Snack World - May 1, 2011 - (Page 17)

Snacks touting high-protein and low-sodium attributes are demonstrating particularly strong growth, the study showed, and a number of new products boasting these attributes made inroads over the past year — products such as Chobani Greek yogurt, Wonderful pistachios, Fullbar weight-loss bars, and Dan-o-nino dairy snacks. Hunger satisfaction steers considerable snack selection, as 68% of consumers who purchase meat snacks do so for that reason. According to the SFA Panel Report, sales dollars of dried meat snacks increased by a healthy 9.7% last year, with volume up 12.2%. Jerky’s dollar and volume sales were up 5.7% and 8.7%, respectively. In addition, 54% of consumers who purchased snack bars did so to curb their hunger. For crackers, that number was 46%, snack nuts 42% and salty snacks 39%. “If you have a product that can answer that call, communicate it,” Ms. Wyatt advised listeners at SNAXPO. Still, many consumers view snacks as something to enjoy purely for pleasure, Ms. Wyatt added, with 55% saying they are more likely to eat what tastes good rather than what is healthy, and 35% saying they are eating to satisfy a specific craving, although that reason is down from 39% a year ago. Ms. Wyatt also noted the important role of snacks in home entertaining, as 54% of consumers reported snacking more during social occasions and 57% said they consider snacks an important part of social occasions. Thus, she advised marketers to tailor messages to key snack rituals such as family time, at-home entertainment and on-the-go eating. Convenience is also crucial for many consumers, Ms. Wyatt stressed. More than one-third (34%) said they eat snacks instead of a meal on the go, and 39% seek out snacks that can be eaten on the go. Ms. Wyatt pointed out that 26% of consumers plan specific snack purchases before going to the store and urged marketers to take advantage of both traditional media such as clip-out coupons and new media like click-and-save coupons, online ads or social media promos to create awareness. “Getting them to new media is key,” Ms. Wyatt said. “Getting coupons online or delivered to the handheld is important. It is something that consumers will continue to gravitate to and use. Dig deep with new media efforts designed to build excitement and buzz.” POTATO CHIPS Natural Chips Reign Supreme Potato chips, by quite a large margin, continues to be the No. 1 salty snack in the US. And as with many segments in the salty snack category, Frito-Lay North America, Plano, TX, is far and away the top vendor. Its Top 3 brands — Lay’s, Ruffles and Wavy Lay’s — account for nearly 44% of total dollar sales in the segment, according to SymphonyIRI data for the 52 weeks ending Feb. 20, 2011. Sales of potato chips topped $3.6 billion this past year, and dollar sales growth in the segment was rather strong during the period, increasing 3.8%. Frito-Lay’s top brands had mixed results. Sales of Lay’s and Wavy Lay’s both fell slightly during the past year, down 3.3% and 6.3%, respectively; however, Ruffles saw its sales increase 13.1% during the same period. Lay’s Natural is the Frito-Lay potato chip brand that experienced the most dynamic growth during the past year, increasing its sales by more than $120 million to become a Top 10 brand in the segment. In late December, Frito-Lay announced that 50% of its products would be made with natural ingredients, including its largest brand, Lay’s potato chips. Products made with all-natural ingredients do not contain any artificial flavors or preservatives or ingredients such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), the company stated. “Many of the unflavored snacks in our portfolio are already made with all-natural ingredients,” said Ann Mukherjee, senior vice-president and chief marketing officer, Frito-Lay, “and we’ve focused on expanding our portfolio of products with all-natural ingredients to include more of customers’ favorite flavored products.” Snack World May 2011 www.sfa.org 17 http://www.sfa.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snack World - May 1, 2011

Snack World - May 1, 2011
Contents
Letter from SFA - Progress and Advocacy
Supplier’s Corner - Onward and Upward
Government Affairs - SFA on the March
Government Affairs - Change Ahead
State of the Industry Report - Brands are Back
For More Research on Snacks
Natural Chips Reign Supreme
Top Potato Chip Brands
TORTILLA CHIPS - Tackling Hot Trends
PRETZELS - Healthy and Beyond
SNACK CRACKERS - The More Healthful Snack
Top Pretzel Brands
Top Snack Cracker Brands
COOKIES - Decadently Healthy
CORN SNACKS - The Scoop on Corn Chips
Top Corn Snack Brands
SNACK NUTS & SEEDS - Investing in Innovation
Top Nut, Seed and Corn Nut Brands
CHEESE SNACKS - Say Cheese to New Snacks
Top Cheese Snack Brands
PORK RINDS - Still on a Fast Track
Top Pork Rind Brands
MEAT SNACKS - Meating High Expectations
Top Meat Snack Brands
READY-TO-EAT POPCORN - Expanding Indulgence
Top RTE Popc orn/Caramel C orn Brands
MICROWAVE POPCORN - Convenience and Health
OTHER SALTED SNACKS - Catch-all Segment Builds With Variety
Top Microwave Popcorn Brands
Top Other Salted Snack Brands
SALSA AND DIPS - Salsa Dips, Dips Rise
Top Salsa and Dip Brands
Innovative and Educational …
Earl Wise Sr. Enters Circle of Honor
Overheard at SnaxPro
Get Ready for SNAXPO 2012: Celebrating 75 Years
New Snacks
Products & Services
Ad Index

Snack World - May 1, 2011