We’re rapidly approaching “back to school” season, a key calendar moment for retailers to target busy parents looking for interesting and tasty additions to lunch boxes.
It’s a huge opportunity as last September 2023 there were 24 million Back to School occasions, valued at £58m (Kantar).
To maximise sales potential in this category for 2024, it’s simple – retailers should focus on taste. Taste is consistently ranked as the most important factor for parents seeking to keep their children engaged at snack time with fun and flavourful options.
Taste is the main driver, accounting for 62% of snack-time consumptions (Kantar).
“While taste is king, the nutrition of what goes into lunchboxes is increasingly under scrutiny,” comments Chris Doe, UK Marketing and Innovation Director at Pilgrim’s Europe. “Parents are turning away from high-fat and high-sugar options such as crisps and chocolate, and opting for protein-rich foods that keep their children feeling fuller and satisfied for longer (Kantar). For example, Richmond launched Richmond Minis in 2022, transforming their high-quality pork sausages (IRI) into a convenient on-the-go format. Oven-baked for health-conscious consumers, Richmond Minis offer a snack-size version of the family’s favourite sausage – perfect for lunchboxes.”
Retailers should be aware that parents are looking for options that ensure kids are interested in their snacks. Offering a variety of options helps keep snacks exciting (Kantar) and appealing to a wider audience, while one-off and limited-edition flavours drive enthusiasm and exclusivity around the occasion.
As the second largest brand in snacking, with 35.2% of the entire meat-snacking share, Fridge Raiders understands the demand for tasty, protein-rich snacks (Circana). Earlier this year, the brand expanded its repertoire with the launch of Poppers, available in Nacho Cheese and Garlic & Herb flavours, perfectly timed for parents looking for new and interesting additions to school lunchboxes. These were created in response to the growing demand for bold flavours and protein-packed options.
Chicken reigns as a popular protein, with widespread appeal and significant growth in both value and volume for in-home consumption over the last five years (Lumina). Given its popularity, retailers should ensure they offer a variety of chicken snacks, to cater to parents looking for options for kids.
This year, the UK food-to-go market value is projected to be worth £23 billion, reflecting year-on-year growth of +3.5%. Busier lives have bolstered demand for quick but satisfying snack options, with frequency and consumer spending increasing the snacking category’s value (Lumina). With an RSV of £113.9 million, Fridge Raiders is a proud leader in this category, achieving an impressive 9% year-on-year growth (Circana). The launch of Poppers has brought new excitement to the category, offering retailers the opportunity to tap into this growing market with a brand that consumers trust.
Both Richmond and Fridge Raiders have seen significant investment in marketing campaigns this year, in partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi, evidence of Pilgrim’s Europe’s commitment to growing and strengthening the categories in which the brands operate.
In March, Richmond unveiled its Masterbrand campaign, ‘Good Times’, which celebrates the entire Richmond range, including Richmond Minis, aiming to enrich consumers’ small, enjoyable moments and their love for familiar comfort foods. This came with a significant investment of £2.6 million in marketing and brand communications spanning across TV, VOD, Social, and Out-Of-Home.
In April, Fridge Raiders’ Masterbrand campaign, ‘Get the Day Done,’ went live with a strategic investment exceeding £2.2 million over six months. This dynamic campaign centres on Fridge Raiders’ long-held reputation as a convenient, high-protein option for busy lifestyles – including parents! Spanning TV, Out-Of-Home, digital, and influencer partnerships, the campaign returns for a second burst in September.
Oliver Richmond, Senior Brand Manager, Snacks & Spreads, The Laughing Cow® and Babybel®, Bel UK and Justine de Monès, Marketing Manager – Culinary Solutions + GoGo squeeZ®, Bel UK, comments: “Children’s nutrition continues to be in the spotlight (FPH). At the heart of the ongoing debate is the understanding that children need a varied, balanced diet, rich in proteins, fresh fruit and vegetables and containing assorted vitamins and minerals. This not only ensures healthy physical growth, but also supports children’s mental health and their ability to concentrate on learning (British Nutrition Foundation). We understand the important, but sometimes difficult, balance parents have to find between sending their children to school with a nutritious lunch, and one they know their children will want to eat.”
