From midmorning to around midnight, here's a taste of the hottest trends in snacking.

Snacking has evolved. It’s not just a bag of chips and a candy bar anymore.

Today’s snack lovers are redefining the foodservice landscape by how they snack, when they snack and what they snack on. Below, find valuable insights on the latest trends in snacking.

Smithfield has the extensive portfolio of fresh and prepared products to help build snacking business for you. If you have questions or require additional information, complete our contact form, or call your sales rep at 888-327-6526.

HANDHELD SNACKING

In the car, after the gym, walking the dog or waiting for the train, on-the-go consumers looking for portable satisfaction choose handheld items. And operators have taken notice. A full 81% of operators report increased profits when they offer handheld items.1

Trends:

In 2016, the menu item ordered most often as an afternoon snack was a burger, and breakfast sandwiches were ranked the 2nd most popular morning snack.2

Tips:

  • Use fresh pork products like Smithfield tenderloins and pork butts, which can be slow-roasted and perfect for an authentic Cubano.
  • Create signature on-the-go burgers with ready-to-cook Angus beef burgers and sliders.
  • Offer a variety of lunch counter sandwiches made from fully cooked products like deli meats and dried & cured meats.

SHAREABLE SNACKABLES

The explosion in popularity of social media has brought with it the increased popularity of social eating. Because more and more consumers are looking to snack with friends during happy hour or after a long day at work, more and more restaurants are offering shareable plates and tapas-style choices.

Trends:

Small-plate sharing, “grazing,” was reported by 60% of chefs as a hot trend. In addition, appetizer samplers are the most likely snack option to be purchased at full-service restaurants.3

Tips:

  • Use fresh pork products like Smithfield bellies and ribs to create irresistibly indulgent shareable plates.
  • Wrap dates with bacon or stuff jalapeños with chorizo for pop-in-your-mouth fun.
  • Create classic tapas-style menu items like croquettes with fully cooked items such as barbacoa or chicken.

SNACKING ON MINI ENTRÉES

When hunger strikes, but you don’t want to be filled up between meals, a mini entrée can be the answer. Many operators are offering more miniaturized versions of entrées like sliders, wraps, snack melts, flatbreads and more, to appeal to consumers seeking quick, yet non-filling, satisfaction.

Trends:

A full 59% of consumers say it’s very important that snacks aren’t too large, while over a quarter (27%) of 18- to 34-year olds say they like to purchase snacks at restaurants instead of full meals due to health motivations.4

Tips:

  • Offer delicious sliders for any time of day with fresh Smithfield pork items like the ever-trending pork belly.
  • Create snack wraps like ham and lettuce roll-ups with deli meats.
  • Use fully cooked pulled meats for BBQ wraps, breakfast sausage for breakfast wraps and pizza toppings for mini flatbreads.

Discover what Smithfield can do to satisfy the snack cravings of your customers.

For recipe and application inspiration, visit our Recipes page or our Menu Builder page. For more information on products, contact your Smithfield sales representative at 888-327-6526.

1, 2 (NRA & The NPD Group, Snack Attack, March 2017)
3, 4 (2016 Technomic Snacking Occasion Consumer Trend Report)