Movers, Shakers and Snack Makers? Why Snacking is Trending in the U.S.

Maple Ridge Farms Team

We’re a nation on the go – always moving toward our next experience. From work to play and every moment in between, we’re looking for solutions that fit our active lifestyles.

We want clothing that works in and out of the office, entertainment that follows us wherever we go and portable products that we can take with us. So, it makes sense that we’ve become a nation of snackers.

Stop and think for a minute. When was your last snack? Today, between projects? Yesterday, while you were running from one activity to the next? Are you having one right now?

Whether you already identify as a snacker or you’re new to this movement, here’s why snacking is trending in the U.S.
 

Snacks are Convenient

Snacks are convenient to grab in between activities. They’re easy to eat in front of your computer or on your way to another meeting. Don’t have time for lunch before your appointment? It’s a good thing you stashed a snack in your glove compartment or bag.  

With our packed schedules and flexible work arrangements, time-blocking has become a popular time management technique to focus and get things done. Whether you follow the Pomodoro Method or have replaced your to-do list with time-blocking, snacks fit into your schedule.

Snacks are Portable

Snacks are portable: we can enjoy them whenever and wherever we want. It’s a lot easier to eat cashews or trail mix on the way to your child’s baseball game or walking through an airport than balancing a dinner plate. We stash snacks in the car, in our carry-ons and luggage, in our work and hand bags.

They also give us flexibility. If we have snacks on us, we don’t have to find time to buy and eat lunch between meetings or during a mad dash through the airport. Instead of waiting in line to select from unappealing options, we can enjoy a snack that we like while taking a moment to ourselves or heading to our next activity.

Snacks are Efficient

It’s not only snacks that are popular; it’s snack-sized packaging too, which makes sense. While we’re heading from one experience in our lives to the next, we don’t want to deal with supersized food portions that take up space and create waste. With individual portions or snack-sized packaging, we can choose the snack we want right now without worrying about what to do with leftovers or eating too much.

Individually packaged snacks are a hit at events too. Attendees can grab a snack on their way to a session to enjoy now or later. Sealed snacks can be left out in high-traffic areas for attendees to enjoy as they please. You don’t have to worry about contamination or food safety, because each pack is sealed. Individually packaged snacks cut down on food waste, because leftovers are easy to take with us and eat later.

Worried about packaging waste? So are we. That’s why we’re big fans of environmentally-friendly packaging, from recyclable materials to reusable options. Believe it or not, food waste is a much larger issue than packaging waste. According to Packaging Digest, “ten times more resources—materials, energy, water—are used to make and distribute food than are used to make the packaging to protect it.”

From food safety to portion control to reducing waste, snacks and snack-sized packaging are popular for a variety of reasons. Trends may come and go, but it looks like our always-on-the-go lifestyles are here to stay. If that’s the case, we don’t see convenience, portability and efficiency going out of style anytime soon.

Looking for a delicious snack to fuel your next meeting or event? Our custom labeled treats feature our traditional gourmet-quality food gifts in smaller, individually labeled packages. Convenient and portable, they’re perfect for conferences, sales meetings, job fairs, 5Ks, tradeshows, training sessions and more.    

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“Snacks account for a whopping 51% of all food sales, and 92% of adults in the United States have snacked within the last 24 hours.”  {Source: Viking Masek]  

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