"Today's Lunch? Increased Eating Snacks... Korea Says 'We Have Samgak Gimbap and Cup Ramen'"

A survey revealed that consumers worldwide are increasingly replacing meals with snacks such as cookies and chocolates. This trend is analyzed to be influenced by the global high inflation situation and the growing number of people seeking convenient lifestyles.

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Market research firm Euromonitor International announced the '2024 Global Snack Market Survey Results' containing this information on the 25th. Euromonitor included cookies, nuts, frozen desserts, chocolates, candies, gum, and more in their snack survey.

According to the survey, in the United States, 1 in 6 adults (17%) responded that they replaced meals with snacks last year. In the United Kingdom and Brazil, 1 in 8 adults (13%) each answered that they ate snacks instead of meals. In all three countries, the proportion of respondents who replaced meals with snacks increased by more than 3 percentage points compared to the previous year.

In Asian countries, the proportion of respondents in Hong Kong who said they ate snacks as meals rose from 6% in 2023 to 11% last year, an increase of 5 percentage points. During the same period, Singapore saw an increase from 8% to 11% in the response rate.

Regarding these results, Euromonitor explained, "As economic uncertainty continues, global consumers' lifestyles are shifting toward convenience, increasing the proportion of people choosing snacks instead of meals." In fact, in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Hong Kong, consumer preference for nutritious snacks and easily consumable treats is on the rise.

However, in South Korea, the response rate for eating snacks instead of meals remained at 13%, unchanged from the previous year. A Euromonitor official noted, "Korea has a rich variety of foods that lie between meals and snacks, such as samgak kimbap, cup noodles, and meal breads," adding, "The snack market's growth is still limited in replacing meals."

A consumer is choosing a triangular kimbap at a convenience store.

Euromonitor estimated that the global snack market grew by 3.7% last year to $680 billion (973 trillion KRW) and is expected to grow to $700 billion (1001 trillion KRW) this year.

There is also a prospect that demand for snacks in Korea will continue to grow. Seungwoo Han, Senior Researcher of Euromonitor's Food & Dining sector, explained, "The recently emerging 'K Snacks' such as Korean rice crackers and gimbugak are examples that satisfy unique flavors and fun, the nutrition of raw ingredients, and convenient packaging all at once."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.