Snacking: what role can dairy ingredients play?

Heavily impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, the snacking market, valued at $427.02 billion in 2020, is starting to recover^[1]. To win back consumers and fully meet their expectations, manufacturers must offer practical, nomadic, responsible and healthy snacks. This is often a real technological challenge! Dairy ingredients are an almost obvious solution to meet such specifications. Let’s see how dairy ingredients can be used for snacking, from both a practical and nutritional point of view.

What are the main trends in the snacking market?

For a long time, snacking has been associated with ultra-processed products full of additives. To fight against this image, manufacturers are working on formulating or reformulating their products and responding to the clean label trend: short ingredient lists, no additives, simple manufacturing process, minimally processed products, etc.

They are also looking to improve the sustainability of their products. This is reflected in the accelerated development of organic, local and plant-based products. In terms of packaging, the reduction of plastic is a major challenge for products packaged in individual formats and intended for nomadic consumption.

The latest trend: health, and therefore healthy and functional products. Doing things fast while taking care of your body. Consumers are looking for snacking products with clear health benefits: vitamins, probiotics or hyper-protein products.

Snacking, for whom and in what form?

The snacking market has not yet been clearly defined. It encompasses a very diversified range of products whose only common point is to be fast and easy to eat on the go. There are products for all targets and all consumption occasions.

For adults, a wide range of products to meet all expectations

When balancing family life and professional life, it is sometimes difficult to take the time to eat healthily. A solution is needed: snacking. However, in 2021, consumers are no longer willing to sacrifice their health to save time. They are looking for practical, healthy and tasty products.

The range of “on-the-go” breakfasts and snacks has grown considerably in recent years, with a wide variety of nomadic formats (cereal bars, water bottles, briquettes, etc.). While the traditional all-in-one products (yoghurts to drink, yoghurts with integrated muesli, etc.) are still well established, they are being strongly challenged by the arrival of plant-based products. Indeed, plant-based solutions such as porridge, granola, compote and plant-based drinks are taking up more and more space in the consumer’s snacking basket.

Protein-enriched snacks are appealing to an increasingly wide range of consumers. Dairy ingredients have found a place of choice:

• • • Protein-rich drinks. These proteins can be provided by Pronativ®, our native whey protein, cold filtered from milk and produced without additives or chemicals. Its neutral taste allows it to be used in any recipe.

• • • Milk protein enriched bars. Our specific acid casein is an ideal ingredient in bars to be consumed after an effort at the end of the day.

However, in 2021, consumers are no longer willing to sacrifice their health to save time. They are looking for practical, healthy and tasty products.

For seniors, a range still to be developed

For seniors, the formulation issues are slightly different. One main problem must be addressed: with age, protein needs increase but appetite decreases. Snacks appear to be very suitable solutions to meet these needs and to fight against the risk of undernutrition. They allow for the distribution of intakes via small formats throughout the day. In terms of formulation, the challenge is to succeed in developing tasty and protein-rich products in a small volume. We provide you with different ingredients to help you meet this challenge and diversify your product offer. Some examples:

• • • Pronativ® Native Whey Protein for original products such as high-protein fruit gels.

• • • Pronativ® Micellar Native Casein for new formats such as high-protein dessert creams.

The objective of senior snacking for the years to come is to draw inspiration from clinical nutrition to develop functional and tasty products and to promote compliance.

With age, protein needs increase but appetite decreases. Snacks appear to be very suitable solutions to meet these needs and to fight against the risk of undernutrition.

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Do not hesitate any longer, our range of dairy ingredients is the solution to your technological and organoleptic challenges in developing snacking products. A real support to help you create products in line with market expectations.

Sources:

[1] GlobeNewswire, Snack Food Market – Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact and Forecasts (2021 – 2026). Avril 2021