December 13, 2021

• Fourth Annual Frito-Lay Snack Index Looks at Snacking in a Covid World
• More than half of Adults, whether returning to old Christmas traditions or beginning new traditions in the midst of the pandemic, are excited to snack in the comfort of their homes

 

 

PLANO, Texas – December 13, 2021 – As another holiday season approaches, consumers are split on how to celebrate, but they are sure to be snacking through it all. According to Frito-Lay’s fourth-annual Snack Index1, a poll focused on consumers' snacking habits, holiday celebrations will continue to look different than pre-pandemic for three out of five Americans as they either find completely new ways to celebrate or return to pre-pandemic traditions like attending or hosting a gathering. Only 38% will continue to celebrate as they did in 2020.

 

Snack consumption trends are continuing to evolve, with 50% of adults reporting they tried new snacks in the past year and more than half of them, whether returning to old Christmas traditions or beginning new traditions in the midst of the pandemic, are excited to snack in the comfort of their homes. As the holiday season approaches, these trends continue to influence consumers’ holiday snack habits.

"Our goal at Frito-Lay is to meet consumers’ snacking demand wherever and whenever they snack,” said Mike Del Pozzo, SVP Sales and Chief Customer Officer, PepsiCo Foods North America. “We’ve made significant investments in our omnichannel and ecommerce platforms to continue to satisfy our consumers’ needs, and we’re looking forward to being part of their holiday celebrations.”

 

The Snack Index found 40% of consumers expect to purchase food and snack items two to three weeks before the holidays, up from 31% in 2020. This uptick in advance shopping comes as consumers place higher priority on securing their favorite snacks for the holidays, as 81% of adults have seen, heard, or read something about supply chain challenges.

 

Despite this, only 19% of consumers expressed concern about availability of their favorite items and products and one-fifth of adults say they plan to snack even more frequently as COVID-19 pandemic mandates continue to evolve. For example, with many still transitioning from remote to in-person work, those who currently work from home are likely to buy the same snack options, but purchase more individually packaged snacks, or start buying in bulk once they return to office.

 

Additional market trends and Holiday Snack Index highlights show:

 

Shifting Consumer Habits

• Only one-third of Adults express having had difficulties finding their favorite food items in the last 6 months.
• 78% of adults are likely to shop online for snacks this year.
• If a food item were out of stock, consumers would most likely purchase a different size than their normal choice (82%), try a different brand (81%), or go to a different store to look for the item (77%).

Holiday Celebration Styles Are In Flux

• Those celebrating Christmas differently than ever before will do more hosting, cooking/baking, traveling, visiting bars/restaurants, and attending religious gatherings than average.
• Of those returning to pre-pandemic traditions, 39% plan to attend a gathering, 29% intend to cook or bake, and 28% plan to stay home this Christmas. Among those continuing pandemic celebrations like last year, 40% plan to continue to stay home for Christmas. 
• Only 43% plan to stay home and enjoy New Year’s Eve alone or with the people that live in their household, 13% plan on hosting a gathering with friends and/or family, while nearly half of Americans will venture out.
• While traditional, pre-pandemic holiday plans will make a return for 29% of respondents, 38% will celebrate similarly to last year and 33% will experience new ways of celebrating the holidays this year.
• Finger foods will make a bigger appearance at holiday gatherings this year with 44% planning to serve them compared to 38% in 2020.

 

New Year Resolutions Impact Snacking Choices

• As New Year’s resolutions set in, 30% plan to consume healthier snacks like nuts, seeds, peanuts, and granola bars. Additionally, 22% of adults plan to try new snack flavors in the new year.
• For those who currently work from home, when they return to the office, 78% anticipate buying the same snack options as before, 21% intend to buy more individually packaged snacks, and 20% are likely to buy more snacks in bulk to package themselves to bring into the office.

 

 

For more information, visit FritoLay.com/SnackIndex.

 

1Survey Methodology
This poll was conducted between November 12-November 16, 2021 among a national sample of 2,200 Adults. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of Adults based on gender, educational attainment, age, race, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

*Poll to collect data on those who currently work from home was conducted the same way but on November 19, 2021

 

About Frito-Lay North America

Frito-Lay North America is the $18 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, N.Y. Frito-Lay snacks include Lay’s and Ruffles potato chips, Doritos tortilla chips, Cheetos snacks, Tostitos tortilla chips and branded dips, SunChips multigrain snacks and Fritos corn chips. The company operates 30+ manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and Canada, more than 200 distribution centers and services 315,000 retail customers per week through its direct-store-delivery model. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http:www.fritolay.com/ , on Twitter fritolay, on Instagram @fritolay and on Facebook Frito-Lay.