Posts Tagged ‘healthy snack foods’
What Is The Snack Food Industry Expo About?
The United States is the largest world market for snack foods, consuming roughly a third of the total supply. The American snack food industry consists of more than 1,200 companies operating 1,465 plants and using over $11 billion worth of ingredients each year. From 2001-2006, snacking increased by 1.5% and skyrocketed another 4% just in the last year. “Consumers are serious about these ‘meals’ being healthy. Simultaneously, manufacturers are serious about meeting consumer, watchdog and governmental demands to make snacks more nutritious, particularly those aimed at kids,” says Don Montuori from Packaged Facts market research company.
It’s surprising to some that snack food industries have skyrocketed during a time of recession, especially when snack food prices have increased anywhere from 4-11% over the last year, due to increased energy and commodity costs. However, consumers are flocking to Wal-Mart for their fair-priced trail mixes and coated snacks. For the most part, weight management and nutrition headlines are driving consumer interest and demand for healthy snack foods, with 62% of consumers saying they eat foods to prevent or manage health conditions and 42% are seeking snacks with health benefits. Yet industry leaders add that the more indulgent treats still comprise two-thirds of all sales.
Some companies in the snack food industry are taking extra steps to evolve their businesses. For instance, PepsiCo has taken steps this year to reduce their carbon footprint. “It doesn’t matter if you believe in global warming or not,” said Robert D. Schasel, director of energy conservation. “You still want to save money.” He added that PepsiCo has drastically reduced energy consumption, water usage and waste discharge. They now use a landfill that converts methane gas for use in boilers for seven of their locations, a solar powered plant in California which produces 75% of the energy needed to produce Sun Chips and using the water content of potatoes to power their boilers. At the end of the day, the food snacks company is saving money and also boosting their rapport with eco-conscious consumers.
Product value was on everyone’s minds at the snack food industry exposition this year. Quality, convenience, innovation, differentiation, entertainment and price are all competitive features that contribute to a product’s success. By contrast, failed products often fail to meet with consumer needs, lack a clear difference from the competition or suffer poor merchandising. In a nutshell, success in foods market promoting is largely the melding of art and science.
Healthy Snack Food Choices
The dreaded mid-day slump usually rears its ugly head between 2 and 4 pm each day. Your eyes sort of glaze over, your body begins to feel heavier and your eyeballs are burning with a headache. If only you could just close your eyes and take a 30-minute power-nap! Unfortunately, you’re at work and there’s far too much to do. To get you through the rest of the day, you need the right snack food to keep you motivated and eating healthy.
Healthy foods don’t always have to taste like Styrofoam. For a snack, bagels and bran muffins taste pretty darn good! A 200-calorie bagel will give you 11% of your daily recommended iron, which is particularly good for women who don’t always retain iron so well. Additionally, you’ll get solid doses of B vitamins, like niacin, riboflavin and thiamin. You may be tempted to load on the cream cheese, but there are delicious flavored skim ricottas that come in blueberry and strawberry that might be a healthier choice. A bran muffin delivers three grams of fiber and 1.8 mg of iron (10% of your daily value).
Fruit snacks are a good way to instantly feel rejuvenated and full of energy and spunk. A banana is a great source of potassium (11%), but also offers 35% of the daily value of Vitamin B6, and all for just 110 calories! Cantaloupe is another surprisingly healthy fruit, delivering 100% of your daily vitamin C needs in just one cup. For a good vegetable snack food, you can’t go wrong with broccoli, which delivers 68% of the daily value of vitamin C in just 1/2 cup, as well as vitamin A and as much calcium as a glass of milk. To jazz it up, try dipping it in no-fat nacho cheese or no-fat veggie dip! Another great vegetable is the carrot, which will satisfy your vitamin A needs for the whole day.
Instead of denying yourself, give in a little bit. When you crave sweets, try eating healthy but satisfying items like a banana dipped in Hershey’s chocolate syrup or an 80-calorie sundae made out of Jell-O sugar-free fudge pudding and a dollop of Cool Whip. If you’ve allowed the hunger to sneak up on you and feel as though you could just eat and eat forever, then snack on raw foods like broccoli: the fiber will make you feel full. Lastly, try to vary the textures and tastes for your snack food choices to keep your senses intrigued.
Should I Consider Organic Foods Over Snack Or Conventional Foods?
“We want natural food that is better for us and for the environment,” author Samuel Fromartz says about organic foods. In fact, one-quarter of Americans purposefully buy organic food products each week because they don’t want pesticides, synthetic chemicals or hormones coming in contact with their edibles. Of course, there are economic reasons why consumers may choose genetically modified foods instead, since buying organic can cost as much as 50% more. Therefore it’s important to consider all aspects of this foods market.
Many people are often confounded when standing in the produce section, looking at the organic foods, conventional foods and healthy snack foods. For instance, both tomatoes may look plump, juicy and red but one is labeled “organic” and the other is not. They both provide vitamins, antioxidants and nutrition, but what are the differences? Conventional farmers use chemical pesticides to keep pests and plagues away from their vegetables. They use chemical fertilizers to promote plant growth, and manage weeds using chemical herbicides. They may also give their animals antibiotics, growth hormones or medications to prevent illnesses and encourage growth.
The main difference between conventional and organic foods lies in how it is processed, handled and produced. There has been no irrefutable evidence claiming that organic food products are more nutritious or safer. The risk from pesticides has never substantially been proven. Organic fruits and vegetables may spoil much more quickly or look less-than-perfect. However, organic farming has been linked to improved water and soil conservation, as well as to reduced pollution levels. Due to stricter government regulations, smaller crop yields and more labor intensive farming practices, the price for organic raw foods is often higher. Some advocates say that organic foods taste much better, but that is really a personal consideration.
In many ways, organic foods are more of a lifestyle choice than an actual safety concern. The huge shift toward environmentally-conscious practices is driving consumer trends toward this pesticide and hormone-free diet. Yet there is also a movement toward buying from local farmers, rather than overseas products or from corporate super-farms. Certainly, there are many points to consider when grocery shopping and buying your favorite foods for meals and snacking, so it’s important to research and identify which issues are most pressing.