Total dollar volume of snack bars shipped through broadline US foodservice distributors to total foodservice outlets grew 15% year-over-year in year ending in November 2013, says NPD Group; units shipped rose 13%

Nevin Barich

CHICAGO , February 13, 2014 (press release) – Total dollar volume of snack bars shipped through broadline foodservice distributors to total foodservice outlets grew 15 percent and units shipped by 13 percent in the year ending November 2013 compared to same period year ago, according to The NPD Group.

Convenient, portable, and often better-for-you, snack bars’ broad appeal as a snack or meal replacement has made this compact edible a double-digit growth category across foodservice channels, reports The NPD Group, a leading global information company.

Total dollar volume of snack bars shipped through broadline foodservice distributors to total foodservice outlets grew 15 percent and units shipped by 13 percent in the year ending November 2013 compared to same period year ago, according to NPD’s SupplyTrack, which is the first monthly tracking service that codes, aggregates, and tracks every product shipped from a critical mass of leading broadline distributors to each of their foodservice operators.

Snack bar dollar volume sales grew the most at lodging establishments, which represent the largest share of the category’s dollar sales, with a 28 percent 12-month increase through November. In addition to lodging, total dollars of snack bars shipped to eating and drinking establishments, non-commercial channels, and retail foodservice also increased by double-digits in the year ending November compared to year ago, according to SupplyTrack, which captures information on categories, brands, items, product attributes, and operator segment.

Cereal bars, which represent the largest dollar volume share of snack bar types, realized a double-digit gain in dollar sales and units shipped from broadline distributors to foodservice outlets. Granola and diet/health snack bars also saw a double-digit increase in dollars and units shipped over a year ago.

“Snack bars meet the needs of today’s on-the-go consumer who is looking for a convenient, nutritious snack or meal replacement,” says Annie Roberts, vice president, NPD SupplyTrack. “Having an accurate picture of how snack bars are performing in the foodservice marketplace enables distributors, manufacturers, and operators to make better business decisions and best meet their consumer’s needs.”

About The NPD Group

The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth. Sectors covered include automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, entertainment, fashion, food / foodservice, home, luxury, mobile, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, and video games. For more information, visit http://www.npd.com and npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter: @npdfood.

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