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2 SNACKINGNEWS Sneak Peek U.S., with 96 percent of Americans saying that they snack at least occasionally. Among people between the ages of 18 and 44, almost everyone is snacking between main meals, with 97 percent of 18-24- year-olds, 98 percent of those aged 25 to 34 and 97 percent of those between 35 and 44 saying that they snack. Snacking tends to skew towards young and male con- sumers, with young and middle-aged men much more likely to snack regularly than any other group, according to the surveys. Most of this snacking takes place after lunch, with 55 percent of U.S. consumers saying that they snack between lunch and dinner and 39 percent saying that they snack between dinner and bedtime, and most of it happens at home. While hunger is the obvi- ous motivation for snacking, treating or re- warding oneself, boosting energy and relieving boredom are also top drivers. This snacking isn't necessarily guilt- free; younger consumers in particular, those between 25 and 34, say that they're judgy about people who eat junk foods. A fair number of Americans are getting around that by eating snacks that contain "a healthy ingredient." About a third of all New Snacks Continued from Page 1 Americans and more than half of 25-34- year-olds say that they feel less guilty about consuming unhealthy foods or drinks if they contain a healthy ingredient. The market is seeing a proliferation of snack foods that offer protein rather than added sugar for that between-meal energy boost, and many of them are offering front-of-the-package claims of some kind of nutritional benefit, even if it's just an offset for a product that might otherwise be considered an indulgent treat rather than a component of a nutrition plan. Stoneridge Orchards' line of all-natural dried fruits is Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, free of preservatives and sul- fites and contain no hydrogenated oils, ar- tificial flavors or colors. They're high in Vitamin C and free of common allergens. The fruit is grown in family-owned or- chards in central Washington by third-gen- eration family farmers. Country Prime Meats' Country Bites Naturals are meat snacks available in four flavors, including Hamalyan Inspired, flavored with tandoori spice, and Tuscan Inspired, flavored with tomato and pepper, cooked, smoked and dried turkey sausages. They're gluten free and lactose free, with no added nitrites and no lactose. Turkey for the snacks was raised without antibiotics, and the snacks are bite-sized to aid in portion control. Simply Smart and Smart Kids snack bars are targeted directly at the nutrition- conscious, with Smart Kids bars formu- lated to meet U.S. Department of Agriculture requirements for school lunch programs. Simply Smart is the adult ver- sion, targeted at the consumer aged 16 and older who wants a healthy snack bar. Sim- ply Smart bars contain no added refined sugar and contain 190 to 200 calories and 10 grams of protein per bar. "Everything we do is all-natural, Non-GMO Project Verified and certified gluten free," said Chief Operating Officer Rob Zelickman. Simply Smart bars are packaged for indi- vidual sale at retail. AWAKE Energy Gra- nola Bars offer caffeine along with B vitamins and some added sugar for that late afternoon energy boost. Each bar con- tains as much caffeine as half a cup of cof- fee plus B vitamins. Each bar contains 5 grams of protein and 150 calories or less. They come in four flavors: Dark Choco- late Peanut Butter, Dark Chocolate Caramel, Coconut Apricot and Cinnamon Bun. They contain no artificial flavors or colors and are gluten free. Peeled Snacks are designed to appeal to the consumer who looks for a clean ingre- dient deck with no added sugar. Peas Please are the newest item in the product line, which also includes Gently Dried Fruit and Apple Clusters. Made with 70 percent peas, brown rice, sunflower oil and salt, these crunchy snacks are all or- ganic, Non-GMO Project Verified, and gluten free. They come in four flavors, with White Cheddar the newest. Other fla- vors are Sea Salt, Garden Herb and South- west Spice. Peas Please are made by a certified B Corporation started in 2005. Snack pastries from Bakerly are for those who start their snacking with breakfast. Four product lines of bakery products in- clude authentic French crepes filled with strawberry or chocolate, mini brioche, and a chocolate croissant. They're made with real eggs and real butter, individually wrapped and delivered frozen to stores for a 30-day shelf life after thawing. "We are the only brioche to go available in the mar- ket," said Damien Callery, the company's Vice President of Sales. The products are made in France with clean recipes and no genetically modified ingredients. The