Cheese is, of course, a protein and calcium-rich food that sits perfectly as part of a balanced lunchbox selection – the reason why so many parents choose Mini Original Babybel® and The Laughing Cow® every day. They give parents the satisfaction of including a filling, calcium, and protein-rich food that children of all ages enjoy, that won’t go to waste.
Mini Babybel is the top-selling brand in the cheese snacking sector, with sales exceeding £95m – also making it the biggest-selling Bel UK brand (IRI). Its portion-controlled format not only adds a sense of fun to school lunch times, with its peelable natural wax wrapping, but it’s also a powerhouse of goodness. Made from just four simple ingredients, this 100% real cheese is free from added colours, flavours, and preservatives, is naturally lactose-free, rich in calcium and boasting 22g of protein per 100g (4.4g per 20g portion). It’s also suitable for vegetarians.
And for parents who might want to reduce the amount of fat their children eat, there’s Mini Babybel Light, which contains 47% less fat than Original, with 5g of protein per 20g portion.
Mini Babybel’s multi-generational appeal is the reason why it’s the leader in cheese snacking, with a 25% sector share (IRI) (its sales are six times those of private label snacking cheeses) with children and their parents loving it not only for its healthy credentials, but also because they recognise how unique and playful it is – there simply isn’t an equivalent.
And for those looking to step up the fun beyond the usual Babybel taste, the Babybel Mix Pack which includes x3 Original, x3 Emmental, x3 Cheddar offers the opportunity to offer different flavours every day. The newest addition to the range is Mini Babybel Original two-pack, designed specifically for lunchbox, on-the-go or after-school snacking.
The Laughing Cow, the UK’s No.1 cheese spread portion (IRI) sees approximately 61% (IRI) of its total consumption come from its Light range, which contains 25 calories per portion. The Laughing Cow triangles come within Public Health England’s recommended calorie cap for children’s snacks, making them an ideal out-of-home treat for children.
Both brands also offer plant-based versions. Babybel Plant-Based is a fun, dairy-free alternative to Bel UK’s biggest cheese snacking brand. With a smooth texture and creamy taste, it is also a source of calcium and B12, plus free-from lactose, artificial colours, preservatives, and soya. The Laughing Cow Plant-Based launched last year and is the first UK brand to offer an alternative to cheese spread portions. Made with almonds, it boasts a smooth, spreadable texture loved by The Laughing Cow shoppers, and a calcium and Vitamin B12-rich recipe that’s 34 calories kcals per triangle.
And it’s worth noting that The Laughing Cow, Mini Babybel Original, Light, and Plant-Based are also all well within Public Health England’s recommended calorie cap for children’s snacks.
Gareth Roberts, UK Country Sales Manager at Dole Sunshine Company, comments: “There’s nothing new about the desire for many parents to want to give their children a healthy lunch, but this has come into even sharper focus since the start of the pandemic with most consumers becoming even more health aware and unsurprisingly this has translated into being more health conscious with their food choices.”
This was backed up by a recent survey of parents on what they felt was the most important factor for their child’s diet, which revealed nearly half (47%) felt it was getting their five-a-day.
So many children miss this daily target so perhaps packaged fruit snacks like Dole’s in lunchboxes can be part of the solution.
In addition, many schools now have rules about what can be included in children’s lunchboxes due to health and / or allergy concerns, which is another factor for parents to consider.
“Healthy fruit snacks and healthier lunchbox items in general should be front and centre when retailers are trying to make the most from the back-to-school opportunity,” adds Roberts. “At Dole, all our fruit snacks are non-HFSS which, along with their convenient packaging, makes them perfect for the lunchbox. We know for many consumers who are shopping on a budget, fresh fruit and vegetables can be one of the first things to come off the shopping list, which really highlights the importance of retailers and brands who are committed to supporting healthier choices for their customers, and specifically helping people to eat healthily on a budget.”
However, healthier choices don’t have to be more expensive, as consumers can buy a four pack of Dole’s fruit in juice cups for just £2.30 which offers them a great tasting and healthy product at a price most can afford which are perfect for lunchboxes.
