Adding health to snack time

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UK snacking habits are changing and manufacturers are responding by adding more health conscious and free-from products to the on-the-go market

ConsumersĀ are increasingly looking for healthy snacking products according to Eat Natural, which says its range meets that need. Its Protein Packed bar, which is made up of peanuts, coconut, soya crispies, honey and dark chocolate chunks, contains 10g of protein.

Harriet Gregory who developed the recipe said: ā€œMaking a protein-based product which actually tastes good and contains ingredients you recognise was a challenge. But a fun one.ā€

For the gluten-free market Eat Natural has launched its toasted buckwheat breakfast cereal in a single-serve 65g size.

And the brand says it has attracted new customers through partnerships with the London Marathon, Eurostar and the Football Association.

Co-founder Praveen Vijh said: ā€œMarket forces have collided in the past 12 months, seeing a jump in desire for wholesome snacking. 2014 saw the brand grow by 11%.ā€

ā€¢ā€‚lmost a third of people buying snacks want it to be healthy, according to the manufacturer of Propercorn.

And it says that helped its brand develop from 2013, when 650 consumers bought Propercorn more than six times in the year, to 2014 when that number had risen to 30,000.

Co-founder Ryan Kohn said: ā€œIt is clear we are becoming more discerning about what we choose to snack on.

ā€œShoppers are no longer satisfied with empty calories, demanding premium, quality snacks that come in more adventurous flavours.ā€

Kohn added that in 2014 the popcorn category grew by 40% while, he claimed, crisps were down by 1% and baked snacks declines by 9%.

He said: ā€œFuelled by a general shift in healthy shopping and snacking, sales of popcorn were up 38.1% to Ā£87.4m on volumes up 25.6% at the end of 2014, with the snack contributing more to the category than ever before.ā€

ā€¢ā€‚pecialist in free-from snacks and chilled food to go Great Food is launching four new products this month.

The Free From snack packs are Baked Sweet Potato Bites and Baked Moroccan Falafel, each with a tomato salsa dip, Fiery Channa & Red Pepper Pakora and Spicy Green Lentil & Coconut Bites.

Each pack has an RRP of Ā£1.49.

CEO Jane Rayner said: ā€œOne third of all UK households include at least one allergy or intolerance sufferer.

ā€œThere is a huge gap in chilled snacking and food to go aimed at the UKā€™s growing number of health-conscious consumers looking for tasty, natural food thatā€™s suitable for an allergen-free diet.ā€