The state of play in snacking and share plates
/FSR’s consultant chefs Gary Johnson, Peter Wright and Adam Moore share their thoughts on the latest marketplace trends in the snacking category.
Health-consciousness, convenience and indulgence
Gary Johnson
FSR CONSULTANT CHEF
“I think the foods that make up snacking in the out of home market today are a mix of health-consciousness, convenience and indulgence,” says Gary Johnson, former national executive chef for a major hotel chain and now much in demand as a consultant. “When you look at the different dayparts, they’re not as clearly defined as in the past – last year about 10 per cent of diners were seated between 2pm and 5pm, so we’re no longer in that fixed breakfast, lunch, dinner regime and consequently the opportunities for offering snacks on the menu has grown.
“We’re seeing particularly strong growth in afternoon snacking – little savoury plates served with drinks, bar bites, and these are being sought by a cross-generational demographic,” Gary says. “Some of the budget and calorie consciousness we’re seeing in people’s dining habits may also be contributing to the category growth – there’s also a lot of smart operators now who’ve realised that, especially if it’s your own business, you can be open all day long and using your ingredients across the day and find opportunities to sell snack meals which can be derived from your base menus.”
“We’re seeing particularly strong growth in afternoon snacking ... being sought by a cross-generational demographic”
Gary also says customers tend to be going for smaller snack serves as well as seeking out functional foods which offer health benefits – “protein bars and balls, superfoods like Chia seeds, are part of the snack offering right now and doing very well. Then you also have the grab and go snackers who want something handheld, a pick-me-up in the afternoon.
“We’re seeing yoghurt pots with added toppings in single serve packs which appeal to those customers who are mindful of their dietary intake – they might prefer to have one big meal complemented with two or three smaller snacks throughout the day. A lot of customers are moving away from large deserts in favour of smaller quantity but better quality ingredients – gourmet popcorn or small batches of artisanal style goods.”
Another growing trend is to take advantage of global flavours – Gary cites the example of nuts flavoured with Middle Eastern spices served with drinks. “Another influence is the move to eco-friendly packaging, which means people are shying away from single use plastics so we’re seeing more snacks which can be served with recyclable wrappers or in biodegradable containers. Smart vending machines are also providing a new channel for snacking – there’s ones now which will bake pizzas, box them up and serve them to you. This sort of technology, along with app-based online ordering, is driving the market demand from a lot of different angles – for example if I walk within half a k of my local café, I’ll get a push notification asking if I want to come in for my favourite coffee and snack. So all this is accelerating category growth.”
“What we’re likely to see coming up next is hybrid or fusion snacks, like chocolate covered pretzels”
Gary says share plates are still going strong in snacking – “we had the rise of the charcuterie platter and now we’re seeing the ‘seacuterie’ – smoked oysters, sardines, marinated fish on a platter which is a great way for people to snack and socialise with a nice glass of pinot gris or sauvignon blanc, or even a couple of beers with the boys: sharing a plate with dips, bread and olives and in winter it’s always good to add something hot to an otherwise cold share plate.
“I think what we’re likely to see coming up next is hybrid or fusion snacks, like chocolate covered pretzels – sweet mixed with savoury. There’s no holds barred, the boundaries are blurring and it’s quite interesting to see because there’s a lot of creative people who are taking advantage of the ‘black holes’ we used to have in foodservice between two and five. Even some of the QSRs are refreshing their snack offerings to better target the grab and go segment, and cafes too are putting greater emphasis on grab and go – you can go in and order a coffee but for an extra dollar or two you can take a cookie with it. It’s all about capturing those incremental opportunities to boost sales.”
Still a place for indulgent snacking
PETER WRIGHT
FSR CONSULTANT CHEF
Chef Peter Wright says that despite the current hype around healthier snacking, there’s still a place for indulgent snacking. “Chocolate, cakes and muffins and cookies are all still big sellers in snacks,” he argues.
“Your morning tea is still going to be your indulgent pick me up, whereas people who miss breakfast will tend to be looking for a snack that’s a bit more high protein so you need to offer that as well. In the afternoon they’re going for mixed nuts and fruits and more savoury choices – you might look at putting on some fried chicken, some sliders, more of your mini-meal type snacks.
“The other aspect to consider is that customers are now far more knowledgeable than in the past, so dietary composition is starting to drive sales. The humble egg is one of the greatest superfoods on the planet and it’s just now starting to be marketed as such. So people are looking for these kinds of choices, snacking which is a bit more substantial. Then as we head into late night snacking, it’s more about your sausage rolls, pies and kebabs which are the big sellers.
“There are great options in gluten free and allergen free products which are important to be able to offer as snacks”
Peter says pre-packaged snacks are also much in demand especially to serve with morning coffee. “Protein balls are a great example – you can make them in-house easily enough, but you can also buy them in as there are some good products available pre-bagged for grab and go. There are great options in gluten free and allergen free products which are important to be able to offer as snacks for customers requiring those dietary choices.”
Lowbrow is the new cool
ADAM MOORE
FSR CONSULTANT CHEF
Chef Adam Moore says “lowbrow is the new cool” in snacking right now – “there’s a lot of repurposing of ingredients going on, such as making snacks from chicken skins, pork crackling and parmesan rinds. These are parts of ingredients that we would normally throw away but people are now experimenting with them and making them into snacks – you throw parmesan rind into the microwave and it puffs up and you get these beautiful flavours.
Adam says a major driver of this is the need to cut down on food waste. “Operators are striving to minimise waste by repurposing leftovers in creative ways. In Melbourne there’s a fantastic café and wine bar called Cassette which strives for zero waste – they’re doing things like turning carrot peelings into chips or using carrot tops in pesto. It’s a phenomenal idea and snacking seems to be the way to deliver it.
“A lot of chefs are making their own crisps and they’re deliberately intensifying the flavours ”
“We’re also seeing a lot of demand for bar snacks, to the point at which there are dedicated snack menus for the bar. Crisps are trending, but crisps with complex flavour profiles like truffle salt or salt and vinegar made with balsamic. A lot of chefs are making their own crisps and they’re deliberately intensifying the flavours – and using really strong ones like sriracha.
“Protein enriched snacks are also much in demand – which translates into ingredients like fried chickpeas, protein powder being added in during seasoning, and sardines and anchovies which are high in protein coming into that snacking space. I think people are looking for more protein in their diets generally, hence we’re seeing the growth of protein enhanced snacks and chefs calling out extra protein in their ingredients lists.”
“We’re also seeing the growth of potato based snacks like potato gems or tater tots loaded with cheese sauce”
Another emerging trend is the growth in freeze dried snacks which first blossomed during the Covid lockdowns. “Australia doesn’t tend to do a lot of freeze drying because of the expense, but in New Zealand a lot of households have freeze dryers. What we’re now seeing is people spending between $3000 to $5000 on a freeze drier and putting snacks in there – including foods which you wouldn’t think of as traditional choices.
“We’re also seeing the growth of potato based snacks like potato gems or tater tots loaded with cheese sauce, and snacks like Canadian putine becoming popular here. Again you might call it lowbrow snacking, they’re not high end cuisine but they’re forging ahead. And there’s also the use of botanicals – using rose petals in place of caviar, for example, which can be quite interesting as a way to garnish a dish. I think we’ll see a lot more use of these in the snacking space as people experiment with how these aromas can complement their flavours.”
