Some of the science behind our snacking habit How an eating occasion is labelled influences other food choices an individual makes on the same day and may even affect satiety after eating, but today, there still is no clear cut definition of what a snack is. Pic: GettyImages/Choreograph The ‘snackification’ trend is at an all-time high with 25% of Americans confessing to snacking multiple times a day and 40% even admitting to replace a traditional sit-down meal with a snack. The industry has certainly motivated to capitalise on this behaviour, pumping almost $14 billion annually on advertising in the US, according to the Uconn Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity analysis of Nielsen data. More than 80% of this advertising promotes sugar and fat-laden snacks, fast food, sugary drinks and candy, dwarfing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s entire $1 billion budget for all chronic disease prevention and health promotion in 2017.