MANY schools now monitor lunchboxes in line with nutrition standards for school meals and that has created demand for healthier alternatives, according to Marina Love, marketing director of Natural Balance Foods. She said: “Research shows some 40% of consumers are switching to healthier snack alternatives and one in four consumers look for nutritional benefits when choosing a snack.
“We believe this trend is reflected in the choices parents make for their children.”
She added that Natural Balance’s Nakd biscuits range has recorded a rise in sales of 80.32% to sit at £25.5m.
She said: “In 2015, 80% of Nakd’s £11.3m growth is incremental to the category.
“Market penetration has increased by 14% and the number of existing category shoppers adding Nakd to their repertoire has increased by 69%.”
And that had helped Nakd become the best-selling single cereal bar in the market, she said.
• Mike Hodgson, co-founder of dairy firm The Collective says the focus on healthy and convenient products is a powerful trend.
He said: “Due to busy lifestyles, adults are looking for the types of products normally associated with the children’s category: single-serve, mess free and easy to eat at work or outside of the home.”
He said that in response The Collective has created 150g single-serve yogurt pots that come with a spoon and, for the children’s category, it has introduced the Suckies range of portable pouches designed to be squeezed and eaten without a spoon.
