Savoury and healthy snacks are the preferred choice for Australian snackers, as new research reveals 90 per cent of adults eat packaged snacks in an average week.
Roy Morgan found that sweet biscuits have declined in popularity over the past decade, while the healthy snack category, including muesli bars, breakfast bars and rice crackers, has shown the biggest increase, eaten by 54.7 per cent of Australians. It comes second only to savoury snacks, such as potato chips, at 66 per cent.
Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said that Australians continue to each packaged snacks at high levels, despite the broader push to make healthier food choices and reduce packaging.
“Over the past decade the proportion of Australians who regularly consume packaged snacks has declined slightly, moving from 90.8 per cent to 88.5 per cent. Savoury snacks, such as potato chips, are the most popular choice of Australians, with two-thirds of adults eating them in an average week,” said Levine.
“A total of 62.5 per cent of the adult population are considered heavy or medium snackers, consuming at least four packaged snacks per week, and in many cases the number would likely be far higher.”
“It’s interesting to note that the data shows those who consume healthy snacks are just as likely as other Australians to eat different kinds of snacks, such as chocolate and ice-cream.”
Around 28 per cent of consumers aged 14+ fall into the ‘heavy’ category of snacking, eating seven or more items in an average week.
Medium snackers (4-6 snacks in an average week) account for 34.5 per cent of Australians, while light snackers (1-3 snacks in an average week) account for 26 per cent of the population.
Only 11.5 per cent consider themselves are non-snackers, and do not each packaged snacks in an average week.
