The results of a new NPD study about the eating habits of American children may be a little less surprising than many observers
would have guessed, considering the continuing debates about child obesity.
Children ages 2 to 17 account for 30 percent of snack-oriented convenience food eatings and consume more than their fair share
of these items, according to The NPD Group's recent "Snacking in America 2008" report.
Top 20 Snack-Oriented Convenience Foods Consumed – Kids/Teens (Click here to view larger)
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Fresh fruit is the top snack consumed by children, ages 2 to 12, most likely reflecting parental control/influence in their
child's snack food choices. For children ages 2 to 5 where parents have the most control/influence over their child's snacking,
fresh fruit is followed by other healthier snacks, such as yogurt, non-chocolate candy, and fruit cups/applesauce.
Although fresh fruit is the top snack consumed by children ages 6 to 12, this age group exerts a bit more control over snack
choices, and the top spots are held by sweeter snacks, such as non-chocolate candy and chocolate candy/candy bars. Potato
chips come in as their No. 5 top snack. As children enter their teen years, fresh fruit drops to the No. 2 spot as it is supplanted by gum as the No. 1 snack consumed
by children ages 13 to 17. Chocolate candy/candy bars, breath mints/strips and potato chips, hold the Nos. 1, 2 and 3 spots,
respectively.
At the other end of spectrum, the least popular snack food among kids 2 to 5 and 6 to 12 was frozen snack foods and among
teens 13 to 17 it was granola bars. The snack food category among kids and teens offers numerous licensing opportunities,
especially over the past several years as most companies have shifted their product offerings and marketing strategies to
healthier snacks.
For example, at this year's Licensing International Expo, Warner Brothers Consumer Products previewed an extensive line of
healthy snacks exclusively with Safeway, part of its Eating Right brand. The line, launched this summer, features such Looney
Tunes characters as Tweety, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, consists of more than 100 products in breakfast foods, snacks and beverages.
