A new approach to eating is changing the way we enjoy our food. Two thirds (65%) of Britons are now choosing a mixture of bigger meals and regular snacking over the traditional three meals every day.

  • Almost three-quarters (71%) of Britons regularly replace meals with grazing
  • Women are nation's biggest grazers - 75% prefer little and often to three main meals
  • Sainsbury's launches new snack range to respond to the nation's latest eating trend

New Sainsbury's research into the nation's eating habits reveals that hectic lifestyles are driving Brits to snack, with one in five claiming they don't have time to prepare three meals a day from scratch. The same number say they're too busy to sit down to eat three times a day.

Of those who no longer eat the traditional three main meals a day, 79% choose dinner as their full meal of choice with breakfast and lunch often replaced by healthy grazing.

The news comes as Sainsbury's introduces the next wave of its On the Go snacks with Peppered Beef, Olives Trio, Chargrilled Chicken and Chicken Tikka Snack Pots launching in-store and online throughout May.

The research also shows that Britons are choosing foods that will keep them feeling fuller. With little time to prepare three nutritious meals every day, Britons are reaching for fruit as their top healthy snack choice (37%) along with items high in protein such as nuts (26%), yoghurt (22%) and cheese (21%), ensuring that snacking isn't compromising their healthy eating regimes.

Further research also revealed that women are bigger snackers than men with three quarters regularly replacing meals with snacks (vs two thirds of men).

And when it comes to popular snacking items - women are more likely than men to reach for healthy fruit (43% vs 32%).

Last year Sainsbury's saw sales of snack-sized klip lock containers increase by 49%, with particularly strong results in January as people kick-started healthy eating habits.

Amanda Steatham, Sainsbury's On the Go snack buyer said: 'Gone are the days when snacking is seen as a real indulgence - a naughty treat to supplement the traditional three square meals a day. Britons are increasingly time poor as they juggle busy lifestyles and work schedules, so it's no wonder that good food which is quick to prepare and convenient to eat on the go is increasingly part of our daily routines.

'Grazing is also increasingly talked about as a great way to keep us alert, energised and productive, and we're seeing particular growth in demand for protein snacks such as by Sainsbury's chicken skewers, smoky roast ham and spinach and egg pots - things people can pop in their bag and eat when they feel peckish.'

Amanda Steatham, Sainsbury's On the Go snack buyer continued: 'This trend is certainly reflected in in sales of our On the Go snacks range. The range has performed really well, with a steady increase in sales since launching in September 2016. We sell 8,000 ham protein snacking packs a week and are hoping the new chicken packs will also prove popular.'

Sainsbury's survey findings also uncovered other drivers behind the trend as well as identifying the regions in the UK that are most likely to snack:

  • More than half (54%) of people admit they graze to ward off hunger
  • Almost half (45%) said they snack for extra energy or to feel less tired
  • One in 10 (12%) snack to be more productive
  • Nine in 10 Britons (88%) snack
  • London and Leeds are grazing the most - one in five always swaps meals for snacks
  • Londoners are the most time poor - a quarter snack as they don't have time to prepare meals from scratch

J. Sainsbury plc published this content on 11 May 2017 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein.
Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 26 May 2017 09:30:24 UTC.

Original documenthttp://www.j-sainsbury.co.uk/news/latest-news/2017/11-05-2017

Public permalinkhttp://www.publicnow.com/view/E3C2BC59683A9967089B32106713C47DA96AD4A7