“I think in general; shoppers now understand that ambient goods increasingly have a role to play as they not only offer good value and have longer shelf lives, but in the case of our Dole packaged fruit range, can also be one of your five-a-day and a healthy part of their overall diet,” says Roberts. “This knowledge may well translate into lunchbox selections with parents looking for healthy ambient products which offer good value and limit risk of wastage.”
Back to school shoppers in general are looking for both good value after their summer holidays as well as an easy shopping experience. With this in mind, last summer Dole announced what it believes was a first to market with the launch of a new range of mixed fruit in jelly, targeted specifically at kids. Both products are available to convenience retailers, with an RRP of just £1.79 for a pack of four, which offers consumers an attractive price, with ambient storage and a long shelf life. The kids’ range contains fruit sugars only and consists of two different skus, one with strawberry flavoured jelly and the other with orange flavoured jelly, both of which are made with 100% real fruit juice. Both skus also contain real fruit pieces of pineapple and papaya, in smaller portion sizes with fun packaging which will appeal to a younger audience. Perfect for either the lunchbox or as a healthy snack at home, they are high in Vitamin C and contain no artificial colours, flavours or sweeteners.
“Any of the products in our fruit in juice or fruit in jelly range would be suitable for the back-to-school occasion,” continues Roberts. “Finally, for those older children with larger appetites, our 198g packs of fruit in juice are perfect and even come with a handy wooden toothpick, making them a credible option for the lunchbox.”
Dole Sunshine Company is the UK category leader in packaged fruit snacks, with its entire product range containing 100% real fruit, with no added sugar in any of its fruit in juice range. Its products are enjoyed by consumers, not only because of their taste and health benefits, but also due to their versatility as they can be consumed at breakfast, as a mid-morning snack, as a dessert, at home, in the office, at the gym, on the train or literally anywhere and whenever you like. The brand’s best-selling products are the Pineapple, Mandarin, Mixed Fruit and Peach variants of its fruit in juice range and come in convenient and recyclable packs which can be eaten at home or on the go.
Dole has recently undertaken a very successful consumer marketing campaign called ‘Add Some Wow’, challenging consumers to consider adding tinned pineapple slices to their full English breakfast or bacon butties. A large part of that was partnering with Le Swine, a luxury buttie delivery company, to send out pineapple buttie kits to the UK’s top food and lifestyle influencers, with lots of coverage and social buzz generated as a result of the content posted on their social channels like Instagram and TikTok. Coverage of the story also made waves across the UK’s print media, with articles appearing in both red tops and broadsheets, with big pieces in the Daily Star, Mirror, Telegraph and more.
“Signposting your back-to-school offers in-store is a great way of making the shopping experience as easy as possible for your customers,” advises Roberts. “Another thing to consider is being flexible where you stock your range and consider dual citing. Whilst Dole products are ambient and can simply be stocked on-shelf with other healthy options, it’s definitely worth considering stocking some of our Dole 198g Tropical Gold Pineapple or Dole Tropical Fruit in Juice packs in the chiller, as they not only taste great and have a shelf life of over 90 days, but they are also perfect for lunchboxes and they even come with a toothpick to aid eating on the move.”
Tasty, fresh salads are a quick and easy option for parents and guardians wanting to include healthier food in children’s lunchboxes.
At a time when one third of shoppers are proactively looking to eat more fruit and vegetables to lead a healthier lifestyle (IGD), they recognise the positive impact fresh salads can have on children’s diets.
That’s why so many are now turning to fresh salad, not only as a healthy, all-natural accompaniment to main meals and snacks, but also as an easy addition to children’s lunchboxes.
With over 560 million packs of fresh salad sold each year (Nielsen & Kantar), the growing choice and variety in the fresh salads category helps parents to take greater control of their children’s diets, including the lunchbox occasion, in the knowledge they’re providing the natural goodness which children need.
Martin Purdy, Commercial and Marketing Director at Florette UK, says: “Very often, the main ingredients in sandwiches for children’s lunchboxes may not be chosen for health reasons, but parents can easily add the healthy option of fresh salads, which are naturally low in fat, salt and sugar and complement a wide range of children’s favourite lunchbox options.
