Dairy Is Well Shopped, with Healthful Snacks Keeping Dairy Relevant

 

“Dairy is well shopped,” said Jonna Parker, principal of fresh foods at Circana, during an IDDBA webinar on August 15, 2024. 

Just check out the dollar and volume growth in the month of July in the table below. The 52-week data is awesome, too!

Delicious flavors and textures, responsible production and affordability. People expect a lot from dairy. Exceed expectations and get maximum value from your process with biosolutions. Please link HERE to learn more from today’s blog sponsor, Novonesis.

Source: Circana/IDDBA

The 2024 Food & Health Survey from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) showed 74% of Americans are snacking at least once every day. In fact, more than half (56%) of Americans replace traditional meals with snacking or by eating smaller meals. Given its growing importance, IFIC conducted additional snacking research in an online survey from May 9 to13, 2024. Findings were made available this week. Download the survey HERE.

“While it is evident that Americans’ snacking behaviors and habits have evolved, we wanted to explore why,” said Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, president and CEO of IFIC. “Looking at snacking motivators is key to understanding how to help consumers find ways to ‘level up’ their meals and snacks, while also maintaining the joy and satisfaction snacking brings.” 

Given the lack of a consistent definition of a snack, IFIC sought to gain alignment on terminology from consumers. According to the latest IFIC Spotlight Survey, most Americans define a snack as “eating or drinking something between meals” (89%), while less than one in 10 would instead call it “grazing,” “a mini meal,” “a treat” or “picking.”  

Nearly 15% of Americans say their typical snack contains similar foods as their typical meals, but in smaller portions (14%), and 11% report that their typical snack contains similar foods in similar portions as their typical meal.  

While data suggest Americans are mindful of calorie intake, half of Americans do not set calorie goals when snacking. Among those who say they have a target, 17% of consumers aim for 200 calories per snack, while 10% aim for 100 calories. 

Which foods are Americans grabbing for snacks? Sweet (59%), salty (58%) and crunchy (48%) foods take the top slots, and nearly half of snacks are paired with a beverage. When asked what type of food they seek in their typical snack, most Americans seek fruit (58%), compared to only one-third who report vegetables. Protein, as well as grains, contend for second place.  

“People are seeking protein, which is a necessary nutrient in helping them feel satiated and satisfied,” said Milton Stokes, senior director-food and nutrition at IFIC. “According to our data, 56% of Americans choose snacks to satisfy their hunger between meals.” 

Click on graph to enlarge. 

It is not just important to look at what foods and beverages consumers are choosing, but also when they are snacking. More Americans say they snack in the afternoon and evening, yet morning snacks get the highest “healthy” rating.  

Consumers report that their late-night snacks are the least healthy. This insight raises further questions about what motivates their choices and what benefits they seek from different snacking occasions, whether it is a treat after a long day, a stress reliever or a form of reward. 

“What’s interesting is that when we asked consumers why they snack, their first response was purely functional: to satisfy their hunger (45%) followed closely by enjoyment, with 41% claiming it provides an extra treat or indulgence in their day,” Stokes said. “Conversely, only 15% of consumers choose a snack because it is healthy.” 

This is something to keep in mind when developing and marketing snackable dairy foods. Snacking holds different roles for different people at different times. 

“As snacks become more significant sources of overall nutrition needs, consumers are more mindful and more selective,” said Julie Johnson, president, HealthFocus International. “They now approach snacks with the same scrutiny as their meal choices, and expect healthier options, even in indulgent categories.”

“It’s not surprising, then, that snacks increasingly take up a higher share of shelf space in the perimeter aisles of grocery stores,” said Johnson. “Cheese snacks are helping to drive the massive growth in dairy sales, with new product offerings growing nearly six-fold since 2018. This massive growth is not only due to the evolution of snacks to major components of their nutrition intake, but also because cheese fulfills several other consumer interests, including high protein, low sugar, gluten free, low carb and convenience.”

Source: HealthFocus International

While only 15% of consumers report in the IFIC study that they reach for a snack because it is healthy, the data show that Americans want support to improve the healthfulness of their snacks, including ideas for healthy, portable snacks; tips for planning and preparing snacks in advance (currently two in three say their snacks are more spontaneous than planned); and more information about what a healthy snack includes.  

“We see consumers’ interest and enthusiasm for healthy snacking as an amazing invitation to food and nutrition communicators everywhere and in every setting where consumers eat and enjoy food,” Reinhardt Kapsak said. “While most Americans do not consume the daily dietary guidance recommendations for fruits, vegetables, dairy and whole grains, nearly everyone snacks. Given snacking’s widespread popularity and its role in our daily enjoyment, it is important to reconsider, reframe and redefine healthy snacking behaviors to improve the health of all Americans.”

Cut the Salt!

The FDA proposed new three-year, voluntary sodium reduction targets for 163 categories of foods, which, if achieved by the food manufacturing and restaurant industries, would bring Americans’ sodium consumption to safer levels. The majority of sodium in the American diet comes from packaged and restaurant foods, so these targets are crucial to helping Americans reduce their sodium consumption. Excess sodium chloride, or salt, consumption increases the risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and kidney disease. 

Cheese—and the now very trendy cottage cheese—is a major contributor of sodium to the diet. To explore this category specifically, link HERE to FDA’s table of where cheeses are today in sodium levels, the voluntary target, and the voluntary target range for three years from now.  

Click on graph to enlarge. 

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration

The FDA describes the new sodium reduction targets as Phase II of an effort that commenced in 2021. At the time, the agency estimated that, if fully achieved, those initial targets would reduce Americans’ sodium consumption from approximately 3,400 milligrams of sodium per day to about 3,000 mg per day, though not nearly as low as the 2,300 milligrams recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Full compliance with the new draft guidance would further reduce average intake to 2,750 milligrams per day. 

The agency also released what it calls a Preliminary Assessment of Progress made from 2010 to 2022. The FDA asserts that 40% of food categories are within 10% of their Phase I targets. Their data also show that, across all food categories, more categories showed decreases (52%) than increases (34%) in their sales-weighted mean sodium content. Dairy is doing its job. Keep up the good work! 

This LINK provides access to the entire report. 

Delicious flavors and textures, responsible production and affordability. People expect a lot from dairy. Exceed expectations and get maximum value from your process with biosolutions. Please link HERE to learn more from today’s blog sponsor, Novonesis.