Healthier snacks for a healthier Asia

THERE can be no replacement for proper meals and balanced nutrition when it comes to achieving a healthy lifestyle. However, it is undeniable that snacking is a major pastime in Asia with many office workers buying snacks for their mid-afternoon tea break after lunch. Industry reports have shown that on average people snack 14 occasions per week.

Datamonitor reports that consumers are increasingly looking for healthy snack alternatives, with 42% of consumers globally choosing healthy snacks. However, market data also shows that 36% of them feel guilty after snacking.

Non-communicable diseases (NCD) – such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and  obesity – are on the rise in Asia. Consumers are increasingly aware that a healthy lifestyle starts with a balanced nutrition. As such, healthy snacks – with reduced sugar or fat or fibre-enriched recipes – present a great opportunity for food  producers  in Asia. They are now looking for food ingredients that help to improve products’ nutritional profiles but without sacrifices on taste and texture.

Major trends in snack production

There are four key trends we are seeing in the snack market in Asia and around the world:

All natural,clean labelling Manufacturers are increasingly interested in having ‘cleaner’ labels. Naturally derived texturisers such as rice starches are thus of growing interest. The vegetal origin of rice starches contributes to optimised textures, such as improved creaminess in fat-reduced dairy products with natural positioning but also helps to replace artificial whiteners in confectionery.

Sustained energy release Consumers today need a lot of energy to get through their busy lives. Many used to resort to quick snacks or caffeine for that instant energy boost when they started to flag in the middle of the day. Today, they are increasingly looking for snacks that give them a constant energy supply to help them to get through the day, rather than those that give a quick burst of energy that drastically increase blood sugar levels only to have it drop just as quickly. This presents an opportunity for manufacturers to deliver snacks with low glycaemic and fully digestible carbohydrates.

Low fat/sugar or fat-/sugar-free With 1.6 billion overweight people worldwide, weight  management still is one of the most  important topics within the food industry. Providing  more  balanced nutritional properties with less fat and sugar or even no fat and sugar at all are thus of great interest for food and beverage manufacturers alike.

Wholegrain and fibres Whilst Asians are aware of the beneficial role of dietary fibre, they still generally find it hard to incorporate a sufficient amount in their diet,  and  currently, Singapore is the only country in Asia that meets its daily recommended fibre intake. To reach the recommended level of dietary fibre intake and to maintain good digestive health, a good combination of natural fibre, such as whole grains, vegetables and fruits, along with fibre-enriched food is needed. Food, such as cereals and snack bars fortified with fibre, offer quick and easy options for consumers looking to reach the daily required intake.

The‘SNACK’approachAsia is a region which embraces all sorts of snacks, from local snacks – like sweet potato pretzels bites, apricot bites and rice and nut mixes – to Western snacks like cereal bars and fruit bars. The question is: are healthier snacks possible in Asia? BENEO believes that it is possible if we follow the SNACK approach (see diagram).

BENEO is developing  functional ingredients from the  natural  vegetable sources  like  chicory  roots,  sugar  beets and rice. These ingredients enable food manufacturers to improve tFootwear