Snacks

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant negative impact on chocolate confectionery in Belgium, particularly in terms of gifting chocolate formats. With the closure of many non-essential stores and the cancellation of social events such as weddings…

The gum category suffered a significant setback due to the COVID-19 health crisis in 2020, particularly as it heavily relies on impulse purchasing. Many consumers opted for online shopping amidst pandemic-induced lockdowns, which led to a steep…

Consumers have resumed their more active lifestyles outside the home since quarantine limitations were lifted, which has also affected their product preferences. This change has also had an impact on the ice cream category, with more people beginning…

Pleasure remains the main purchasing motivation for consumers in savoury snacks. However, the growing importance attached to health is gradually shifting demand towards healthier options. More consumers are therefore looking for natural products,…

Snacks has seen solid retail volume growth in Belgium in recent years, and this is set to continue in 2023, due to the increasing demand for convenient and healthier snacking options amongst consumers. This growth has been further fuelled by the…

Indulgence remains the main driving force for sales of sugar confectionery in Belgium. Consumers are mainly looking for a moment of pleasure for themselves, or to share with others. They are thirsty for innovations, and are often willing to try new…

Although snacking is above all a question of pleasure and taste, the health aspect is also becoming increasingly important to consumers. Healthy and functional biscuits developed well in recent years, and as in every other category, consumers have…

The high rate of inflation prevailing in 2022 and 2023 has not had a major negative impact on the chocolate confectionery category in Denmark. Local players have managed to increase their sales and value by increasing prices, while favourable…

Inflation and increasing production costs are lifting unit prices in 2023, resulting in healthy retail value growth.

The health and wellness trend continues to grow in Denmark. Danish consumers are increasingly concerned about sticking to a healthy lifestyle and are looking for healthy snack options. Within the gum category, manufacturers are trying to meet the…

Gum in Finland is dominated by free-from-sugar gum offerings, specifically, gum created with the sweetener xylitol, which has been available in Finland since the 1970s when the leading brand, Jenkki, introduced the innovation to the landscape.…

Even though Danes love ice cream and consume quite a lot of it, the category has struggled in volume terms in 2022 and 2023 due to rising prices. Rising electricity prices contributed to the increased cost of transporting and storing ice cream…

Finns are amongst the biggest consumers of ice cream in Europe. While sales fluctuate according to whether the Nordic summer is warm or cool, it is noteworthy that Finns are widely known to indulge in ice cream in the winter, aiding sales on the…

Due to high inflation and increased prices, Danish consumers are more intent on seeking value for money. Big international brands have started to play a smaller role in the purchasing patterns of Danish consumers as they switch to less expensive…

Inflation, together with increased production costs, continued to add pressure to the landscape in 2023, further increasing price points. The shortage of sunflower oil was also felt within savoury snacks; for example, in 2022, Taffel savoury snack…

Despite the fact, that inflation in Denmark was not as high as in its Nordic neighbours, the Danish snacks market did see significant increases in price which drove growth in values sales and, at the same time, made consumers more price focused when…

In 2023, snacks in Finland are being impacted by inflation and rising production costs, which are being passed on to consumers through increasing price points. While price rises are boosting current retail value growth, pressure is being placed on…

Liquorice continues to be an important sweet snack in the Danish market, as well as in other Nordic countries. There is a wide choice of chocolate, gummies and other types of confectionery products with liquorice flavour that Danes love. Moreover,…

Unit prices rose in 2022 and 2023 due to increasing production costs and inflation, which has boosted retail value sales in sugar confectionery. The selection of sugar confectionery in Finland is wide and varied, and the competition remains tense…

Compared with other snacks categories, snack bars and fruit snacks have performed relatively well as people have returned to more normal lifestyles, going back to work or school, and gyms and opting for on-the-go products from convenience stores.…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks saw increasing prices in 2022 and 2023, boosted by inflation and growing production costs. This is leading to positive current retail value sales growth in 2023. Local manufacturer Fazer continues to lead…

Oats have emerged as an increasingly popular ingredient in chocolate confectionery among Greek consumers. Violanta, a player active in both sweet biscuits and chocolate confectionery, has capitalised on this trend by diversifying its product range…

Chocolate confectionery, as a product area, is set to see retail volume sales continue to normalise in 2023 following the surge seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, inflation and rising production costs had an impact on the development of unit…

Despite the potential impact of price increases across various snack categories, chewing gum in Greece has exhibited considerable resilience. The typically low price point of chewing gum has ensured that its products remains an accessible purchase…

Gum sales, primarily driven by impulse purchases, faced a significant setback due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With consumers spending more time at home, the need for gum as a quick oral cleaning solution diminished. As a result, gum sales struggled to…

Planet Foods, the pioneering Greek start-up specialising in plant-based ice cream with an authentic ecological footprint, has made a powerful entry into the Greek ice cream market. Despite being operational for only two years, the company's rapid…

