“It’s annoying, so I’ll just fill it up”… 13% of Koreans eat ‘this’ instead of rice
It has been surveyed that the number of consumers who solve their meals with snacks such as cookies or chocolate instead of meals has increased worldwide. This is due to the continued high prices and the increase in the number of people seeking a simple lifestyle. In Korea, it was found that last year, 1 in 8 adults solved their meals with snacks such as cookies, chocolate, and candy. Euromonitor International, a market research firm, announced the results of its ‘2024 Global Snack Market Survey’ containing these contents on the 25th. Last year, the global snack market size was 680 billion dollars (approximately 972.3 trillion won), a 3.7% increase from the previous year. This year, it is expected to reach 700 billion dollars (approximately 1,000.79 trillion won), a 3% increase from last year. Euromonitor focused on ‘snackification of meals’ as one of the snack market trends. Among major countries, 1 in 6 people (17%) in the US and 1 in 8 people (13%) in the UK and Brazil responded that they solve their meals with snacks. All of these countries saw a 3% point increase in their response rates compared to 2023. The trend of snacks becoming meals was also observed in Asian countries. In Vietnam and Thailand, 1 in 7 (14%), and in Singapore and Hong Kong, 1 in 9 (11%) responded that they eat snacks. Of these, Hong Kong recorded the highest annual growth rate in the world, up 5% points from 2023 (6%). The country with the highest response rate for eating snacks was India (18%), down 3% points compared to 2023 (21%). Euromonitor attributed this to the premiumization of the snack market in India and changes in price accessibility. In Korea, 1 in 8 (13%) responded that they replace meals with snacks. With the same response rate as 2023, Euromonitor analyzed that snacks still appear to be limited as a meal replacement in Korea, as there are plenty of other foods besides snacks such as triangle kimbap and cup ramen. Euromonitor said, “As economic uncertainty persists, the lifestyles of global consumers are changing toward convenience, increasing the proportion of people choosing snacks instead of meals.” Reporter Kim Dong-yong dy0728@nongmin.com