Food manufacturers and ingredients suppliers have attributed a sharp rise in sales of snacking seeds and nuts to growing consumer interest in healthier snacks.
Importer and packer EHL ingredients said sales of its products - particularly seeds - had soared in the past year. The biggest growers were golden linseed, up 364% year on year, poppy seeds (333%), and sunflower seeds (137%).
Much of the increase was down to their use in products such as cereal and energy bars, it said, and it was also benefiting from consumers buying unprocessed seeds and nuts as snacks.
“The benefits of eating nuts and seeds as part of a healthy diet are well-known and it looks like the trend is here to stay,” said EHL sales director Tasneem Backhouse.
Fruit and nut bar supplier Eat Natural said its UK sales were up 15% year on year, adding that manufacturers were increasingly using nuts and seeds as a base for products, rather than fruits or a fruit flavour.
“Our usage of nuts and seeds has increased,” said Eat Natural co-founder Praveen Vijh. “There is a lot of good feeling around cereal bars and fruit and nut bars at the moment.”
Whitworths, meanwhile, is tapping into demand for nuts, seeds and dried fruit with a new 30-strong line-up that has rolled out to Tesco, Morrisons and Asda this month and is targeted at the breakfast market. The products are divided into five sub-ranges: on-the-go options, Morning Munch and Shots and breakfast additions, Toppers, Sprinkles and Infused Fruits.
“Consumers are buying products from the home baking aisle to use as part of their breakfast, which demonstrates the great opportunity for a range dedicated to this occasion,” said brand innovations manager Catherine Hicks.
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