“Fresh salads are light to eat and add natural texture, vibrancy and colour to the lunchbox occasion. We know that incorporating fresh salads in children’s lunchboxes has a really positive impact, but we’re also making it really easy for parents to include them in one of their children’s most important meals of the day.”
Florette has a wide range of salad products which are ideally suited to the lunchbox occasion, including Florette Crispy (90g and 140g), the biggest selling salad product in the impulse channel, and Florette Mixed salad (125g), with its crunchy mix of leaves adding interest and texture to lunchbox meals.
With more opportunities to include fresh salads in lunchbox meal deals, Florette is reminding retailers of consumers’ primary focus on the ‘top up shop’, highlighting that fresh salad is one of the areas where consumers look to ‘top up’ to complete the healthy meal purchase.
Florette continues to align its products closely with key occasions throughout the year and drives consumer demand for its products with timely marketing and promotional support, including easy to follow, inspirational recipes and lunchbox solutions at www.florettesalad.co.uk.
Matt Collins, Sales Director at KP Snacks, comments: “As the summer holidays draw to a close, retailers should be ready to boost sales by capitalising on back to school and back to university opportunities. Bagged snacks are a staple in children’s lunchboxes and a popular lunchtime and Food to Go choice for university students, making the “back to routine” occasion a critical opportunity for retailers to drive CSN sales.
“Health remains a top priority for consumers, with parents seeking out healthier options for their children’s lunchboxes and after-school snacks. At KP Snacks, we offer a broad portfolio of tasty and permissible snacks, including over 100 non-HFSS SKUs. We believe that snacks can be enjoyed as part of a balanced lifestyle, and we are continuously working to provide snacks that are both delicious and permissible.”
KP’s non-HFSS products include Hula Hoops Puft. Worth £10m (NielsenIQ), Hula Hoops Puft is a light, low-calorie snack. Coming in at just 72 calories per pack, Hula Hoops Puft offers a great option for a healthier lunchbox snack in tasty flavours: Salt & Vinegar, Salted and Grilled Beef.
Worth £32.7m RSV and growing in value +10.4% (NielsenIQ), KP’s POM-BEAR brand is the perfect choice for family shoppers. POM-BEAR contains fewer than 100 calories per pack, with 5.7m households consuming the brand every year (Kantar). Household names like POM-BEAR reassure parents that they are providing their children with a healthy and great tasting product from a trusted brand.
Jamie McCloskey, Co-Founder LOVE CORN, comments: “For retailers, back to school season means more demand on snacks. It is important retailers stay ahead of the game by stocking and offering healthy, convenient and most-importantly value for money lunchbox options.
“Schools across the UK are taking a firm stance on kids bringing in unhealthy, allergen laden snacks, including food and drink items. As a result, parents will be looking for snacks that will encompass convenience, taste and price – and LOVE CORN meets all these three requirements showing to families that better for you snacking can be delicious, convenient and affordable. Our products are a great solution for the family who want to give their kids delicious, healthier alternatives to Crisps and an allergen free solution to Nuts.”
As schools enforce stricter policies on unhealthy and allergen options, trends indicate that healthier, allergen-free snacks will become essential for kids and their lunchboxes. This shift is already evident in the success of LOVE CORN’s recently launched Multipack. The mini packs are targeted to families looking for a healthier, delicious snack option that are lunchbox friendly, portion controlled, allergen free and a fan favourite amongst the family. Each multipack box contains five consistently pocket-sized, 20g snack packs with the perfect amount of sea salt LOVE CORN crunch.
Consumers are looking for the simple things in life and based upon exceptional demand. The back-to-school season emphasises the need for convenient and portable school treats to fit into the lunchbox. Parents often seek confectionery that is easy to pack and consume on-the-go, making individually packaged products a popular choice. Convenient options must seamlessly integrate into busy school routines, offering children quick and accessible treats for school.
Families are on the lookout for better for you alternatives to traditional snacks like crisps, one they can feel good about putting into a lunchbox. As schools crack down on the types of snacks that are brought into a school, having a better for you, allergen free, tasty and affordable option is key.
