30 August 2023 , 16:07
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Brits typically enjoy two snacks a day, with 23% saying snack time is their favourite time of day – but four in five admit they have no idea how many calories are in their favourite tasty treats.
The top snacks Brits like to munch on include chocolate (19%), fruit (8%), and cake (7%) – while a whopping 97% would describe themselves as “crisp eaters”.
A poll of 2,000 adults found that 14% tuck into the salty snack daily, while 46% grab a packet at least a few times a week – but just 11% are aware that a multipack bag of Wotsits, Quavers, or Monster Munch contains 100 calories or less.
And just one in four (24%) could cite how many calories are in a banana or a 30g handful of nuts, while only 21% know the calorie count of a small, 30g bag of popcorn.
It also emerged that 18% feel as though they're winning when they realise a snack they have consumed contains less calories than they thought.
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The research was commissioned by Walkers, and found that 24% claim the ideal time to enjoy a snack is between 3pm and 4pm.
Only 2% of Brits claim they never snack at all, with 35% saying they tuck into three or more snacks each day – and 9% even claim to spend hours pondering their snack choices.
And almost all Brits eat crisps, with one in seven tucking into a packet daily (SWNS)Josephine Taylor, at Walkers, said: “We know how a good snack can make or break someone’s day.
“We’re always striving to provide extensive choice when it comes to snacks, to make sure we’re meeting the nation’s snacking needs. Hopefully, this knowledge will be seen as good news for UK crisp lovers.”
The research also revealed that snacking habits are changing, as 40% claim to have switched to buying snacks or crisps containing 100 calories or less – and one in 10 citing “double-digit calories” as their key snacking criteria.
And when it comes to choosing lunch-time snacks, crisps were the nation’s top choice, with 46% choosing them as their lunch snack of choice – followed by fruit (39%) and chocolate (22%).
Aside from double-digit calories, other top snacking criteria include items that are tasty (64%), affordable (36%), require zero preparation (21%), and don’t smell or offend those around them (8%).
Meanwhile, one in five (18%) claim snacks must be crunchy, while others seek out snacks that are salty (17%) or sweet (13%).
If forced to opt for something that doesn’t meet their snacking criteria, 18% feel like they need another, better snack to make up for it – while others claim to feel upset at the wasted snacking opportunity (10%).
Almost half the nation (43%) claim to feel “satisfied” with themselves after a good snack, while others claim to feel a sense of achievement (4%).
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AVERAGE CALORIES OF EVERYDAY SNACKS:
- A slice of buttered toast – 200 calories
- A 30g portion of mixed nuts – 185 calories
- Two Digestive biscuits – 150 calories
- A 30g bag of popcorn – 139 calories
- A medium banana – 105 calories
- Monster Munch multipack bag – 98 calories
- Squares multipack bag – 97 calories
- Quavers multipack bag – 86 calories
- Wotsits multipack bag – 82 calories
- French Fries multipack bag – 78 calories