Baking & Snack - December 2018 - 38

COMBO PRODUCTS

prosper by making a case for reducing any of the guilt
people may feel when treating themselves between meals.

Evolving for us

Lunch combinations can
be marketed to children or
adults, depending on the
products mixed in each kit.
Oscar Mayer

Consumers are no longer prioritizing traditional meal
times but are increasingly snacking throughout the day.
A 2018 GlobalData consumer survey showed that just
9% of Americans say that they do not snack outside of
mealtimes. Tom Vierhile, innovation insights director,
GlobalData, said that an analysis of snacking times points
to opportunities for combination snack producers.
While it's nothing new, 70% of Generation Z consumers, people born in 2000 or later, said they are most likely
to snack between lunch and dinner as opposed to before
breakfast, between breakfast and lunch, or after dinner, according to GlobalData. The same daypart was also favored
by Generation X, baby boomers and the silent generation.
Millennials, on the other hand, were outliers as the
highest percentage tabbed "before breakfast" as the time
of day when they snack. "This suggests that millennials,
a group that is now being weighed down by family opportunities, may be more inclined to skip breakfast but
still need something to jump start their day," Mr. Vierhile
said. "That may explain some of the innovation we are

seeing in yogurt products with crunchy mix-in ingredients which turn yogurt into more of a snack product."
Yogurt products combined with baked goods include
Minneapolis-based General Mills Yoplait and its MixIns Yogurt and Salted Caramel Pretzels. The product is
presented in 5.3-oz plastic cups with two compartments,
one holding the yogurt and the other with pretzels. The
package is perforated to allow the user to pour the pretzel

"Protein in particular is
a major point of interest
for our consumers."
Colleen Hall, Hillshire Snacking
topping into the yogurt. "The mixing in of sweet and
crunchy toppings helps to move traditional yogurt, commonly consumed as a breakfast item, into the snacking
category thus broadening consumption opportunities
and profit potential for brands," Mr. Vierhile said.
Evolving eating patterns can be seen throughout the
day. A recent OnePoll survey found that lunch is the
meal most often replaced with snacks with 49% of respondents saying they do so. The survey also found that
cheese, crackers, fruit, chips, nuts and veggies were the
top six foods that make up snack meals.
Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive vice-president and practice leader, client insights, IRI, explained that combination
snacks have been around for years, but they have evolved
to meet current trends. "It used to be simple chip and dip
combos or cheese and cracker combos," Ms. Lyons Wyatt
observed. "We are now seeing more variety that goes beyond cheese and crackers and includes meat, nuts, fruit,
spreads, dips and yogurt. In addition, this variety is found
in both mainstream and premium products."
For example, instead of an everyday cracker, combination products now include a premium cracker, crisp or
multigrain bread. Ms. Lyons Wyatt said consumers are
also now seeing combos expanding from savory to sweet.
Churros are now paired with a caramel dipping sauce in
one convenient package. Snack kits now feature sweet and
savory options like cheese, nuts, fruit and dark chocolate.

Stirring in substance
Creating snacks that offer nutritional benefits and pair
grain-based foods with a variety of proteins is a way to attract consumers.
"A lot of the innovation we are seeing today is intended
to capitalize on the popularity of protein, a nutrient which
seems to have escaped the negativity that fat, sugar, or carbohydrates have suffered from," Mr. Vierhile said. "This

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