What are better-for-you snacks? At present there is no uniform standard of definition. In the industry, better-for-you snacks are known as snacks that feature the concept of health. From some data reports, we can learn about how consumers define better-for-you snacks. For example, Online Snack Consumption Trend Report released by CBNData in 2018 showed the key words of snacks with the healthy concept. These include natural & organic, nonfried, low fat, high calcium, defatted, additive free and sucrose free. Besides, whether it's made of whole wheat, whether it’s rich in coarse grains and cereals and whether it contains high dietary fiber or not, are also the key standards for judging whether the snacks are healthy.

The emergence of this kind of snacks is a manifestation of consumers’ awareness and attention to healthy diet, such as their growing concern about raw materials and production places of food, food production process and the effect of food on their body and so on. As the survey data of Innova Market Insights shows, 23% of Chinese consumers believe that "whether food is made of real ingredients" is the biggest factor in their willingness of purchase. 

Based on the propensity to buy healthy foods, consumers are also more likely to choose snacks they consider to be of nutritional value, such as nuts and low-fat ready-to-eat baked cereals, while snacks that feature the concept of probiotic, which are conducive to gastrointestinal health, as well as those made of natural organic ingredients are also popular with consumers. In addition, with the rise of sports and fitness fever, snack bars with high protein and energy also have huge market potential.

Among many snacks,nuts should be the first choice of healthy snack for consumer, because they are rich in nutrients such as protein, grease, minerals and vitamins. According to public data, the annual output value of China's roasted seeds and nuts industry reached 121.4 billion yuan, with an average annual compound growth rate of 16%. Among them, the growth rate of highend nut products was even close to 20%. With the increase of domestic consumers’ income, people have higher demands for better quality of life and are also willing to spend more on products with better quality. 

In contrast to the previous single-variety nut in big package, mixed nuts in oneday-serve package are now more popular. The variety of nuts became more abundant. Seasoned and fried nuts are still popular because of their good tastes, but the original flavor nuts are catching up from behind. More and more brands have launched the one-day-serve type products, and strive to "keep fresh" to reduce the loss of nutrients by adopting "short-term fresh-keeping technology" to ensure the quality and freshness of nuts.

Source: www.food2china.com