Mondelez report reveals 58% of people crave snacks more than meals each day

GLOBAL – According to Mondelez International’s 2024 State of Snacking study, 58% of respondents said they look forward to snacks more than meals each day, with almost all adults eating one snack daily and nearly two-thirds consuming two snacks per day.

Of 3,785 adults in 13 countries surveyed by The Harris Poll for Mondelez, 91% said they eat at least one snack each day, with 63% munching at least two snacks and 31% consuming at least three snacks daily.

Many consumers believe snacks satisfy several physical and mental health requirements such as boosting energy (75%), improving mood (74%) and aligning with fitness goals (70%), the report said. These factors can be attributed to the increased propensity towards snacking.

For more than half of survey respondents, snacks proved to be more enjoyable than meals, with 62% preferring to eat many small meals throughout the day instead of a few large ones. Overall, 53% said they snack more today versus a year ago.

The poll also revealed people’s strong urge to snack, as 66% of respondents agreed that they couldn’t live without snacks. Consumers said that on average they eat, drink or chew something 2.22 times per day as a snack or meal replacement compared to 2.28 times as a main meal.

Younger consumers tend to be bigger fans of snacking. Among Gen Z/millennial respondents, 65% snack more today than a year ago (versus 36% of Gen X/boomers), 71% favor eating more small meals throughout the day (versus 50% of Gen X/boomers) and 67% look forward to snacks more than meals (versus 46% of Gen X/boomers).

Biscuits/cookies and chocolate remain staple snack choices of consumers worldwide, the report showed. Chocolate snacks particularly meet consumer needs for indulgence.

66% of respondents said they eat biscuits/cookies on a weekly basis or more frequently, up 5% from last year. Likewise, 73% of adults surveyed agreed they can’t imagine a world without chocolate, up 6% from a year ago.

Among the options offering an opportunity to indulge, respondents cited chocolate bars (82%), milk chocolate (80%), cookies (79%), chocolate-coated nuts/dried fruit (75%), ice cream sandwiches (72%), dark chocolate (72%), crackers (65%), caramel popcorn (65%), granola bars (61%) and pretzels (60%).

Consumers continue to take a double-edged approach to snacking whereby they snack to satisfy their needs to indulge as well as promote nutrition and wellness, the study findings showed.

38% of respondents agreed that they’re more likely to pay attention to ingredients beneficial to their health when snacking. 74% of those surveyed prefer snacks with high nutrition quality, and 78% prefer brands prioritizing quality ingredients over calorie counts.

And while 69% of consumers said they seek portion-controlled snacks and 38% agreed that snacks should be enjoyed in moderation, 73% admitted they would rather have a smaller portion of an indulgent snack than a bigger portion of a low fat/sugar alternative version.

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