LOVE CORN has emerged as the family’s favourite snack, perfect for picky little eaters due to their great flavour, perfect crunch and accessible price point. As parents prepare for the new school year, the demand for safe and inclusive snack options is rising. Providing allergen-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free snacks is crucial in ensuring all children have access to safe and enjoyable school treats. LOVE CORN offers whole crunchy corn kernels (right off the cob) which are low calorie, low sugar, kosher, gluten free and vegan certified ensuring those children with dietary restrictions have safe, enjoyable snacks and never feel excluded.
Shaun Whelan, Link Snacks International (LSI) Convenience/ Wholesale and OOH Controller, comments: “For kids snacking and after-school treats, independent retailers should stock tasty, convenient products that children love to eat to provide a protein kick to pep up snacking.
“Peperami is a must stock brand, as it is the nation’s favourite and bestselling meat snack. Stocking savoury meat snacks gives more choice to parents alongside confectionery ranges especially when Peperami will be eaten, avoiding wastage.”
What often surprises people is how fast the category is growing as protein has become mainstream with nearly 1 in 3 UK households buying meat snacks.
The category has doubled in sales value over the last five years, and still has the opportunity to double again, led by Peperami which is now a £120 million brand. This is an opportunity no retailer can afford to miss. Peperami is the UK’s number one best-selling protein meat snacking brand and is manufactured by Link Snacks International – the global leaders in protein meat snacks.
“To win the shopper, we recommend to retailers that they must make sure Peperami is instantly visible and in easy reach in-store. A key to successful sales is good availability on the shelf and POS solutions which we can provide to retailers when they contact us,” adds Whelan.
“Parents are increasingly prioritising convenience, taste and energy when selecting snacks for their children. They want satisfying and tasty snacks which will keep them going during the day. Parents know the Peperami brand and, most importantly, their kids will eat it and so, it peps up snacking.”
Peperami offers a variety of pack formats. The Peperami salami single sticks are ideal for on-the-go and lunchboxes. They are highly convenient to have available at home for everyone to help themselves to as an after-school treat.
Dominic Simler, Managing Director at PLAYin CHOC, comments: “As the end of the summer holiday approaches, now is the time for retailers to capitalise on the back-to-school opportunity and expected rise in lunchbox sales of food.
“Health and wellness will play a key role in helping shoppers decide what to buy, especially when it comes to children’s lunchboxes. In particular, we have seen a significant increase in the importance of allergen-free snacks, underscoring the need for inclusive options that cater to all children.”
Between 2013 and 2019, England experienced a 72% increase in hospital admissions for children due to anaphylaxis, with cases rising from 1,015 to 1,746 (Narf). This alarming trend highlights the growing prevalence of food intolerances and allergies among children, underscoring the importance of offering allergy-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free snacks, especially in the back-to-school category. As parents prepare for the new school year, the demand for safe and inclusive snack options is increasing.
PLAYin CHOC offers chocolates free from the 14 most common allergens, ensuring children with dietary restrictions have safe, enjoyable snacks and never feel excluded from those memorable treat occasions found in the lunchbox.
Parents are increasingly aware of the impact of diet on both physical and mental health, leading to a significant consumer trend towards healthier snack products. Not only this, but with schools beginning to enforce stricter policies on unhealthy options, the demand for ‘better for you’ alternative treats should not go unmissed. As parents seek snacks that are organic, natural, and free from artificial additives, we can see a broader societal movement towards better health, with a growing preference for treats that are both enjoyable and made with better ingredients.
Shoppers are increasingly prioritising better lifestyles and are getting wise to ingredients, especially parents, when it comes to choosing after-school and general snacks for their kids.
Since the pandemic there is a greater awareness among consumers of the impact on health linked to what we eat in terms of both physical health and wellbeing and this change in consumer behaviour is still growing. “Without wanting to deny their children a ‘treat’ yet recognising that not every lunchbox snack can be fruit-based, the “Mindful Indulgence” trend for consumers who want to indulge without compromising on physical and mental well-being, the health of others or the planet is rising,” adds Simler.
