Four in ten (40%) of Brits have switched to buying snacks or crisps that are 100 calories or less, with one in eight (12%) citing ‘double digit calories or less’ as their key snacking criteria
One in ten (12%) UK adults are seeking snacks containing double digit calories or less, according to new Walkers research
Yet the majority (80%) of UK adults have no idea how many calories are in their favourite snacks – from a bag of popcorn or nuts to a multipack bag of Wotsits or Quavers
Food items that require zero preparation (21%), are affordable (36%) and don’t smell or offend other people (8%) also came high considerations when deciding on a little treat
We’re a nation of snackers – only 2% of Brits claim not to snack, and the average UK adult consumes up to two snacks a day, with over a third (35%) consuming three or more.
Yet, according to new research from Walkers, our snacking habits are changing, with over a third (40%) of the nation claiming to have switched to buying snacks or crisps containing 100 calories or less, and one in ten citing ‘double digit calories’ as their key snacking criteria.
Despite this, 80% of Brits have no idea how many calories are in their favourite snacks – from a banana or bag of nuts to a multipack bag of their favourite crisps.
97% of Brits class themselves as ‘crisp eaters’ and almost half of UK adults (46%) eat them at least a few times each week, with 14% of people eating them daily. Yet only one in ten (11%) Brits are aware that there are 100 calories or less in multipack bags of Wotsits and Monster Munch.
Additionally, only 24% of UK adults are aware how many calories are in a banana, or a handful (30g) of nuts, and only a fifth (21%) of people know how many calories are in a small bag (30g) of popcorn.
Almost a third (29%) of the nation claimed to be ‘surprised’ by the revelation that Wotsits, Monster Munch and Quavers multipack bags contain less than 100 calories per pack, while others (7%) cited it as ‘the best news ever’.
According to the snack brand’s data, chocolate (19%) and crisps (17%) are the nation’s all-time favourite snacks, followed by fruit (8%) and cake (7%), while between 3 and 4pm (24%) is the time most people will opt to eat one.
When it comes to choosing lunchtime snacks, crisps are the nation’s top choice, with almost half (46%) the nation choosing them as their lunch snack of choice, followed by fruit (39%) and chocolate (22%).
Just shy of a quarter (23%) of UK adults cite snack time as one of their favourite moments of the day, with some (9%) even claiming to spend hours thinking about their snack choices. Additionally, just under a fifth (18%) claim to feel like they’re winning when they find out a snack they’ve eaten contains less calories than they thought.
Aside from double digit calories, the nation’s other top snacking criteria includes items that are tasty (64%), affordable (36%), require zero preparation (21%) and don’t smell or offend those around them (8%).
Meanwhile 18% claim that snacks must be crunchy, and others seek out snacks that are salty (17%) or sweet (13%).
If forced to opt for something that doesn’t meet their snacking criteria – or ‘snack-spectations’ –18% feel like they need another, better snack to make up for it, while others claim to feel upset at the wasted snacking opportunity (10%).
Just over one in four (43%) claim to feel ‘satisfied’ with themselves after a good snack, while others claim to feel a sense of achievement (4%)
In light of the findings, Walkers is shining a light on its range of multipack crisps and snacks that contain 100 calories or less per pack, which include multipack bags of Monster Munch, Wotsits, Quavers, French Fries and Squares, to help the nation’s crisp lovers enjoy tasty snacks that meet their snacking criteria when it comes to calories.
Josephine Taylor at Walkers commented: “At Walkers, we know how a good snack can make or break someone’s day. With many people increasingly seeking out snacks in portions of 100 calories or less, it’s surprising how few people are actually aware that all of our multipack snack bags of Monster Munch, Wotsits, Quavers, French Fries and Squares actually meet this criteria – so we thought it was only right that we made it known!
“We’re always striving to provide extensive choice when it comes to snacks, to make sure we’re meeting the nation’s snacking needs. Hopefully this new knowledge will be seen as good news for UK crisp lovers and help them when deciding what snack to include for their next lunch.”
Multipack bags of Monster Munch, Wotsits, Quavers, French Fries and Squares, are available at supermarkets nationwide, along with the Walkers 99 Calorie Mix Multipack assortment.
The post Making the switch to 100 calories or less appeared first on Wellbeing Magazine.
