Asian countries lead innovation in salty snacks
Latest research from Mintel reveals that Asia is home to four out of five of the world’s top innovators in salty snacks.
Latest research from Mintel reveals that Asia is home to four out of five of the world’s top innovators in salty snacks. Indeed, Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD) reveals that China leads in salty snacks innovation, accounting for 11% of the world’s salty snacks product launches in 2018. The United States follows with 8%, India with 7%, and Indonesia and Japan both with 5% each—rounding up the world’s top five salty snacks innovators.
One area of growth for the global snack industry lies in flavor migration. For example, chocolate-flavored salty snacks that were originally popularized in the United States are now proving to be more popular in Asia. Mintel GNPD shows that chocolate first appeared as a salty snack flavor in the United States with products appearing as early as 2000. In 2018, more chocolate-flavored salty snacks were launched in Japan (12%) than in the United States (8%). From a regional perspective, Asia Pacific accounted for 58% of all chocolate-flavored salty snack launches in 2018; followed by the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region (EMEA; 19%); and North America (10%).
Flavor innovation is also pivotal in driving the global snack industry, and it seems consumers in Asia are warming up to the idea of sweet- and salty-flavored snacks. Mintel research reveals that 40% of urban Indonesians would like to try dishes with a combination of sweet and savory flavors, while half (50%) of urban Chinese consumers are interested in trying snacks with an exotic flavor (e.g., sweet and salty).
“As competition in the snack food industry stiffens, brands need to offer new and pleasantly surprising products to stand out,” said Marcia Mogelonsky, director of insight, Mintel Food & Drink. “Exploring different styles of flavor combination can be interesting, particularly as it introduces the element of novelty to consumers. For manufacturers in Asia, success will rely on finding the right balance between sweet and savory—especially with current interest levels among Asian consumers.”