Dairy Snacks: A New Culture

We are in a time of frequent snacking. Most of us snack all day long, whether it’s breakfast on the go, snacking between meals, or as meal replacements. According to Mintel, millennials are more likely than any other generation to snack four times a day or, in many cases, more than that. But overall, 94% of Americans are snacking at least once per day.

A major trend with snacking is choosing healthy, and high protein options. Items like jerky, nuts and granola have long been in the snacking spotlight, but a new contender has stolen the show: dairy foods.

Take a look in the dairy aisle and you’ll likely see a whole gamut of snack options available. Popular options always include cheese, including string cheeses, individually wrapped cheese slices, or bites, and the new and fun snack packs that feature cheese, nuts, fruit and sometimes chocolates. Some lines of these packs also include meat, making them a good option for lunch on the go.

Portable yogurt and milk are also healthy snacking options. CPGs are launching more drinkable yogurt, and kefir options, along with small containers of milk to make consuming these products easier on the go. Stick packs of yogurt are also popular for on-the-go consumption. There are even small and portion-controlled ice cream packages that allow consumers to snack on ice cream, without the temptation of eating the whole container!

The good thing about all of these options is that they deliver the right portion size to keep consumers satisfied, but not over-indulged. And the portability factor allows consumers to pack the snacks for the car, at work, at school, and just about anywhere in between. Because snacking as a pastime isn’t going anywhere, we can only be excited to see more snack options launch in easy to use packages that make snacking anytime, and anywhere, even more convenient.