Each month, the Specialty Food Association exclusively provides its members with a detailed Trend Report that explores a given trend through sales data and stakeholder commentary to provide insights such as regional preferences, ingredients, and flavors.
During a recent SFA webinar, Denise Purcell, VP of resource development at SFA, spoke with SFA Trendspotter and associate director and global food analyst at Mintel, Melanie Bartelme, about recent Trend Report insights, providing a fresh perspective on the forces driving consumer behavior in a new quarterly series.
During the session, the two discussed Salty Snacks and other categories.
The top-selling specialty category in 2022 at $6.1 billion market share, Salty Snacks, surpassed specialty food heavyweights such as cheese for the first time. Moreover, the category is forecasted to grow to $8.3 billion by 2027, according to research from SFA's State of the Specialty Food Industry report. Popcorn, puffed snacks and straws, and pretzels all have strong growth potential in the new year.
“It makes sense why [salty snacks] would be such a popular and growing area. Ninety-five percent of consumers eat salty snacks,” said Bartelme. “It’s such a big, expansive category with many subtypes.”
She also noted the concept of permissibility—a strong theme among the trends discussed, wherein consumers feel “allowed to” indulge in these offerings because of added benefits. For example, popcorn is often seen as a healthier snack that provides fiber.
Salty Snacks also provide a neutral medium for specialty flavor innovation.
“Because it’s so familiar, you can take it in a lot of directions,” Bartelme said. “You’re grounded in a base of something that is accessible, so when you’re adding a…fun flavor or something more luxurious, you can take it from all ends of the spectrum and make anything a consumer might be looking for.”
Although Bartelme said that overall consumers are becoming more interested in food and beverages with regional flavors, the salty snacks category is a unique place to highlight these varieties. As an example, she shared that customers may gravitate to a Memphis Barbecue flavored chip instead of a traditional barbecue variety. It also provides a space to develop even more specialty flavors.
When discussing recent trends in Coffee and Tea, Bartelme highlighted how the pandemic spurred a renaissance in the category.
“With Coffee and Tea, it’s just that sort of ritual part of our days that we maybe have spent more time cultivating since the pandemic,” she said. “We are seeing people getting into coffee culture, and getting into it at home, both with advanced coffee setups and your average home brewer.”
She added that in these categories, people are more likely to turn to word of mouth, trusting in the opinions of friends and family when experimenting with new flavors, roasts, and varietals. Moreover, the trend seems to be that people seek coffee for energy, but look toward teas for functionality, including immune system support and calming qualities.
To learn more about the recent Trend Reports, watch the webinar on demand in the SFA Learning Center. Become a member to receive the monthly Trend Reports.
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