newest in the line is a chocolate filled petit cake – something like a standard American- style snack cake but without all the artificial ingredients, Callery said. "We want Amer- ica to go back to an American tradition, but with clean ingredients and better quality." n Baby Boomers Still Driving the American Economy BY LORRIE BAUMANN If you're a retailer looking for more dough, you should follow the Baby Boomers, be- cause they've got the bread. Welcome to the longevity economy, in which Baby Boomers may be outnumbered by Millen- nials, but they're living longer than their parents, and they've still got most of the U.S.'s wealth to spend, according to mar- ket researcher Marsha Everton, a Principal in AIMSights, an international marketing company studying the intergenerational dynamics of the Baby Boomer and Millen- nial generations. She and AIMSights Millennial Associ- ate Whitney Ryan made her point during an address during this year's International Home + Housewares Show, held in Chicago in March. The number of adults between ages 20 and 49 – the Millennial Generation – is now 56 percent of the American population and it's still growing due to immigration into this country, which is precisely why this generation is of such deep interest to mar- keters, who are spending about 90 percent of their advertising dollars courting Millen- nials' purchases, according to Everton. It's the generation that's been all but abandoned by the marketers, though – the Baby Boomers – that still has a dispropor- tionate share of the nation's purchasing power. While the Millennials now out- number their parents, the Baby Boomers still have 70 percent of the nation's dispos- able income and 83 percent of total wealth, according to Everton. "That presents a big opportunity," she said. Adults over 50 currently make up a third of the American work force, and this per- centage is increasing. "This group is the only one with a rising labor force partici- pation," Ryan said, adding that 40 percent of the workers who are more than 65 years old are holding down full-time positions. It's a myth that workers who are more than 50 years old who become unemployed for one reason or another are never coming back into the workforce, and the reality is that 40 percent of people who take a break are back in the workforce within two years – 60 percent of them in a new career, ac- cording to Ryan. They're certainly not moving into retirement homes – they're simplifying their lives and they're kicking off their uncomfortable high heels, but they're not necessarily downsizing. "They're tidying up and decluttering," Ryan said. "Boomers really are getting rid of everything that's not serving them." They're looking for products that bring them joy and that earn their space. Baby Boomers are also focused on health and wellness, and they're driving this trend, according to Ryan. "They are leading the trend toward natural foods and 'healthy-ish' eating," she said. "They eat to live and live to eat. Food must taste good in addition to being good for you." It's the Baby Boomers who are driving the demand for ingredients with recognizable names, minimally processed and locally sourced food and for tools to prepare the food at home, she said. For retailers, what this means is that they should be smart about the Baby Boomers and budget mar- keting dollars to appeal to the consumers who are still outspending every other gen- eration. They should make sure that they're spending some of those dollars on online media, since most shoppers who access a website while they're in a store are actually looking at that store's website because they're seeking more information about the products in front of them, Everton said. "Baby Boomers are looking for products that will work in a simplified space – their filters are different, and that's what's defin- ing their decisions," she said. n Publisher Kimberly Oser Senior Associate Publisher Jules Denton Editorial Director Lorrie Baumann Editor Robin Mather Associate Editors Jeanie Catron • JoEllen Lowry • Karrie Welborn Art Director Yasmine Brown Graphic Designer Jonathan Schieffer Customer Service Managers Sarah Glenn • Caitlyn McGrath Show Logistics & Distribution Stacy Davis • Jay Watson • Hannah Stefanovich Sales Floor Manager John Pechota Senior Account Manager Marcos Morhaim Director of Operations Tara Neal European Sales Enrico Cecchi SnackingNews is published by Oser Communications Group ©2017 All rights reserved. All rights reserved. Executive and Editorial offices at: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300/Fax: 520.721.6300 www.osercommunications.com European offices located at Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy. Founder Lee M. Oser

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