Think healthier snacking offerings are just important to cater to a remote group of health nuts? Think again. Recent data from a Q1 Consulting study is finding that the groups most likely to buy snacks and foods from convenience stores are not only choosing healthier items in growing numbers, they’re expecting those options when walking through the door. This is significant since stores not offering a robust selection of “better-for-you” products are likely turning away a customer base and potentially losing those customers forever to stores that are catering to a more diverse palate.

How significant are the findings? Of males in the 18 to 24 age group, 68 percent believe finding healthier snacks and food options is very important. Looking deeper still, of Hispanic males – the most frequent patrons of convenience stores – 58 percent consider these options very important. The study also found that these groups associate “better-for-you” options as being more fresh and all natural. As far as what “better-for-you” means, the study participants see items that are low in fat, low in sodium, organic or calorie-free as qualifying.

All of this is further defining the growing trend toward healthier snacking in New York City. There have long been assumptions by some that most convenience store customers are those looking for the sugary and/or high-fat snacks, drinks and foods. Now that the younger customer groups are showing they are more health savvy than originally estimated, stores not only need to take notice…they need to take action.

The entire Q1 Consulting study, entitled “Capturing Opportunities in the Convenience Store Prepared Foods Channel,” was released in June 2016. Beyond this initial finding about the typical convenience store patron’s attitude toward healthier choices, the research sheds light on trends with consumers and retailers, identifies the top proprietary prepared-food concepts, and assesses the impact of burgeoning channels on the industry as a whole, such as drug stores, restaurant pop-ups, commissaries and other emerging food service channels.

If you want healthy snacks added to your New York City breakroom supply contact your vending partner Healthy Vending at 917.572.3671  to discuss your customized break room solution.

If you could travel back in time fifty years and tell people that “bottled water” would be the leading growth category in the U.S beverage marketing, they would think you were crazy. Why would someone pay for something that you can essentially get “free” from the tap? But, as we well know today, people’s demand for a better quality, better tasting product has led to the establishment of bottled water as a major product category. And now given the growing interest in engaging in healthier lifestyles and reducing caloric intake, bottled water is booming. In fact, bottled water, by volume, already outsells carbonated soft drinks in many U.S. cities…and the expectation is that it will very soon become the most consumed beverage nationwide.

According to a new study by the Beverage Marketing Corporation, this trend in bottled water popularity is paying dividends with the caloric savings of the general U.S. populace. Over the past 15 years (2000 to 2015), Americans have collectively cut 61 to 68 trillion calories out of their diets by opting for calorie-free bottled water. Breaking this down in more relatable terms, the average Americansaved between 24,000 to 27,000 calories during 2015 compared to the year 2000. That’s a daily savings of 64 to 74 calories per person.

Though there is dispute about how to equate calorie intake to weight gained or lost, it’s fair to assume this water trend alone could mean a couple pounds difference to what each person would have gained/lost over the same period without the same boost in water intake. To add some perspective, dropping up to 27,000 calories in a year is equivalent to a person cutting 161 hot dogs, 126 chocolate donuts and 87 cheeseburgers from their annual diets (i.e. using USDA’s average calorie assumptions of 151 calories per hot dot, 194 per chocolate donut and 280 per cheeseburger).

So what does this mean for your New York City business and the importance of bottled water offerings? In 2015, total volume of bottled water sold in the U.S. was 11.7 billion gallons. That’s up from 4.7 gallons in 2000 – more than double the volume with a 148% increase in merely 15 years, or almost 10% growth year over year. At the same time, all other liquid refreshment beverages (LRBs) combined declined in total volume by about 5 percent (27 billion gallons to 25.8 billion gallons), and individual consumption of these beverages dropped more than 16 percent (95.7 gallons per person to 80.1 gallons).

The trend is clear. As long as people continue to become more health-conscious, they will choose bottled water more, as well. And the results of that choice will be a much healthier population, a further booming bottled water industry, and better business for the vending companies ahead of this curve.

For more information about bottled water and other beverage options for your New York City breakroom, contact your vending partner, Healthy Vending at 917.572.3671   to discuss your customized break room solution.