PLANO, Texas — Snack maker Frito-Lay estimates snack consumption during Super Bowl LV will be up 21% compared to last year.
According to results from Frito-Lay's latest U.S. Snack Index, a poll focused on consumers' snacking habits, more than 40% of Americans are snacking more than they did last year. And with eight in 10 Americans planning to tune in to the Feb. 7 football game, snacking will hit a peak.
"Super Bowl is as much about enjoying a fun, shared national moment with our favorite foods and beverages as it is about the football game," said Mike Del Pozzo, chief customer officer for Frito-Lay North America. "Americans continue to look for familiarity and comfort in their favorite foods as the pandemic has continued, and we expect that trend to remain in the weeks leading up to game day as 80% of adults think Super Bowl isn't complete without snacks and dips."
Retail sales data shows Super Bowl Sunday is one of the biggest snacking days of the year, but snack consumption has seen a significant uptick since the onset of the pandemic. With half of consumers (50%) saying they look forward to eating the snacks they love but don't eat every day during the Super Bowl, Frito-Lay is preparing to meet increased demand, producing more than 70 million pounds of snacks in the week leading up to the game.
Potato chips are generally the top snack of choice, but during the Super Bowl, 68% of adults agree that chips and dip are the Super Bowl snacking must-have.
Additional market trends and U.S. Snack Index highlights show …
Americans are stocking up on snacks earlier, with 86% planning to shop for Super Bowl goodies during the week leading up to game day. But not everyone is as prepared, as 25% of consumers expect to shop just six hours before kickoff. Overall, two-thirds of consumers plan on picking up their game-day snacks from the grocery store; however, 10% of people plan to shop online for delivery.
When it comes to buying snacks overall, 52% of Americans want the classic flavors they have known for years. For the third year in a row, salsa is the most popular dip to pair with Super Bowl snacks (42%), followed by cheese dips and spreads (38%), French onion dip (33%) and guacamole (32%). Fifty-two percent of consumers said they want to try something new and that they value variety.
Of the two Super Bowl LV cities, Kansas City is more likely (58%) to stick to classic snacks they have known for years compared to Tampa (47%). The two cities also prefer a variety of dips, with Kansas City favoring cheese dips and spreads (51%) and Tampa opting for salsa (46%).
This poll was conducted on Jan. 6 among a national sample of 2,201 adults who typically watch or plan to watch the Super Bowl this year.
Plano, Texas-based Frito-Lay North America, manufacturer of Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos and other popular snack brands, is the $17 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo Inc., Purchase, N.Y.
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