Food Industry Loves The Growing American Obsession With Snacking

It’s a little hard to tell whether food companies are reacting to, or creating, the increased interest in snacking. Whichever, the trend is real. Sales of snack bars are up and chain eateries are doing whatever they can to attract the attention of the P.M. snack crowd. A Nielsen survey of 1,139 consumers finds that 91 percent admit to snacking every day. Twenty-five percent said they snack as much as five times a day. Women prefer chocolate, candy or cookies, while men like the salty fare, including pretzels and chips. “Clearly, snacking is a trend, a positive trend,” says General Mills CEO Ken Powell. “We are very focused on the snacking trend.”