SNAC World - Official State of the Industry 2020 - 13

serve several roles for consumers. For some, they
are comfort foods that make them feel a bit better
about their day," said Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive vice
president and practice leader, client insights, IRI. "For
others, they are rewards for kids or themselves for
accomplishing a task."
Salty snacks reported 9.4% growth in earnings
with $21 billion in sales for the 52 weeks ending
June 14, 2020, according to IRI's quarterly
report of retail sales for the US snacking market.
Indulgence is still a key driver in the salty snack
market despite consumer preferences for healthier
options. People want foods that taste good,
according to Packaged Facts' "U.S. Food Market
Outlook 2020" updated in June.
"This has been an extraordinary year, particularly
for the snack food industry," said Mark Schreiber,
executive vice president and chief consumer office,
Utz Quality Foods, Hanover, Pa. "From a consumer
standpoint, we have seen a general trend toward
more indulgence, including potato chips, tortilla
chips and cheese snacks as well as the purchase of
larger sizes, providing families with a higher level of
convenience. "
One of the biggest impacts of COVID-19 is a
decreased focus on portability. Small, convenient,
on-the-go formats have been in the spotlight for
many years, but with consumers spending the
majority of their time at home, there is less need for
portability in the short term.
"For now, consumers are often looking for larger
pack sizes to share among family members," said
Simon Gunzburg, research analyst, Euromonitor
International.
"While the current degree to which consumers
are 'staying put' is expected to be temporary, some
aspects of this trend may remain as factors, like
working from home becoming more commonplace
As Americans frantically stocked their pantries
with snacks to comfort them during stay-athome orders, sales spiked for all pack sizes, but
particularly for larger package sizes, for the period
ending March 15, compared with the same period
in 2019. The 10 to 16-oz pack sizes grew the most
with an 87% increase in dollar sales, with 4.5 to
8-oz and larger than 16-oz increasing sales by
double digits. Even the smallest pack sizes initially
posted 22% growth as consumers left nothing
behind on grocery store shelves.
"For the trailing year, we saw a trend toward
multi- and variety packs on core items, satiating
better-for-you options, and innovative flavors and
bases," said Jim Herr, senior vice president of

"As the country
reopens, we expect
continued demand in
multipacks, as well
as continued demand
in eCommerce.
Jim Herr, senior vice president of
marketing and R&D, Herr Foods, Inc.
marketing and R&D, Herr Foods, Inc., Nottingham,
Pa. "As the country reopens, we expect continued
demand in multipacks, as well as continued
demand in e-commerce. Herrs will remain
responsive to the changing needs across retailers
as consumers either return to traditional shopping
patterns or adopt newer purchase patterns."
COVID-19 notwithstanding, flavor remains the
leading driver for snack choice, even for healthier
alternatives. Taste, followed by treating oneself, is
a top motivator for snacking, according to Mintel
research. When surveyed by Mintel, 79% of
consumers said flavor is more important than brand.
"The desire for bold flavors is still trending, and

2020 SNAC WORLD

SNAC World - Official State of the Industry 2020

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