness to the experience of unusual flavors and willingness to eat foods that are bold, spicy, and culturally diverse. In a survey, 44% of consumers indicated that their "flavor preferences were driven by travels."
• The proliferation of social media has also "brought the desire for global flavors into the mainstream."

Higher Snacking Frequency

• Sit-down meals are increasingly being replaced with convenient, quick bites. More consumers are snacking more, with some snacking as frequently as 4-6 times a day.
•  94% of consumers in the United States snack 1-2 times a day.
•  25% of millennials, 10% of Generation X consumers and 9% of Baby Boomers are most likely to snack four or more times a day.
• Research shows that "every day snacking appeals to nearly 47% of consumers" in the US.
• The higher snacking frequency can be attributed to the fact that snack foods "encompass many overarching trends like convenience, protein, better-for-you options and healthful eating."

RESEARCH STRATEGY

U.S. Cooking Habits

The Rise of Meal Kits

• A shift has occurred recently regarding cooking at home, whereby an increasing number of people have developed a preference for pre-cooked meal kits as opposed to preparing meals from scratch.
• Meal kits contain pre-portioned ingredients and recipe instructions for a complete dish that consumers prepare and cook for themselves. Due to the convenience and time-saving advantage of this cooking habit, more individuals are embracing it.
• The method is considered cheaper than ordering take-out and offers home cooks the added advantage of broadening their portfolio through exposure to various peculiar ingredients.
• In the United States, one in four adults reportedly have bought a meal kit within the last year, and about 70% of them continued using the service following their first purchase.

• Most of those who have undergone this change in cooking habits in recent years are consumers that enjoy cooking or splendid home-cooked meals. However, they lack skills or time, particularly young families that are usually rushed for time.

• Additional motivations include the key aspect that the frustrations of meal planning have already been completed for the consumer, with allergies and dietary preferences having also been specified as well as portion size and the necessary time to cook.
• Furthermore, families that have kids are about 326% more inclined to buy a meal kit than those that do not, emphasizing the time limitations and burden that busy families experience during meal time.

• Also, this cooking habit serves as a potential solution for the obesity crisis. It helps consumers who want to lose weight as they know exactly what they are eating and how its portions are managed.

More Americans Prefer Finding Recipes on Social Media Rather than Cookbooks

• Many Americans are starting to prefer locating recipes and inspirations for their meals through social media platforms, namely Pinterest or Instagram, as opposed to cookbooks.
• According to a recent survey, the percentage of Americans that admit to having posted photos of their home-cooked meals on social media in the last six months was 22%, while 44% of those in the “millennial” age range had done so in the same time frame.
• When it comes to social media, 34% of the respondents reported preferring to find recipe inspiration via Pinterest or Instagram, while 17% got their inspiration from cookbooks.
• In the same survey, slightly less than 50% of millennials favored locating recipes through social media.
• An additional recent change in cooking habits is that more millennials are developing a preference for testing out brand-new recipes when compared to previous years.
• There is also a growing shift in the cooking habits of millennials as they are choosing to cook meals with their romantic partner.

Research Strategy: