Rich pickings in British snack market

THE high level of snack and convenience food consumption in Britain offers a substantial market opportunity for Irish food manufacturers, new research results from Teagasc show.

Using a sophisticated consumer research method, called the food related lifestyle instrument, researchers at the Teagasc National Food Centre and University College Cork segmented British consumers into six groups.

Cathal Cowan, of the Teagasc National Food Centre and leader of the research team, the most rapidly-growing group of food consumers in Britain are now classified as “snackers.”

Accounting for one in five of British consumers, they are predominantly interested in convenience foods which offer quick and easy meal solutions. The research team has also identified two other British consumer categories with limited interest in food. They are described as the “careless” and “uninvolved” consumers.

“The careless group have least interest in shopping whereas those in the uninvolved group have minimal interest in cooking.

“Together with the emerging snackers these groups now account for 48% of British consumers. “All three groups have higher proportions of people in the lower socio-economic groups,” said Cathal Cowan.

Cathal Cowan said Irish companies produced over €2.6bn of convenience food products in 2002, of which €1bn was exported to the British market.

“The British market for convenience food is worth over €20 billion per annum and is projected to increase by a further €5 billion by 2006.”