Changing eating habits
Snacks in between are trendy
Eating habits are changing. Consumers in Germany are spending more money on snacks, a study shows. Younger people in particular often forego traditional meals. Why?
According to a study, snacks are becoming increasingly important. Consumer spending on mini-meals such as muesli bars, fruit, vegetables, sandwiches and yoghurt has increased by 70 percent in Germany since 2018. This emerges from the “Consumer Index” by the market research company Yougov.
More and more people are often eating snacks between main meals. The proportion of those who say this increased from 41.8 to 45 percent between 2020 and 2023. This is shown by a Yougov survey of around 7,250 adults.
For many people, the snack is obviously not just something for in between meals. According to the survey, around a third already eat small snacks more often and forego a main meal.
“A help to quickly take something to eat in the daily chaos”
However, with increasing age, the tendency to snack decreases. There is still a clear tendency towards traditional eating habits, especially among baby boomers (57 to 71 years old) and those in the age group above. About two-thirds try to eat three times a day and do not want to replace classic meals such as breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks. The proportion is lower among young people. Only just under 45 percent of so-called millennials (27 to 41 years old) are committed to the old three-meal model, while among 12 to 26 year olds the figure is less than 40.
Yougov trading expert Robert Kecskes sees several reasons for this. The fact that younger people in particular resort to snacks is not new. “Young people’s daily routines are simply not as structured as those of older generations. Snacks are a great help to quickly grab something to eat in the daily chaos.” With the birth of the first child, however, the meal times changed.
The expert also sees a new trend. The cause is more time pressure and changes in the living and working world. This caused diets to shift. With the increasing number of sedentary tasks in many professions, food that promotes concentration is useful, writes Kecskes. In contrast to heavy home cooking, smaller snacks kept fitness and concentration at a stable level.
dpa
Source: Stern
