Thursday August 12, 2010

Lunch Box Snack Sales Grow

New York — Specialty foods that are lunch box staples made significant sales gains as chips, pretzels and snacks grew 15.4 percent from 2007 to 2009, according to the National Association for the Specialty Food Trade (NASFT).

In addition, it says retailers expect nutrition and cereal bars will be well-shopped this school year. The association suggests parents want easy-to-pack options, but are also looking for larger sizes for themselves.

Specialty food makers are increasingly catering to children as parents become more adventurous in their own food choices, a spokesperson for the association says, adding parents want to share the excitement of new foods and flavors with their kids.