PORT WASHINGTON, New York—According to recent NPD Group research, kids aged 2 to 17 snacked on more refrigerated yogurt in 2009 than in 2008, helping it claim the No. 1 spot on the market-research company’s list of top growing snack foods. Other top foods experiencing notable growth as snack options—foods eaten between, with or instead of meals—in 2009 compared to 2008 are potato chips, fresh fruit, cheese (string, and prepackaged cheese cubes or shapes) and hard candy. Rounding out the top-10 list are frozen pops (ice cream or fudge), chewy candy, corn chips, doughnuts, and snack pies and pastries.
Although all of these foods saw growth in 2009, the top snack option for this age group is still fresh fruit.
NPD Group notes that 60% percent of snacks are consumed at snack occasions—before, between and after meals, throughout the day—and the remaining snacks are eaten with or instead of dedicated meals, and that one out of every five meals in the United States is a “snack meal.”