The UK Consumer Snacking Market Report identifies consumers’ snacking preferences, the frequency of snacking and the impact of the Government’s HFSS legislation on the snacking market. This report covers the snack market size, market forecast, market segmentation and industry trends for the UK snack market.
Ingredient, energy, transport and packaging costs have increased sharply due to rising VAT, the aftermath of COVID-19 and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. When these financial challenges are combined with the cost of living crisis, it creates widespread financial concern that puts pressure on consumers’ willingness and ability to purchase snacks, with many consumers looking for ways to cut back on discretionary spending.
However, value sales growth for the snack food market is expected to keep pace with inflation, with only a small dip in sales in real terms. The snack market size is anticipated to remain stable as snacks are viewed as an affordable treat. Although, the upcoming HFSS restrictions on in-store product location will dampen the snack market volume sales from October.
Out-of-home impulse purchases of snacks will continue to regain ground, supporting higher average prices, although the long-term trend towards homeworking will support in-home snack formats. This underlines the enduring significant impact of in-store and online visibility for snack market products. For many snacks, this is under threat from the Government’s planned product location restrictions banning the merchandising of HFSS food and drink at store entrances, aisle ends and checkouts and their online equivalents coming into force in October 2022.
Propelled by the heightened focus on health during the pandemic, the proportion of people trying to eat healthily all or most of the time has increased. The snack market share will undergo a resizing, which will benefit the healthy snack market because of increased consumer effort to moderate their consumption of unhealthy snacks and the decline in volume growth of less healthy snacks due to reduced product visibility caused by the HFSS restrictions.
A return to real earnings growth in upcoming years and a ‘quality over quantity’ mindset will benefit the healthy snack market and sales of premium snacks.
Read on to discover more details or take a look at all of our UK Food and Drink Market Research.
Products: Crisps, popcorn, nuts, dried fruit, chocolate, ice cream/lollies/frozen yoghurt, sweet biscuits/shortbread, cakes, sweet baked goods, cereal bars/breakfast bars, yoghurt.
Brands: Walkers (Baked, Doritos, Max Strong, Sensations, Wotsits), Pladis (McVitties’, Mini Cheddars, Twiglets), Kettle, Tayto Group (Golden Wonder, Tangy Toms, Spicy Biker), KP (KP Nuts, Tyrrells, Popchips, Hula Hoops, Penn State), Mars (Snickers, Bounty, Galaxy, Skittles), Nestlé (Nature Heart), Real Handful (Air Nuts), Premier Foods’ (Mr Kipling), Ferrero (Eat Natural, Raw, Nutella), Kind Protein, Lidl (Crownfield), General Mills (Nature Valley), Perkier, Kellogg (Pringles), Vive, Cadbury, Mondelēz (Dairylea), Nairn’s, Graze, Properchips, Native, The Skinny Cookie Co., Müller (Müllerlight), M&S (Plant Kitchen), Deliciously Ella, Plantastic, Morrisons (Plant Revolution!), Asda (Plant Based).
This report, written by Richard Caines, a leading senior analyst in the Food & Drink sector, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends and add expert context to the numbers.
With the rising cost of living shoppers will be focusing more closely on what they are buying, potentially putting discretionary items like snacks under scrutiny. However, as seen during COVID-19 lockdowns snacks could actually benefit from more evenings in given their perceived affordability as treats. Amidst upcoming HFSS restrictions on product location, boosting in-aisle visibility and launching non-HFSS snacks will be important in getting brands noticed and driving unplanned purchases.”
Richard Caines
Senior Food & Drink Analyst
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