Super Bowl Sunday: Plant-based snacking rises, while cheese and chicken reign supreme

01 Feb 2019 --- Plant-based snacks are gaining traction as an alternative go-to snack this Super Bowl Sunday as more Americans than ever before shift to vegan or vegetarian food choices. However, chicken (particularly buffalo-style wings) and cheese are still dominant snacking staples as American football lovers gather for the sporting event of the year, a day that has become just as much of a food-centric holiday as Thanksgiving and Christmas. The Super Bowl food surge is on – so what will be in the snacking starting line-up for the big game when the Los Angeles Rams take on the New England Patriots in Atlanta, Georgia?

The nature of snacking is changing and although it remains a part of everyday life for most, what is considered a snack is shifting. Snacking is also no longer considered an optional extra but a definitive eating occasion.

According to Innova Market Insights data, snacking is a central focus of innovation across all food & beverage categories, with 10 percent average annual growth of global launches with a snacking claim over the past five years (CAGR, 2013-2017). Three square meals are no longer the mantra either – a fourth, fifth or even sixth meal culture is emerging, as grazers look for that little extra pick-me-up.

Super Bowl Sunday will also see football lovers blurring the lines of snacking with plant-based products just as likely to be at the center of the snacking plate as meat and dairy. At the same time, “snackification” is becoming more prevalent as brands expand their portfolio by creating snacking versions of their existing products – and this includes plant-based products as well.

Chicken wings still hold major football snacking appeal
Chicken wings remain the most purchased food item for game day, but plant-based foods are moving up the ranks as protein snack alternatives. The US National Chicken Council (NCC) released its annual Chicken Wing Report, which concludes that Americans will be “winging it” as much as ever this Super Bowl Sunday.

The NCC projects that consumption of the chicken wing will hit an all-time high at 1.38 billion wings during the weekend which is a 2 percent increase on the number of wings consumed during last year’s game weekend.

As more and more US consumers are no longer just concentrating on meat as their protein source, vegetables like avocados (used in guacamole) and cauliflower are making good ground.

It was previously reported that an avocado shortage could hit the Super Bowl weekend due to a recent fuel shortage which was hampering transportation in Mexico, including the key avocado growing state of Michoacán. But challenges seem to have been overcome and long-term Super Bowl snacking favorite, guacamole, is still on the party menu as the US is reportedly receiving 120,000 tons of avocados from the world's largest avocado growing country, according to the Association of Producers, Packers, Exporters from Michoacán (APEAM).

The US is Mexico’s largest market for avocados, which are one of the most popular fresh produce items in both the US and Europe – and Mexican avocado farmers have been preparing harvests for the Super Bowl for some time.

Americans were, reportedly, projected to buy 88 million pounds of cheese in preparation for the big game as well, according to the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, which says that is enough cheese to cover the Mercedes-Benz Stadium football field, end zone to end zone, ten yards deep.

Americans' obsession with cheese continues to grow with average annual consumption in the US more than tripling since 1970, according to USDA figures, while cheese sales go up 10 percent in the lead-up to game day.

“When it comes to football, Wisconsin cheese is a staple for every party and tailgate,” says Suzanne Fanning, Senior Vice President for Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and Chief Marketing Officer for Wisconsin Cheese. “Everyone's favorite snacks and foods include cheese, from pizzas, nachos and hamburgers, to chili, queso dip and cheeseboards.”

Beer and the Super Bowl
Beer has always been the drink to accompany Super Bowl viewing. The findings of a recent US Beer Institute survey shows that 76 percent of US consumers celebrating the Super Bowl this year plan to drink beer as part of their festivities. Additionally, the poll found 78 percent of those planning to enjoy beer while taking part in Super Bowl activities said it was an important part of the experience, with half of those respondents saying beer was “very important” to their Super Bowl celebration.

“Across the country, men and women will take a few hours this Sunday to enjoy good friends, good food, good football, and, of course, good beer,” says Jim McGreevy, President and CEO of the Beer Institute. “Our nation is home to more than 5,600 brewers and beer importers are proud to be part of Super Bowl Sunday and they have poured their talent and dedication into making sure each celebrant has the right beer for Sunday’s game and future occasions throughout the year.”

The nationwide survey, by Quadrant Strategies, was conducted online from January 21 to January 25, 2019, on behalf of the Beer Institute with 1,175 American adults taking part.

Meanwhile, quality, premiumization and innovation in beer will be highlighted by the world’s biggest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev) which will be elevating its products’ profile during expensive TV commercials shown throughout the Super Bowl.

AB InBev is understood to have exclusive alcohol category advertising rights during the game and has purchased six-minutes and 25-seconds of airtime to showcase its brands including Budweiser, Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois and Bon & Viv Spiked Seltzer.

While chips have always been the perfect snacking accompaniment with beer, alternatives like nuts, are being promoted this year. Another Super Bowl-themed TV commercial comes from US snack food company Planters which features baseball player Alex Rodriguez being “saved” from eating kale chips on game day thanks to Planters peanuts.

Low-alcohol drinks
While beer obviously dominates the Super Bowl, more people are looking for low alcohol drinks as part of a health culture that has spread across all food and drink categories. Global alcohol consumption is declining and there is an increasing consumer trend towards cutting down on alcohol or cutting it out altogether. This is leading to more and more non-alcoholic or low ABV products hitting the market

The teetotal trend has been gathering momentum for some time, demonstrated through some of the major beer manufacturers innovating their own low or no-alcohol alternatives. In January 2018, Guinness launched its first non-alcohol lager, “Open Gate Pure Brew,” a full-flavored, non-alcoholic lager that has scored very well in independent taste tests and does not compromise on full-flavor. Heineken 0.0 has also been a big hit since hitting the shelves in Barcelona from May 2017 and has since rolled it out in more than 30 countries.

In terms of soft drinks, PepsiCo’s recent innovation – a new nitrogen-infused soft drink called Nitro Pepsi – is set to be available to consumers in two flavors, signature cola and vanilla. Pepsi says it plans to begin sampling the nitrogen-infused beverages at the Super Bowl in Atlanta and will shortly announce its official release date.

PepsiCo’s new Snackbot delivery robot is making its Super Bowl debut this year and has been in Atlanta over the last few days distributing drinks and chips showcased in Doritos’ 2019 commercial spot to Super Bowl sportscasters on Radio Row at the Georgia World Congress Center. The six-wheeled Super Bowl Snackbot has a new on-brand look with plenty of blue, red and white.

Tapping into Super Bowl celebrations is big business for the industry as the whole weekend has become increasingly focused on food with a growing interest in prepping fun party food. American consumers say they will spend an average of US$81.30 on food for during the game, according to a recent survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF).

The average spending is virtually unchanged from last year’s US$81.17 and is the second-highest in the history of the survey after a record of US$82.19 set in 2016. The total amount is down from last year’s US$15.3 billion, primarily because fewer people plan to watch the game – 182.5 million this year compared with 188.5 million last year. The overall spending is still the third-highest on record, after last year’s figure and US$15.5 billion in 2016, according to reports.

By Gaynor Selby

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