“Research shows that 3 out of 4 (75%) of global consumers agree that chocolate needs to be tasty, “good for me” and good for the planet – with many (77%) opting for chocolate with less sugar, so why wouldn’t they want the same for their family?”
Sarah Baldwin, CEO at Purity Soft Drinks, comments: “Our research shows that 29% of consumers are drinking more fruit juice and juice drinks in comparison to pre-Covid levels (Purity Soft Drinks), driven by an increased focus on health. When choosing a soft drink, health is now the second most important consideration after taste, both for consumers purchasing for themselves and for parents choosing lunch box fillers for their children. 41% of shoppers are choosing a fruit juice or juice drink because of its health credentials, and 36% prefer products that provide them or their children with one of their five-a-day.
“To maximise the soft drinks opportunity, it’s important for retailers to stock a range of options that can appeal to those parents seeking out healthier school lunch choices for their children. For many years, we have pursued the approach of including only natural ingredients in our products – with absolutely no added sugar ever – and this has been a key part of our mission as a business.”
As a result of this, Purity’s school-compliant Juice Burst – with every bottle offering one of your five-a-day – continues to go from strength to strength and is the bestselling still juice drink brand in English secondary schools (UK’s largest contract caterer sales out data). This is a testament to the brand’s commitment to supplying great-tasting, healthy juice in both classic and trending flavours.
“When it comes to drink choices, retailers should stock a range of options that can appeal to those parents seeking out more nutritious lunch box fillers for their children,” adds Baldwin.
60% of parents say that their children enjoy fruit juice and juice drinks, more than any other beverage, including squash, cordials and flavoured water (50%), carbonated soft drinks (38%), mineral water (38%) and smoothies (32%).
School is a key time for juice consumption, with four in 10 parents (42%) whose children drink juice reporting that they do so during the school day. This represents a huge opportunity for retailers to tap into the opportunity by stocking fruit juice and juice drinks ahead of the back to school season.
Purity’s bestselling Juice Burst is HFSS-compliant, school-compliant and contains one of your five-a-day with no added sugar, making the brand a natural choice for parents shopping for healthier packed lunch drinks. Juice Burst also has a strong foothold with young people, with 73% brand awareness among younger consumers (external brand study).
Comprising a range of popular flavours including Orange and Apple, as well as trending variants such as Summer Fruits and Peach Ice Tea, Juice Burst is ideal for retailers looking to stock soft drinks that deliver on the two most important purchase drivers for parents – health and taste.
Ewa Moxham, UK Head of Marketing at Yoplait, comments: “Children’s health in the UK is facing a crisis at the moment. Obesity rates are alarmingly high, particularly since the pandemic, and they now affect a quarter to a third of children depending on age. What’s more, over a million children are in danger of poor development and growth because they lack key nutrients like calcium and vitamin D – both of which can be found in dairy products.
“Given these alarming statistics, we launched our Kids’ Yoghurt and consumers – a relationship turned sour report earlier this year to highlight the fact that generations of kids have lost out on the positive, nutritional role of kids’ yoghurt. Over the last ten years we have seen a decline in the kids’ yoghurt and fromage frais category which is having serious repercussions on kids’ nutrition. Even more worrying is that since the pandemic, kids are swapping nutrient rich foods such as dairy for more indulgent and nutrient-poor snack foods like biscuits, chocolate and crisps.”
Parents are recognising this shift too, with nearly half of parents saying that their kids eat less healthily than they did when they were younger. It is possible that an unintended consequence of the past decade’s sugar reduction policies has caused confusion and could be encouraging children’s parents and children to move away from healthy yoghurts and choose junk food instead. Yet, children need nutrient-dense foods for their development and without positive change, this trend will have devastating impact on future generations.
“An approach to incorporate dairy products into kids’ diet is through their lunchboxes as 14% of all kids’ pack lunches contain a yoghurt (Kantar),” adds Moxham. “Retailers can utilise this opportunity to increase sales by offering healthy lunchbox snacks, such as Frubes and Petits Filous, which are non-HFSS. Unlike most adult yoghurts, kids’ yoghurts are not just full of dairy goodness, they have also been fortified with essential nutrients such as vitamin D and calcium, which are important in supporting children’s bone health and development.”
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