New product design for health-profiled snacks demands a clear message, as a new study demonstrates consumers may opt to ignore the healthy snack, despite what they say.
Snacks with a healthy profile are blossoming in terms of sales, but findings from the study by researchers at Wageningen University, The Netherlands, suggest there is plenty of room for further growth as consumers opt in theory for the healthful snack, but are in practice dictated to by their impulses.
When 585 office employees were asked to choose between four snacks – an apple, a banana, a confectionery bar and a molasses waffle – about half of the participants indicated they would choose the apple or banana ‘healthy’ snack.
But when presented, one week later, with the actual snacks, 27 per cent switched to the confectionery bar or waffle.
