Understanding consumer need states

The bars meet several of the drivers for snacking, as identified by The Future of Snacking survey from The Hartman Group. Fifty-six per cent of the survey respondents said they snack for needs related to nourishment. Specific qualities sought include hunger abatement, hydration management, health and diet conditions, as well as snacking for energy sustenance. Other motivators include seeking satisfaction and performance optimization.

“Forty-nine per cent of respondents said they snack for needs relating to pleasure, which fulfills emotional desires for enjoyment, craving, variety and comfort,” said Laurie Demeritt, chief executive officer at The Hartman Group. “Snacking for pleasure also includes satisfaction of needs for discovery when consumers want to explore food types, tastes, provenances, preparation methods, food purveyors and new products.”

One-third of the respondents indicated they snack for needs relating to optimization in order to satisfy physical and mental performance demands.

“Optimization snacking might be for quick energy, or to recover and rejuvenate,” Ms. Demeritt said. “It is also undertaken to help mental focus and manage stress.”

It is important to note that snacking drivers change throughout the day, as do snack formats, flavors and even nutrition profiles. Morning snacks may be consumed to for satiation and nourishment to get through a hectic start. An afternoon snack might be for energy or to satisfy a sweet craving. For the evening snack, maybe it’s about relaxation and pleasure.

Thus, to attract shoppers, dairy processors are exploring better-for-you formulations, bold flavors and convenience in order to grab share of the snacking dollar. Products are designed to meet the varied needs throughout the day.

Soft cheeses such as cottage, farmers and quark are gaining notice as satiating and flavor-satisfying snack foods when they are paired with other ingredients. Yooli Foods, Irvine, Calif., for example, offers a line of namesake smart snacks that combine artisan-style farmer’s cheese with honey lemon zest, strawberries or vanilla.

Orrville, Ohio-based SmithFoods is finding success with Artisa high-protein dairy snacks, which feature fine-curd, smooth and creamy cottage cheese with real fruit. Varieties are apple cinnamon, peach, pineapple, strawberry and wild berry.

Kraft Heinz’s Breakstone’s and Knudsen brands of Cottage Doubles recently added honey vanilla and mango habanero to the lineup, along with 20% more product, increasing the pack size from 3.9 oz to 4.7 oz. The new pack delivers 9 grams of protein with fewer than 130 calories.