Meat Snacks Consumption: Aspects That the Consumer Looks for to Consider Them a Healthy Food

Abstract

[EN] In recent years, the consumption of snacks has increased substantially. Analysis of consumption trends of this kind of food through the use of surveys would allow matching of the supply to the demand. The objective of the present work was to study snacks and meat snacks consumption, and to analyze which consumers¿ preferences of these products were considered as healthy. An online survey was conducted with 234 consumers where they were asked about which type of snacks they consumed, frequency of consumption, the main characteristics that they look for in these types of foods, and what they consider a healthy snack should have. The results showed that the most important motivations for acquisition and consumption of snacks were those related to convenience, while for meat snacks they were those related to acceptability, above convenience and sociability. The most consumed snacks were, in descending order: fruits, dairy, nuts/seeds, coffee, cookies, and meat snacks. More than 50% of the respondents consumed them from once a day to two to three times a week. As for meat snacks, the most consumed were dehydrated meats for most of those surveyed. For consumers, a healthy meat snack should be rich in protein and low in salt