PepsiCo, Hershey, Mondelez Say Mindful Snacking on Trend as Consumers Prioritize Health & Wellness
Healthy Snacking Ahead
Hershey’s CEO Michele Buck said in an earnings call this week that she’s seen a continuation toward health and wellness, as well as growth in the company's zero sugar line of products and protein offerings — two areas the company will continue to expand.
For Mondelez, which earns 80% of its snack revenue from mindful portion snacks, there will be a continued focus on packaging individually wrapped, mindful portion-controlled serving sizes as the industry watches this continued shift.
The company has been especially focused on implementing a product development approach that maintains a pulse on ongoing and emerging shopper trends to “deliver more excitement through new flavors or new pack formats that better fit consumers' lifestyles," according to Lori Herman, consumer insights lead, who shared details during an MMR Research virtual event.
Healthy might be in focus, but CEO Dirk Van De Put said indulgent snacking is growing just as fast. And everyone is taking a break for the snack-heavy “holiday” that is the Super Bowl.
People on a weight-loss journey are treating the Super Bowl as the ultimate “cheat day,” according to Upside, which analyzed survey responses about food purchases alongside grocery transaction data. It found that people with weight-loss goals are more likely to indulge in chips and salsa, and GLP-1 users are more likely to be eating pizza and wings.