Canadians Love Their Snacks, Research Finds

Snacking is gaining in popularity in Canada, where fruit and potato chips are among the top snack choices, according to research from the NPD Group. In fact, “snacking is the fastest growing meal occasion in the past decade in Canada,” the study found. On average, Canadians ate 300 snacks over the latest 12 months – almost a quarter of all Canadian meals. That’s an increase of 22 percent in ten years. In contrast, Americans on average ate only 230 snacks last year, with candy chosen more often than in Canada. Besides fruit and potato chips, favored snacks in Canada include yogurt and granola-type bars. The increasing popularity of potato chips is probably due to the wider choice of flavors, and the intense marketing and advertising efforts by chip makers.