This document discusses trends in the healthy snacks industry for addressing the needs of health-conscious consumers. It covers topics like weight management through portion control and high protein snacks. It also discusses consumers' focus on moderation and avoidance of certain ingredients as well as preference for fresh, natural and clean label products. The document notes opportunities for snacks to help manage weight and to encourage brands to become healthy habits. It suggests incorporating functional benefits into indulgent snacks and addressing the needs of aging consumers through senior-friendly packaging.

1. Consumer Insight
Consumer and Innovation
Trends in Healthy Snacks
How the snacking industry can address the needs of health-
conscious consumers
Published: November 2013

2. Contents
1. Introduction
1. Definition and scope
2. Drivers and inhibitors
2. Weight Management
1. Chia seeds
2. Portion control
3. High protein
3. Moderation & Avoidance
1. Ingredient consciousness
2. The health/taste paradox
3. Allergen-free
4. Fresh & Natural
1. Clean labels
2. Snacking on fruits and vegetables
5. Guided Health
1. Functional foods
2. Digital lifestyles
6. Disease Management
1. "Pharma" foods
2. Snacks for diabetics
7. Right-For-Me
1. Targeting children
Please click on the section of interest
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9. Vitality & Balance
1. Energy-boosting foods
2. Daily dosing
10. Aging Populations
1. Targeting cognitive health
2. Packaging for seniors
11. Efficient & Effective
1. Fortification
2. Drinkable snacks
12. Sterilized Society
1. Food safety
2. Smart packaging innovation
13. Ethical Wellbeing
1. Combining health and ethics
14. Made-For-Me
1. Customization
15. Conclusion
16. Appendix
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3. Weight Management
Introduction
Source: Datamonitor analysis3
Obesity is a global phenomenon
Weight Management falls under the Health & Wellness
mega-trend, specifically under the trend of Personalized
Health. The growing prevalence of overweight/obese
individuals worldwide is fueling demand for products that
help consumers to manage their weight effectively. As
more consumers become aware of and monitor weight-
related issues, there is increasing demand for products
that help to guide them to their goals, from functional
health products to better ingredients
Opportunities exist for snacks to aid consumers'
weight-loss efforts
Consumers commonly make the connection between
snacking and potential weight gain, and overcoming this
perception remains a key challenge for snack
manufacturers. Interestingly calorie-conscious consumers
are more likely to snack healthily than not snack at all,
highlighting opportunities to target this consumer group
through highly targeted formulation, packaging, and
marketing.
Health &
Wellness
Wellbeing
Personalized
Health
Vitality & Balance
Disease
Management
Weight
Management
Moderation &
Avoidance
Ethical
Wellbeing
Sterilized
Society
Fresh &
Natural
Made-For-Me
Right-For-Me
Efficient &
Effective
Guided Health
Aging
Populations

4. Fresh & Natural
A growing bias against processed foods is driving the "natural" and "clean label" opportunity
Avoid alienating consumers with complex ingredient lists
Consumers are looking for evidence that products are cleaner
and less processed. Using fewer ingredients is one cue that is
gaining consumer interest. Highlighting this, the majority of
consumers, particularly women, claim to find food and drink
products formulated with the lowest number of ingredients
possible to be somewhat or highly appealing. Short ingredient
lists are less important to men and young adults under 25 years,
although they are still appealing to over half of consumers in
these age groups. The concept of clean labeling has started to
take more prominence in candy and snack products as
consumers continue to seek simple, "natural" products.
Consumers associate "naturalness" with nutritiousness
Rising health-consciousness is seeing consumers being strongly
influenced by "natural" options when shopping for food and
drinks. Over half of consumers (55%) globally are highly
influenced by "no additives" claims when purchasing food and
drinks products. This reflects broader consumer concerns
regarding the impact of processed foods on their health. As
consumers continue to demand pure products, manufacturers
should look to drive the purchase of snack products by explicitly
making "natural" and "additive-free" claims through product
labeling and marketing initiatives.
Source: Datamonitor's Consumer Surveys May/June 2011 and May/June 20134
Global: consumers who are highly influenced by the following
claims when making food and beverage choices, 2011 Global: consumers who find a product formulated with the lowest
number of ingredients possible appealing, 2013

5. Guided Health
Encourage your brand to become a healthy habit
22 Days is a brand of vegan protein nutrition bars that claim to
provide optimal nutrition to help consumers live a healthier and more
energetic lifestyle. According to the company's website:
"Psychologists have discovered that it takes 21 days to make or
break a habit." It applied this principal to its brand, hence the name
"22 Days," and created the "22 Days Challenge" to consume a bar
daily until the 22nd day is reached, by which time a daily habit should
have formed that the consumer will hopefully continue. The bars
come in different flavors such as Nut Butter Buddha, each with
organic, raw, "natural" ingredients, including "superfoods" such as
goji berries and hemp seeds.
Incorporate functional benefits in high-indulgence snacks to
overcome the guilt factor
Ohso chocolate bars offer consumers a new alternative to probiotic
yogurts. The dairy-free chocolates have been clinically proven1 to be
three times more effective than "most dairy drinks that contain
'friendly bacteria' at delivering good bacteria to your intestine."
Available in seven-bar weekly packs, each 13.5g individual Ohso bar
contains a "billion Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium" to help restore
bacteria flora in the gut and improve digestive health.
Examples we like: "on-trend" product and marketing innovation
Source: 22daynutrition.com; [1] FDIN, December 20115

6. Aging Populations
Snack manufacturers are responding to the needs of senior consumers through packaging
Add value through packaging enhancements that address the needs
of seniors
To meet the needs of an aging population, snack manufacturers must
ensure that their products are packaged with the needs of this market in
mind. Senior-friendly features can add value in the eyes of the consumer,
and can therefore justify a premium price point. There are four key
functions that deteriorate, to varying degrees, in old age, which snack
manufacturers can address through packaging enhancements:
Source: For more info see Datamonitor's Packaging for an Aging Population (April 2013 , CM00234-016); [1] Wall Street Journal (2011)6
Suggested areas for snack manufacturers to add value by making
packaging more senior-friendly
Making "age-friendly" ergonomics a subtle
component of packaging design
To address the reduced agility of aging baby boomers'
hands, Diamond Foods reengineered the packaging of
its Emerald snack nut line, to make it easy to open and
use. Some of the changes that the Emerald brand
made included indenting the sides of the canisters to
make them easier and more comfortable to hold, and
incorporating some grooves to make the lids easier to
grip¹. What is more, Emerald shortened the rotation
required to open the cap, after noticing that arthritic
users struggled to twist the cap into place.
Interestingly, none of the age-friendly packaging
features are explicitly promoted to seniors on pack.
Indeed, this hints of a more stealthy and subtle
approach to NPD being adopted by manufacturers that
are looking to target today's older demographics.
Senior-
friendly
packaging
Strength
DexterityVision
• Consumers require
lighter packs and
easier-to-grip/open
bottles, cans, and
cartons.
• Innovations such as
flip-top lids and easy
peel freshness seals
are a necessity.
• Larger print text and
product
differentiation
through symbols and
shapes instead of
color can help
seniors.