Everybody snacks! Discover how, where and what snack lovers snack on.

From Baby Boomers to Millennials to Gen Zs, they all love to snack, and today’s snack lovers are redefining the foodservice landscape by how they snack, when they snack and what they snack on. And operators are hurrying to meet their increasing demands.

Make Margherita your go-to snacking resource. We can help fill in those gaps between meals when people seek quick, yet quality, satisfaction. In addition to the broadest portfolio of pork and fully cooked meats in the industry, we can offer the insights you need to attract different kinds of snack lovers. Discover the whos, whats and whens about today’s snackers below.

Let our family of fine Smithfield products help you draw more snack-loving customers. For additional product information, complete our contact form, or call your sales representative at 888-327-6526.

WHO IS SNACKING ON?!

Just about everybody. But the amount of snacking a consumer does can vary dramatically from one snacker to the next and many times is based on age. Millennial males are heavy snack users as they are moving away from three square meals per day. In fact, 18.7% of Millennial males’ visits to restaurants were for snacks. Alternately, Baby Boomers skew to the lighter snacking side and tend to prefer three square meals per day.1 See the chart below to compare the differences between snackers.

Differences between snackers2:

Super Heavy 22%

snack in between
meals 3+ times per day

Heavy 39%

snack in between
meals twice per day

Moderate 23%

snack in between
meals once per day

Light 16%

snack in between
meals <1 per day

WHAT DO THEY SNACK ON?!

Shareables

Social eating is exploding in popularity. Appetizers or small plates meant to share are gaining popularity on menus everywhere.

Fact:
64%

of consumers indicated ordering
small plates as a snack with 70%
age 18-34 vs 61% age 35 and older.3

Trend:

Porchetta, pork roast rolled and stuffed, and croquettes
have increased in menu penetration over 4 years, 68%
and 27% respectively.4

Mini Entrées

Simply reduced-size portions of regular entrées, mini entrées offer satisfaction between meals when a large portion is too much.

Fact:
38%

of consumers indicated ordering
a small entrée, such as a flatbread,
as a snack.5

Trend:

Silders have had a 15% increase in menu penetration
over 4 years, and pork applications, from BBQ to ethnic
to deli items, are trending.6

Handhelds

Perfect for today's on-the-go consumers looking for a quick pick-me-up, handheld items have diversified into a unique variety of unexpected items.

Fact:

Consumer demand for on-the-go snacks is
driving LSRs and QSRs to offer more handheld
snacks. Burgers (70% mention) ranked one
of the most craveable snack items.7

Trend:

Consumers are interested in Cuban (39%) and
Vietnamese (25%) sandwiches, both of which
feature pork and ham.8

WHEN DO THEY SNACK ON?!

Any time of day is the perfect snack time for some consumers. And while opportunities exist 24/7, afternoon seems to yield the biggest growth potential for operators.

27%

of consumers eat
a snack in the morning9

Morning Snackers

These cravers seek a satisfying
snack to hold them over between
breakfast and lunch.

79%

of consumers reported
snacking in the afternoon10

Afternoon Snackers

Some make snacks a midafternoon
mini meal, while others skip lunch
and go all-out snacking.

29%

of consumers reported
snacking late at night11

Late-Night Snackers

Consumers looking for nibbles after
a night out with friends. Evidence
indicates that younger consumers
are more likely to snack late at night
due to lifestyle and eating habits.

SNACK ON! With the Smithfield portfolio of snackin' favorites.

Smithfield has the extensive variety you need to create additional meal opportunities to attract snack lovers between regular meals. For additional product information, complete our contact form, or call your sales representative at 888-327-6526.

1, 2 (National Restaurant News & The NPD Group Consumer Study, 2016)
3-6 (Datassential)
7, 8 (2016 Technomic Sandwich CTR)
9-11 (IRI, CSP Snacking Supplement, 2016)