How America turned into a nation of snacks

And during the pandemic, a major shift in how millions of Americans work has opened up new snack categories—good news for snack sellers, but not for our health.

The US snack food market grew from about $116.6 billion in 2017 to an estimated $150.6 billion in 2022, and is expected to grow to $169.6 billion in 2027, according to Euromonitor International, which includes fruit and ice snacks. Cream, biscuits, snack bars and candy. Delicious snacks in the category.

“Today’s snacks are ubiquitous,” said Sally Lyons-Watt, executive vice president at market research firm IRI. “It’s a lifestyle.”

But not until recently.

From three square meals to snacks at any time

That may be the norm today, said Ashley Rose Young, a food historian at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, but historically, eating three meals a day “certainly wasn’t the norm.” This practice became popular in the United States thanks to the Industrial Revolution, when factory schedules dictated workers’ eating patterns.

“You might want to eat a meal before you head to work to power you through the day,” Young said. Then “there will be a midday break, to fuel your energy… and then have your post-work meal.”

As meals become more standardized in the United States, new rules about eating have emerged—and with them, new attitudes toward snacking.

In the 19th century, street vendors selling snacks like peanuts were stigmatized as being associated with the working class and the poor, as Abigail Carroll explains in her 2013 book “Three Squares” on American snacking and eating habits. “As meals—especially dinners—become more social, more polite, and more specific, snacking becomes counterproductive,” she wrote.

But the food vendors saw a business opportunity in snacks – if they could figure out a way to get them off the streets and into the house. To do this, they needed better packaging, something that would seal an item and keep it fresh.

Eventually, a group of entrepreneurs cracked the code, opening the door to the rest of the industry. their product? Jack cracker.

Snacks hit the mainstream

Frederick and Louis Roeckheim, two German brothers who lived in Chicago, developed sweet popcorn and a peanut snack. Carroll recounted that in 1896, they traveled with her from town to town to exchange samples and spread the word about the product. To keep Cracker Jack fresh longer, they worked with a man named Henry Eckstein, who developed a special wax lining for the bags in which they were sold. In the following years, companies like Nabisco and Kellogg built this technology or adapted it to their own elements, opening the door to others.

Over the years, other shifts in American culture and technology have made snacking on the go more appealing, noted Young, the food historian.

And once millennials started shopping for themselves, the trend accelerated even more.

Today’s snack

IRI’s Watt, who has been tracking snack trends for decades, said boomers and GMs tend to indulge in a snack in the afternoon or evening. However, millennials also snack in the morning.

“Millennials are already starting to change the way this is done [people] “I ate,” Watt said, “I definitely started seeing smaller meals and/or snacks… being eaten throughout the day.”

Then the pandemic happened, and another shift occurred, Watt noted: People started eating more late-night snacks.

This was in part due to the way people are spending their days during the pandemic. Because kids are stuck at home during traditional working hours, some parents spend more hours at night and snack on to refuel. Others developed new routines that included staying up late.

Now, with people returning to the office and a more regular work schedule, they may be less interested in eating late-night snacks. But food vendors will likely continue to try to market food in this time frame. “I don’t think they’re going to fall and it’s irrelevant,” Watt said.

Not all snacks are created equal

So what does all this snacking mean for our health? It depends on what you consider a snack.

“Those who pick out whole fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy, and lean sources of protein, or are aware of portion size from their snack—it can sometimes help them meet some of the recommendations and guidelines,” said Jessica Pehoniak, R.D., a registered dietitian. and Assistant Professor of Clinical Nutrition at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.

Snack vendors offer so-called “best for you” options, which may contain less sugar or come in smaller portion control packages. For some, these substitutions can be very helpful when it comes to weight management, Behoniak said, noting that people should be mindful of serving sizes because smaller packages may still contain more than one serving.

When it comes to shelf-stable packaged goods — even those that claim to be better for you — consumers should read the nutritional information on the packages.

“They did something to make it shelf stable,” Behuniak said. “The important part there is to check food labels,” she said, “watching for sodium content, added content, and saturated fat.” Your healthy choice, she said, might be something that doesn’t come in a package at all, like a crunchy piece of fruit or veggies.

It’s not clear if when or how often you eat matters. For some, Behuniak said, it’s easier to snack rather than make time for sit-down meals. But as long as you make the right food choices, “I think that’s totally fine.”