An Italian Snack

In Italy the habit of snacking between meals is frequent. This is confirmed by Natruly's research, which also highlights the demand for good and healthy industrial snacks. 

Fancy a snack? 

"Yes, but to the industrial products on the market, I would like to find healthy alternatives." 

Saying this is 52.94% of those interviewed by Natruly. The Spanish healthy food start-up, which landed in Italy in November 2021, has in fact carried out a research among Italian consumers to understand how the market moves in terms of snacks. The picture emerges of a country that loves snacks between meals: only 8.42% do not have this habit, while 45% of respondents use it 1 to 3 times a day. The reasons are many: for 39.6% it is a matter of brightening up the day with something good, for 30.2% it is a way to take a break from work. 37.3% consider snacking a healthy habit.

Respondents to the survey are 37.62% men and 62.38% women. 53.5% have a baccalaureate. 38.62% are resident in the north, 22.77% in the center, the same percentage in the south and 15.84% in the islands. Mostly they are graduates or high school graduates. 31.82% had a household of 4. 69.8% take care of household purchases.

"Whatever the reason that pushes to choose the snack, the problem remains that the food industry offers delicious snacks, rich in sugar often composed of artificial ingredients, usually very caloric and not very satiating, so as to stimulate excessive consumption – explains Niklas Gustafson, founder of Natruly together with Octavio Laguía -. At the base of a balanced diet, however, there are healthy ingredients and correct our habits".

If in fact, in the Italian target object of the survey, as a snack 40% choose fruit, among the preferred options there are also industrial sweet snacks, 39.11%, followed by chocolate, 38.61, (the question "What do you like to eat as a snack?" allowed to give more than one answer). When Italians buy industrial snacks to make a snack, however, they check the label: to check the ingredients (37.62%), calories or sugar (32.67%) and artificial additives (28.22%). The survey confirms that consumers would like there to be healthier options for sale. Almost 1 in 2 Italians prefers salty to sweet (34%). 

The afternoon is the most suitable time for 58% of them to have a snack.