Healthier Eating Habits Tied to Increased Snacking

PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. -- Consumers who follow the healthiest diets snack twice as often as those with less healthy diets, according to "Snacking in America," The NPD Group's market research report which examines long-term attitudes and behaviors associated with snacking.

Consumers with the healthiest diets consume 36 percent more snack meals per year than the average consumer. This compares to those with moderately healthy diets, who eat 1 percent fewer snack meals than the average consumer, as well as consumers with the least healthy diets, who consume 29 percent fewer snack meals than the average consumer.

"We are no longer as averse to snacking as we used to be -- instead, snacking may be viewed as one way to improve healthy eating habits," said Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst for NPD. "This way of thinking about snacking provides an opportunity for manufacturers to make health and wellness innovation part of their product development and marketing strategy."

The report, which also identifies and examines the consumers who drive current and future snack consumption, finds those following a "most healthy" diet eat a wider variety of healthy snacks such as fruit, yogurt and bars.