The snacking industry is a $40 billion market, driven by innovation and changing consumer habits. More Americans are snacking more often, and children are not immune. Busy in their own rights, children are also affected by the schedules of overworked parents. Snacking becomes an easy solution, especially when coming home to an empty house.

Kids are being more vocal about what they want to eat, and in the interests of convenience and family harmony, parents are giving in. When added to the fact that kids have more disposable income than ever before, opportunities for growth are available for manufacturers capitalizing on current trends.

One key trend in the industry is the growing concern surrounding childhood obesity. The hypothesis of this report states that kids will continue to snack as much as ever, but the opportunities for snack food manufacturers lie in new directions, namely in products that manage to be both convenient and nutritionally sound.

Among the key issues covered in this report are convenience versus health, kids’ purchasing power, and shopping habits. Original consumer research examines attitudes and behavior by age, gender, ethnicity and economic group.

Research data and analysis answer questions such as:

Where do kids go after school, and where do they usually buy snacks?

How much money do kids have to spend, and how much do they spend on snacks?

When do kids snack and how often?

How does ethnicity affect kids’ snacking habits?

What snack products are companies launching to target kids?

This report includes snacks that are specifically promoted to children ages 6 to 11, with products divided into the following segments:

Healthy snacks, such as applesauce, yogurt, and fruit

Sweet snacks, such as cookies, crackers, and pudding

Salty snacks, such as chips, pretzels, popcorn, and dried meat snacks

Savory snacks, such as pizza rolls, sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese

This report contains US IRI InfoScan data. Report contents may be subject to change prior to the date of publication.

A number of U.S. reports covering related sectors have been published, are planned, or are in preparation, including:

Healthy Snacking -- U.S. Report, July 2003

Sports and Energy Bars -- U.S. Report, July 2003

Meat Snacks -- U.S. Report, May 2003

Salty Snacks -- U.S. Report, March 2003

The Frozen Snacks Market, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, October 2002

Dining Out Review Volume 3: Pizza Restaurants, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, May 2002

Dining Out Review Volume 2: Family & Casual Dining, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, April 2002

The Kids and Teens Eating Habits Market, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, April 2002

Dining Out Review Volume 1: Quick Service Restaurants, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, March 2002

Eating Habits, Attitudes & Concerns, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, February 2002

The Sugar Confectionery Market, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, January 2002

The Chocolate Confectionery Market, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, October 2001

The Crackers Market, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, September 2001

The Cookies Market, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, July 2001

The Yogurt Market, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, June 2001

The Salty Snacks Market, consumer intelligence--U.S. Report, February 2001