Beyond baked beans on toast and pork pies, there is (arguably) a no more quintessentially British snack than potato crisps - with the UK grazing (snackification) culture hardwired to tuck into more than six billion packs each year (around 150 bags per person).
The trend of people consuming 'less but better' in their homes opens up exciting innovation opportunities for food NPD and products that pair well with beer and other alcohol, say firms.
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Brits have bought a veritable mountain of bagged snacks during the pandemic. They’ve tucked into almost 60,000 tonnes more than in 2019. As such, the value of crisps, popcorn, nuts and other savoury snacks has climbed by 13.1% to the dizzy height of £3.8bn [Kantar 52 w/e 27 December 2020].
That’s an extra £441.8m. And there’s good reason for this massive pile, suggests Cofresh brand manager Jon Roberts. “With cutbacks and restrictions on daily life, snacking has become the affordable treat,” he says. “At-home snacking is one area that has experienced continued growth.”
That’s putting it lightly. Lockdown sparked an avalanche of sales in crisps. The sector’s volumes are up 15.1%, while popcorn has risen 14.8% and nuts are up 12.2%.
Sustainable sourcing: food producers seeing the bigger picture in 2021 Sustainable sourcing of food packaging and ingredients has climbed its way to the top of the agenda for many companies in 2021, including some of the industry’s big players.
In February, for example, Greencore announced a range of measures, committing to 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2025 and the sustainable sourcing of all raw materials by 2030. Earlier in the month global bakery ingredients business Zeelandia made a pledge to make its use of palm oil 100% sustainable.
Initiatives such as these are well timed, according to Saskia Nuijten, head of public engagement at European innovation initiative EIT Food.
Meat snacking startup Made For Drink is moving into the crisps category.
The brand – whose range includes snacks such as Chorizo Thins and Mangalitza Salami Chips – has created a duo of crisps.
They are: Chicken Salt Fries, which despite the name are suitable for vegetarians and based on an Australian seasoning for rotisserie chicken, and Tapas Fries, which comprise a mix of straw fries and slices of chorizo, seasoned with olives, sun-ripened tomatoes and paprika.
Made For Drink founder Dan Featherstone said 2021 was “the perfect moment to build up a blossoming off-trade and online reputation by taking an ambitious next step into the £1bn potato crisp category”.