Arla Foods Ingredients has predicted that ‘healthy’ will continue to lead the way in the future of snacking and has launched products to cash in.

It has created a package of three healthy snacking concepts using high-quality dairy proteins. They are a high-protein smoothie with Lacprodan Smooth80 – a whey protein that boosts protein levels in smoothies to as much as 6% without compromising on taste; a 100% whey-based drink, incorporating Lacprodan DI-7017; and a protein bar formulated with Nutrilac PB-8420, a natural milk protein.

The concepts offer a way into the snacks category with added-value products.

Troels Laursen, head of health and performance nutrition at Arla Foods Ingredients, said: “High-quality milk proteins such as whey offer a wide range of health benefits, including increased levels of satiety and stabilisation of blood glucose levels, which are fantastic for healthy snacking concepts.

“With consumers leading increasingly busy lives, they struggle to find time to eat three sit-down meals a day, and we believe snacking is the future of eating. However, it will be healthy snacks that are key to maximising success, and the concepts we’ve developed for HIE will showcase the benefits of dairy proteins in snack products that offer consumers nutritious and guilt-free indulgence.”

Research shows that as many as 90% of adults snack daily with the average person consuming 2.2 snacks a day, representing a big opportunity for the market. Arla Food Ingredients says pleasure and convenience are the main drivers to purchase, with the real winners combining those attributes with good health credentials.