Vega snacks
Even though consumers are increasingly skipping a day of consuming meat, we rarely see that behavior when visiting the snack bar. The hotdog and the hamburger have been in first and second place of favorite snacks for decades. For the vegetarian snack lover, there is still little to no choice. The French fries baked in vegetable oil (indeed 100% vegetarian) is the main reason for vegetarians to visit the snack bar. Even a Vegan burger is not on the menu. You have to be satisfied with cheese sticks fried in the oil where hundreds of fried chicken nuggets have already been in. Even before the rise of part-time vegetarianism, the cheese stick was already a hit with a stable fifth place in the snack top ten.
Part-time vegetarians
Research shows that only 8-10 % of the population in the US (about 30 million consumers) see themselves as part-time vegetarians. Even when visiting the snack bar, man would skip the meat snack. However, there is a lack of good alternatives. Currently, in most snack bars, vegetarians have a limited choice and they must be satisfied with mac and cheese, a pizza slice, noodles or fried rice with pieces of soy “meat”. Cheap pieces of soy “meat” were often sold as real meat until the introduction of the mandatory ingredient declaration. Except for the connoisseur, no one tasted the difference.
It is the snack manufacturers who still don’t see much benefit in this interesting and ever-growing target group. You won't find innovative vegetarian snacks on the menu. In terms of product development, there is still a lot to be gained in this area.
Author
Frans M. de Jong
Published: 03-04-2024