A New Survey Asks What A Snack Actually Is

You’ve had your breakfast, and your lunch too, but it just doesn’t feel like you’ve had enough to get you through dinner. So, you think, “I should have a snack right now.” But hang on. What is a snack anyway? According to one survey, it’s anything you want it to be. 

In early 2024, Datassential released its Snacking Keynote report, which surveyed consumers from a cross-section of generations to learn more about what motivates people to snack and what they consider a snack in the first place. 

According to the report, 66% of consumer participants said they think “anything” can be a snack. That includes 44% of consumers who said they’d order a slice of pizza from a restaurant as a snack, which we can definitely get behind.

Datassential also asked consumers what snacks they consume most often. The number one selection was a piece of fruit, with 35% of respondents saying they picked up an apple, banana, or something else from the category. An additional 28% said they reach for “salty, crunchy snacks,” while 25% said they go for nuts as their snack of choice. Finally, 22% said they opt for veggies or a snack bar, while 21% reported choosing cheese, ice cream, or a salad. 

“I was surprised to learn in our Snacking Keynote Report that nearly 30% of consumers’ last snacks replaced a meal, and 74% of consumers have a snack in place of a traditional meal at least once a week,” Jaclyn Marks, the senior publications manager at Datassential wrote in the report. “But maybe I shouldn’t be that surprised, given that my husband typically replaces lunch with a few handfuls of trail mix.”

As for why we snack, the report noted that nearly half (49%) of consumers say snacking is a part of their healthy routine, while an additional 41% said snacking was their little indulgence. 

Interestingly, when you break it down into generations, members of the Gen Z generation were the most likely to say that snacks are for “treating myself” and indulging, followed by Millennials, GenXers, and Boomers. Perhaps this is the biggest lesson some of us can take from our young counterparts — that we all deserve a “treat yourself” moment now and then with whatever our snack of choice may be. Read more about the report — and find tons of snack inspiration — at datassential.com.