Healthy Snackers Driving Growth in Crackers Category

ROCKVILLE, Md. – The U.S. market for crackers exceeded $7 billion in 2013 and will continue to grow as Americans carry on the shift toward eating several small meals a day and snacking between meals, according to a new report by market researcher Packaged Facts.

Since 2004, the number of consumers categorized as “healthy snackers” has grown from 29 million to 41 million -- or from 14 percent to 18 percent of the population, according to the report.

It is widely believed throughout the food industry that increased snacking throughout the day is now a permanent change in U.S. consumers’ eating habits.

Driven by health and wellness, healthy snackers are drawn to options derived from healthy ingredients such as vegetables, legumes, high-protein foods and grains. The crackers category is growing accordingly as marketers launch more "healthy-ingredient crackers" to meet the needs of these snackers, noted David Sprinkle, research director of Packaged Facts.

Today's successful marketers of crackers are combining creativity with healthy ingredients and providing authentic, unique products for health-conscious consumers. And still, despite rapid innovation and new competitors, old-fashioned and comforting crackers endure, Sprinkle said. For example, more than 40 percent of U.S. households consume saltines and 23 percent consume graham crackers.

Packaged Facts is a division of MarketResearch.com. More information on the report, Crackers: U.S. Market Trends, can be found here.