5 Ways To Promote Conscious Snacking To Consumers

We know that it is important to keep abreast of current trends and look at how your product range can capture the interest of your customer. We also know that with more choice than ever before the modern consumer is adopting an increasingly conscious mindset when selecting products. Conscious snacking is all about how a person thinks and feels about the food they are consuming and the impact this has on the choices they make. The focus is on the experience of eating and how this relates to the body’s sensations and feelings toward what is consumed, but how does this translate into what snacks sell? Let’s take a look.

1. Tune In To Taste

With conscious snacking, heightened awareness when eating is important; that means great-tasting food is essential. Interesting flavour combinations, firm favourites and new exotic choices sit side by side on the shelf to appeal to a broad customer base. This food trend is particularly personal as it is about individual preferences so it is important to continue to stock classic flavours alongside new product releases.

2. Triumph Texture

Eating is a sensory experience and can contribute to the perceived quality of snacks by consumers. This means that offering different textures, as well as flavours, should be a priority when curating your range. Conscious eaters pay particular attention to the act of eating, taking a moment to move away from their desks to savour the snack. Industry trends predict that multi-textural snacks will be big news for 2024, combining crunchy nuts with softer chewy fruit as well as a rise in filled bars.  Be sure to offer softer tray bakes and smooth chocolate bars in addition to crunchy crisps, silky smooth dairy drinks and lightly sparkling drinks to fully cater for all texture choices.

3. Make a Note of Nostalgia

Science has proven that there is a link between what we taste and our memory and now there is even a phrase for it; ‘gustatory memory’. It is thought that this link may have come about as a basic survival instinct so as to avoid harmful foods and future illness. Today for the conscious snacker, this means that the smells such as cinnamon may trigger memories of Christmases past and evoke feelings of comfort. Capitalise on this by including nostalgic flavours like butterscotch, rhubarb and cinnamon in your range.

4. Whole Body Impact

How we feel after we eat has grown in importance for the conscious consumer. Products that support gut health or have that little something extra are trending and the market continues to expand in this space. From drinks with immune-supporting cultures, to supercharge breakfast granola and fibre-focused food on the go, explore the options available on the back of this new trend.

5. More Than Just The Snack

This trend is just as much about the education around food as it is about the snack itself. Draw on the expertise of the Epicurium team to find out more about the nutritional properties of your choices and use this to create destination zones in-store or on shelves. Make your team aware of the hero products, and create signage to help these items stand out.

References

• Texture Analysis Professionals ‘Texture: A standout theme in Food’
• Southern Living; ‘The Reason Why Taste and Memory are So Connected’
• Trend Explorer; ‘Mega-trend Conscious Eating’
• McKinsey & Company; ‘Hungry and confused: The winding road to conscious eating’
• Harvard School Of Public Health; ‘The Nutrition Source – Mindful Eating’

Ordering Conscious Snacking Products With Epicurium

To learn more about the latest trends in snacking and convenience, chat with our team and find out more about what we have to offer at Epicurium here.