There’s no great surprise when it comes to Britain’s favourite snacks. In the top spot is chocolate, followed by crisps, then biscuits.
The data comes courtesy of Graze’s Psychology of Snacking Report. They’re not the healthiest of choices but move a little further down Graze’s list and you get to healthier options including fresh fruit and yogurt.
Do you remember when there was a lot of talk about ‘day-part merchandising’ ie moving products around the store to drive sales at different times? Well, there’s a case for that in Graze’s research, which found that people choose different snacks according to the time of day.
Snacks eaten before lunch tend to be healthier, whereas those consumed after lunch and before bedtime are much more likely to be unhealthy. The reason is something called ‘decision fatigue’. Apparently just choosing a snack – asking How hungry am I? Should I have something now or wait for my lunch/dinner? What time am I having dinner? How much time do I have? Savoury or sweet? Hot or cold… and on and on is exhausting and means we go for the easy option of instant gratification ie chocolate or crisps or biscuits, simply because we know they will taste good.
And taste is the number one factor when it comes to choosing a specific snack but the problem is, according to Graze, that most people say that they’d expect a snack that tasted good, to not be good for them. And 62% of people consider unhealthy snacks to be tastier than healthy ones.
Bar of chocolate or carrot stick…I know which one I would prefer. But it’s all about choice which is why it’s so good to see so many forecourt stores including healthier snacks in their chillers and on their shelves.
But I for one am glad I can still pick up a Twirl on my way to pay for my petrol as most forecourt shops were not affected by the HFSS rules.
I am sometimes disappointed about the lack of fresh fruit available in forecourts, having seen amazing displays when I have visited the US. Tubs of brightly coloured bite-sized fruit pieces nestled in ice that screams ‘buy me’ – but I understand the reasons why and must add that we are getting there, healthy snack-wise.
