30% of adults in the UK are skipping at least one meal a day in favour of snacking.
So what does that mean? Are we a nation too lazy to prepare or cook a meal? Are we just too busy? Or is it just a side-effect of the booming snack industry offering us more choice than ever before?
As a serial snacker myself, I am one of those people who will occasionally pass on a meal in favour of a snack. But I don't consider myself a lazy person. I like cooking, I really do. I haven't always but a few years ago someone introduced me to Hello Fresh, and it turns out cooking can actually be quite fun. Who knew?! But I'm also a busy person, I cram a lot into my days, and some days it's just easier to grab a snack and free up my time to do something I really enjoy. The industry has definitely made this more tempting too. I remember many many moons ago, an old boss of mine telling me about this new little business called Graze. "They deliver snacks to your desk" he said, as my eyes lit up. I loved the variety, I loved the novelty and I loved the community that came along with it. 'Oh you're a Grazer too? What's your favourite snack?' Yes, I was that person.
Whilst I'm aware that it's much more nutritional for us all to eat three balanced meals a day (I do aim for that most days!), I have to say I really do love that the food industry is providing a huge variety of healthy on-the-go snacks for us to choose from, and if stops us succumbing to unhealthy fast food chains, I'm all for it. Bring on the rise of the snacks!
Now, where did I put my lentil crisps?
Britain has undergone many food revolutions over the last generation; olive oil has moved from pharmacist’s shelf to store-cupboard staple; we’ve seen a boom in gin, and an even bigger one in veganism. But there is one that has gone less remarked – what Praveen Vijh calls “the snackification of Britain”.
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