News Release
Issued: 14.3.14
Innovative Positionings Drive the Nuts Market Forward
12 Mar 2014 --- The share of nuts in global snack foods launches has risen steadily in
recent years as nuts have found increasing favour as convenient and nutritious snacks
and technology has allowed development of the value-added category in particular.
According to Innova Market Insights (www.innovadatabase.com), nuts and seeds
accounted for over 37% of snack foods launches in 2013, with savoury or salty snacks
taking the remainder. Nuts’ share has grown in recent years, rising from less than 36% in
the previous 12-month period and from just over 32% five years ago.
The share of nuts in the snack foods category varies markedly from country to country.
There are particularly high shares in Continental European markets, such as Spain,
France and Germany, where nuts are traditionally eaten as a snack. Lower shares occur
where there is a traditional dominance of potato crisps, particularly the UK and the US.
This is also true to an extent in terms of product activity, with Western Europe seeing the
highest penetration of nuts, equivalent to 40% of total snacks introductions. The US sees a
more modest 32%, which is well behind the global average.
“The packaged snack nuts market has seen mixed fortunes in recent years,” according to
Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation at Innova Market Insights, “with some difficult
times in the market for standard salted peanuts and other commodity-style lines, but rising
interest in value-added products, such as natural, flavoured and premium lines, and
branding”.
“Exotic nuts, such as Brazils, macadamias, pistachios and pecans, are increasingly being
used to add value and interest in the market,” Williams reports, “while nut mixes have
moved into whole new areas in terms of ingredients and away from their traditional
reliance on seasonal sales.”
Interest in health has also been a key driver in the market in recent years, with the growing
positioning of nuts as a healthy snack. Nuts are suitable for year-round consumption, both
as an impulse snack and as a planned snack for sharing during in-home family and social
occasions.
Ongoing interest in the health attributes of nuts resulted in one-third of global launches in
2013 being positioned on a health platform of some kind, rising to over 60% in the US.
Naturalness was a key area of interest and led in terms of claims. Nut launches marketed
as one or more of organic, natural or additive-/preservative-free featuring on nearly 19% of
total launches, while fibre, protein and low sodium claims were also popular, used on
nearly 6%, over 4% and just under 3% of launches, respectively.
Williams concludes: “While innovation opportunities have traditionally seemed more limited
in nuts than in some other sectors of the snacks market, it would appear that this may no
longer be the case. Technological improvements have allowed the development of much
more complex and sophisticated flavours and coatings and a range of more user-friendly
packaging formats. These include resealable cardboard cans, plastic and aluminium
pouches and plastic jars, as well as the more traditional flow-wrapped bags.”
For further information on the Innova Database, the representative for Australia and
New Zealand is Glen Wells (Glen.Wells@innova-food.com.au).
Issued by:
Glen Wells
Regional Director - Australasia
Innova Market Insights
Mail: P.O. Box 357, Ermington, NSW, 1700, Australia
Tel.: + 61 2 9647 1479
Mob.: + 61 407 262 838
E-mail: Glen.Wells@innova-food.com.au
Website: www.innovadatabase.com