Meat+Poultry - August 2022 - 76

INGREDIENT ISSUES
Poultry
power
Chicken is fueling
better-for-you meat
snack innovations
as consumers'
snacking habits grow
stronger than ever
BY DONNA BERRY | meatpoult r y@sosland.com
M
eat snacks are on fire, with
Future Market Insights,
Newark, Del., projecting
the category to reach $21.3 billion
by 2032, representing a compound
annual growth rate of 7.7%. Demand
is fueled by high-protein diets and
keto lifestyles, and manufacturers
are responding with better-for-you
formulations, with chicken dominating
many of the recent innovations.
Currently it is estimated that more
than 90% of meat snack options are
made from beef. Not only does beef
have high saturated fat content, but it
also has the highest carbon footprint
of all food sources, according to
research published in the June 2018
issue of Science. Chicken produces 90%
less of a carbon footprint than beef,
making chicken an attractive highprotein
snack for this growing eating
daypart. It also brings female appeal
to a category that traditionally skewed
masculine. The biggest barriers in
growing the segment are poor product
experience, given traditional jerkies are
tough, hard to chew, and not elegant
to eat, and the desire for leaner and
carbon-light protein sources. It is
paramount to overcome these barriers
as snacking has become a way of life.
INTEREST IN PROTEIN SNACKS
" Snacking is a lifestyle in the US, "
said Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive
vice president and practice leader,
Information Resources Inc., Chicago,
at the " State of Snacking " session held
during the Sweets & Snacks Expo on
May 24-26 in Chicago. " It is not going
away anytime soon. And despite ups
and downs, the snacking category is
showing tremendous growth.
" For the past six years, consumers
have been consuming three-plus snacks
per day, " Lyons Wyatt said. " Consumers
are going to a variety of different
outlets to get snacking options. Nuts
are no longer the only snacks out
there where you can get that quick
protein hit. "
Chicken snacks have become a
growing option. Access to meat snacks,
in general, has expanded beyond the
traditional channel of the ambient
76 MEAT+POULTRY | 08.22 | www.meatpoultry.com
counter at convenience stores. Grocers
merchandise them in dedicated
sections in the center of the store,
with some specialty players dedicating
endcap displays to the category.
There are also refrigerated options
located in both the deli and luncheon
meat departments. Meat snacks can
also be found in sports stores for
backpackers, as well as coffee shops,
kiosks and vending machines. This
increased presence - anywhere and
everywhere - has improved consumer
awareness of this snacking option
and is contributing to the category's
projected growth.
It's all about making sure the right
snack is in the right place at the right
time, explained Mike Gervasio, vice
president, category leadership for
PepsiCo, Harrison, NY.
" Today there are approximately
300 billion snacking occasions that
occur annually in the US, " said
Gervasio. " That means there is a need
for a snacking portfolio that meets a
broader set of consumer needs than
ever before. "
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Meat+Poultry - August 2022

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