1 - The American diet: One long snack?
We kick off with a glimpse at America's changing eating habits, as new research suggests that one in five Americans now grazes on snacks throughout the day instead of eating three square meals or even several ‘mini-meals’ a day, with the line between meals and snacks becoming increasingly blurred.
According to IRIs’s latest Times & Trends report, an estimated 21% of Americans can be classified as ‘opportunist’ eaters, who “grab food and drink throughout the day as the opportunity arises, with little consideration as to whether they are eating a meal or a snack”.
Single white female?
Two-thirds of these 'grazers' are female, 92% are of non-Hispanic origin and nearly two-thirds come from single-member or two-member households.
The data squares with a recent analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) data conducted by Alanna Moshfegh at USDA’s agricultural research service, which reveals that the percentage of energy derived from snacks in the American diet increased from 12% in the late 1970s to 24% in 2009/10.
Indeed, the average number of eating occasions per day increased from 3.9 in the late ‘70s to 5.6 in 2009/10, she added: “In the late 1970s, 40% of Americans said they had eaten no snacks the previous day.”
Fast forward 30 years, she said, and that number dropped to just 4%, with 56% of Americans reporting eating three or more snacks a day.
NHANES data also shows that Americans are now more likely to skip lunch than breakfast, with 85% reporting eating breakfast the previous day compared with only 80% reporting eating lunch.
Meeting the needs of opportunist eaters
So what does all this mean for food marketers?
First, they need to crank up their grab & go options and ensure packaging is convenient for people on the move, says IRI Times & Trends editor Susan Viamari.
Second, retailers need to do a better job of catering for shoppers that want to get in and get out of their stores quickly and pick up food for immediate consumption, she says.
Click here to read more about serial snacking from IRI.
Click here to read more about what NHANES data tells us about Americans' changing eating habits.