Swedes have a high per capita consumption of ice cream and indulge in it throughout the year. However, sales tend to peak during the summer months, heavily influenced by the unpredictable Nordic summer weather. In 2022, ice cream sales declined due…

AgriFarm has recently unveiled its latest product line: vegan snack bars crafted from legumes. These come in three novel flavours, namely, roasted vegetables with thyme, Greek herbs with oregano, and Mediterranean with tomato, olive, and basil. The…

During the COVID-19 pandemic, snacking became a source of comfort for Swedes. In 2022, the volume sales of snacks evened out and declined slightly, while unit prices were impacted by inflation and rising production costs. However, snacking is…

The cessation of the pandemic and the subsequent transition back to normality have played a significant role in accelerating snack consumption in Greece. As people are spending more time outside their homes, they are leaning on the convenience of…

In 2023, snacks, as a product area, is experiencing healthy growth in value terms, driven by increasing unit prices due to rising production costs and inflation. However, volume growth varies across different snacks categories as some continue to…

Halva, a traditional Greek product rich in nutrients, is witnessing a rapid rise in popularity in 2023. Traditionally associated with fasting periods, halva has transcended this limited role to become a staple in the Greek diet. This shift can be…

Sugar confectionery continues to experience a decline in volume sales, but the increasing unit prices due to inflation and production costs have helped maintain positive value sales growth. The competition from other snacks categories, particularly…

Though retail volume growth is slowing for snack bars overall in 2023, snack bars have steadily gained favour among consumers in Greece, marking a rising trend towards healthy and convenient, on-the-go food options. Oat-based bars, in particular,…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars, and fruit snacks, as a product area, experienced varying impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic. Snack bars and protein/energy bars suffered from declining sales as people stayed home instead of going to the gym. However, in…

When inflation started to be significant in 2017 in Turkey, chocolate confectionery was experiencing a peak in volume growth, benefiting from new launches. Throughout the high inflation period, companies looked to downsize standard tablet chocolate…

The outbreak of COVID-19 decreased the occasions of gum since consumers did not go to offices or schools, and consumers spent more time in the household. This reduced the use of gum as a breath-freshening product, leading to negative growth of gum.

Ice cream is experiencing favourable growth, albeit with some challenges. Factors such as energy and electric prices, the cost of raw materials, and frozen distribution expenses are leading to a higher unit price increase compared to other product…

The pistachio, mixed products, and peanut categories have largely influenced the packaged nuts industry in 2023. Price variations among different nuts is largely determined by inflation and harvest conditions. Turkish consumers have a traditional…

Negative economic conditions, rising inflation, natural disasters, earthquakes, floods, and volatile political situations have created unrest in society. Consumers have dealt with increasing inflation since 2018, which peaked in 2022, and gave no…

In Turkey, boiled candy, toffees and chews sales are highly driven by the holiday seasons of Ramadan and Eid. This is because Turkish people often offer candy, chocolate or dessert during the celebrations to visitors, loved ones and family.

The growth of sweet biscuits in 2023 is driven by increased snacking habits among consumers in their homes. This trend is due to high inflation, discouraging people from going out for entertainment, focusing on home experiences instead. Furthermore,…

Germany was strongly impacted by the pandemic in 2020-2021, due to various restrictions imposed on the local population. However, the situation was positive for most retailers due to the closure of foodservice and limited leisure activities outside…

While for many snacks, the pandemic period of home seclusion led to higher uptake in Germany, gum suffered from declining sales. Gum tends to be purchased spontaneously and, in addition to the taste and chewing experience, the product is also…

After enduring prolonged home seclusion during the pandemic and various restrictions imposed on foodservice and leisure activities, German consumers continue to eagerly seek activities outside of their homes in 2023 due to greater freedom. This shift…

Savoury snacks in Germany continues to experience dynamic price development and content reduction. In response to rising raw material costs, category players and retailers are adjusting their pricing strategies. This trend is mainly being driven by…

2023 is a promising year for Germany in many ways. The impact of the pandemic is waning and it is the first year without any major restrictions to negatively affect consumer behaviour; even at the beginning of 2022, some restrictions were still in…

The pandemic period was challenging for sales of sugar confectionery in Germany. Not all snacks benefited from larger shopping trips to supermarkets and discounters, while less mobility and children staying home from school, dampened overall retail…

Sweet biscuits, snack bars and fruit snacks in Germany continues to face strong price increases in 2023, following a significant rise the previous year, primarily driven by the soaring cost of ingredients. Key components such as grain, sugar, nuts,…

Despite the increase in chocolate confectionery consumption during the pandemic, due to consumers spending more time at home and indulging in treats, the category continues to grow, both in volume and value. We are, however, seeing different trends…