Average Snacks Per Day
Compared to baby boomers, more millennials report snacking four or more times per day. Conversely, more boomers (compared to millennial respondents) report snacking one or two times per day.
| Number of snacks per day | Millennials* | Baby boomers* |
| 1 | 16.7% | 37.1% |
| 2 | 35.1% | 39.3% |
| 3 | 22.3% | 14.3% |
| 4 | 15.3% | 6.2% |
| 5 | 5.7% | 2.2% |
| More than 5 | 4.9% | 1.1% |
Source: Culinary Visions Panel Research 2013
Base: 372 baby boomers (49-67) and 942 millennials (19-36)
*Numbers do not equal 100 due to rounding
Snacking Preferences, Time of Day
Baby-boomer survey respondents snack much more than millennial respondents after dinner (42% vs. 35%). Millennials snack just before dinner much more frequently than boomers (22% vs. 8%).
| Day-part | Millennials | Boomers |
| Morning | 15% | 4% |
| Midmorning | 40% | 34% |
| Early afternoon | 43% | 27% |
| Late afternoon | 58% | 47% |
| Before dinner | 22% | 8% |
| After dinner | 35% | 42% |
| Late night | 37% | 25% |
Source: Culinary Visions Panel Research 2013
Base: 372 baby boomers (49-67) and 942 millennials (19-36)
Snack Purchasing Venue Choices
Millennials prefer purchasing snacks from convenience stores and fast-food restaurants, whereas baby boomers prefer making snacks at home.
| Venue | Boomers | Millennials |
| C-store | 19% | 47% |
| Make my own at home | 45% | 33% |
| Fast-food restaurant | 21% | 39% |
| Drug store | 14% | 20% |
| Supermarket bakery | 17% | 17% |
| Supermarket deli | 12% | 16% |
| Fast-casual restaurant | 5% | 11% |
| Cafeteria at workplace | 3% | 7% |
| Casual-dining restaurant | 3% | 7% |
| Cafeteria or other venue at my school | 1% | 4% |
| Supermarket (other) | 2% | 1% |
| Other | 12% | 3% |
Source: Culinary Visions Panel Research 2013
Base: 372 baby boomers (49-67) and 942 millennials (19-36)
NEXT: Snack Preferences Throughout the Day
Snack Preferences Throughout the Day
A look at three of the most common snacking day-parts reveals consumers start their day with more better-for-you snacks and move toward indulgence by late night. Boomers’ favorite early-morning snack is a bakery item; for millennials it’s yogurt. The preferred after-dinner snack for millennials is a tie between salty snacks, candy and bakery items, while boomers prefer chips.
| Snack | Millennials | Boomers |
| Fruit | 66% | 63% |
| Yogurt | 57% | 54% |
| Granola bar/energy bar | 56% | 47% |
| Bakery item | 52% | 59% |
| Smoothie | 43% | 16% |
| Nuts | 34% | 30% |
| Cheese | 31% | 34% |
| Candy | 26% | 22% |
| Chips/salty snacks | 23% | 24% |
| Vegetables | 25% | 14% |
| Mini meal/combination of a few foods | 21% | 11% |
| Mini sandwich/mini wrap | 20% | 11% |
| Beef jerky/meat snack | 15% | 8% |
| Prepared salad | 15% | 6% |
| Hummus | 11% | 9% |
| Soup/chili | 8% | 3% |
| Late afternoon | ||
| Chips/salty snacks | 57% | 59% |
| Fruit | 53% | 62% |
| Cheese | 47% | 57% |
| Candy | 48% | 47% |
| Nuts | 42% | 58% |
| Granola bar/energy bar | 43% | 36% |
| Bakery item | 42% | 40% |
| Vegetables | 40% | 34% |
| Mini sandwich/wrap | 41% | 19% |
| Mini meal/combination of a few foods | 39% | 18% |
| Yogurt | 30% | 35% |
| Prepared salad | 35% | 19% |
| Beef jerky/meat snacks | 36% | 15% |
| Smoothie | 35% | 15% |
| Soup/chili | 32% | 16% |
| Hummus | 25% | 15% |
| Late night | ||
| Chips/salty snacks | 57% | 63% |
| Candy | 51% | 41% |
| Bakery item | 46% | 43% |
| Fruit | 43% | 47% |
| Cheese | 40% | 38% |
| Nuts | 31% | 50% |
| Beef jerky/meat snacks | 29% | 15% |
| Yogurt | 23% | 32% |
| Mini meal/combination of a few foods | 27% | 15% |
| Granola bar/energy bar | 23% | 25% |
| Vegetables | 24% | 17% |
| Smoothie | 22% | 12% |
| Mini sandwich/wrap | 21% | 14% |
| Soup/chili | 21% | 11% |
| Hummus | 17% | 5% |
| Prepared salad | 11% | 8% |
Source: Culinary Visions Panel Research 2013
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