Snack culture spices up packaged foods business

Packaged food companies are rejoicing. There has been a rise in food consumption occasions during the day. What used to earlier be four meals daily, including a snack, has doubled to 8-10 meals among urban consumers. While breakfast, lunch and dinner have been the established occasions for consumption with an evening snack thrown in, industry experts say new occasions like a pre-breakfast, pre-lunch, evening, pre-dinner and an after-dinner are gaining in popularity. A pre-lunch snack is said to be the preferred meal among young, on-the-go professionals and the blue-collared workforce. On the other hand, increased health consciousness, especially in the metros and tier I cities, has led to consumers having smaller portions through the day, albeit, more frequently. The culture of putting in longer hours at work and in commute has resulted in late dinners, which makes space for a pre-dinner snack. The shift in consumption patterns has triggered in the packaged foods market. Sanjay Sharma, CEO, MTR Foods, said a professional today spends around 10 hours at work and an average of two hours commuting. This has given a boost to in-between snacking habits. Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/52933755.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst