Made with Honey Kids’ Products on Trend with Snacking, Plant-Based Categories

Two huge trends heading into 2020 are the “snackification” of meals throughout the day and plant-based offerings. When speaking about food trends, we tend to focus on the demographic segments of baby boomers, Generation X, and millennials — the adults. However, kids are indeed some of the most influential consumers in the United States, even if Mom and Dad hold the wallets.

Luckily, honey is an all-natural sweetener that parents can choose for their kids without feeling guilty. Check out how honey plays a role in snacking and plant-based offerings via products developed and marketed to kids.

Kids and Snacking

Bakery and Snacks reports that snacking has become an “all-day habit,” a positive trend amongst children when the snacks are healthy. And, according to the Journal of Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, that seems to be the case. They released a study showing that “snacking between meals is improving the overall nutritional quality of American children’s diet.”

This hasn’t always been the case, as for years, snacking has been synonymous with poor eating habits. However, a shift is happening away from bad-for-you snacks over into better-for-you snacks. Food manufacturers are tasked with finding a happy medium of taste versus nutrition, and several made-with-honey products are answering the call for snacks that kids will beg for in grocery aisles.

Breakfast cereal is now an all-day eating option, and Kashi by Kids Honey Cinnamon cereal gives kids a great breakfast with milk or all-day snack by the handful. The Kashi by Kids’ line was developed by five kids who possessed skills in culinary arts, healthy eating, and sustainability. The cereal is made with honey, red lentil flour, oat fiber, and apple puree concentrate.

Spudkins Honey Barbecue Fry Cuts also appeals to kids with its fun potato- caricature-wearing-sunglasses packaging. The gluten-free snack is cut like French fries and is crunchy with no artificial colors or flavors. They’re made with real Russet potatoes, honey and honey barbecue seasoning.

Kids and Plant-Based Foods

At last year’s Food for Kids Summit, plant-based eating was a much-discussed topic. Linkage Research & Consulting Founder and President Michele DeKinder-Smith told the audience that there is “an immense untapped opportunity in plant-based food and drink products targeted toward kids.” Her focus was on millennials who are now becoming parents, and 25% of millennials in 10,000 consumer interviews said that plant-based is “a top criteria they factor into the food they want to eat.” Basically, the millennials driving the plant-based food trend are bringing the youngest Gen Z children into the fold.

DeKinder-Smith said that the most popular plant-based categories with kids are non-dairy milk alternatives, non-dairy yogurt, and plant-based snacks. Nearly 60% of households with kids, as reported by Food Navigator, are buying plant-based food alternatives. An astounding 80% of those are feeding these products to their children. DeKinder-Smith noted that products in today’s market are geared toward mainstream adult audiences, leaving huge potential to market to children — something that the surveyed parents actually asked for in terms of plant-based foods. Taste and texture are two traditional aspects that never change with children: if both aren’t present they won’t pass the test.

Love Beets Honey + Ginger pass the flavor and texture test, offering parents and kids the opportunity to enjoy eating vegetables! The beets are marinated in orange blossom honey and ginger and contain no artificial colors or preservatives. They also are ready-to-eat, which is great for on-the-go families.

If parents are still looking to add more veggies to their kids’ diets, they can grab shop for Fruitlove’s Strawberry Banana Twirl smoothie, which contains rhubarb and carrots along with strawberries, bananas, raspberries, Greek yogurt and, of course, honey to top it all off.

We want to hear from you! What are your kids’ favorite snacks? Are you living the plant-based diet life, and what are your go-to snacks? Tell us all about it in the comments below.

Made with Honey Kids’ Products on Trend with Snacking, Plant-Based Categories

Archives