For kids, returning to school means new outfits, backpacks, and supplies. For parents, it can be a struggle to balance the need for essentials against a child’s desire to sport the latest trends and impress their peers.
This challenge can extend to school lunches and snacks, as well. Kids might be keen to show up with pre-packaged kits like Lunchables, which are certainly convenient. However, many parents prefer an approach that offers greater health benefits with balanced meals and natural ingredients instead of processed foods.
How can brands deliver lunches and snacks kids love while maintaining acceptable nutritional value, flavor, and convenience for parents? Here are a few innovative ideas for food manufacturers and fresh food suppliers to explore.
Fun-Size Minis
One great way to break away from highly processed, pre-packaged lunch kits is with bite-size lunch and snack options that create fun feasts with an unexpected twist. Think about lunch menu items kids love and then find ways to transform them into miniature versions.
Restaurants that offer take-out lunch or snack boxes could drastically change their presentation without significantly increasing costs. Instead of serving a whole sandwich, cut it into smaller squares. Deconstruct waffles by making minis or chopping them into sticks with fruit and dipping sauces on the side.
Food manufacturers could take a cue from the ever-popular Uncrustables by creating a stuffed pocket-style snack or lunch item that features fresh ingredients parents can agree on. Kids have to operate in a world designed for adults, but making things mini meets them where they’re at.
Related: Gen-Z Snack Favorites: Savory and Sweet
Global Flavors
The pandemic spurred an uptick in traveling by tongue, whereby families seeking novelty turned to global cuisine for a sense of adventure and escape. That trend has not significantly declined among parents or kids.
The trick is to make kid-friendly versions of world cuisine that are flavorful and still meet parental requirements for nutrition, convenience, and cost. Options like upscale ramen, birria tacos, Korean BBQ, and even chicken wings offer opportunities to provide kids with tasty, filling meals, and they lend themselves well to experimentation with fresh, healthy ingredients, not to mention plant-based substitutes.
Specialty Beverages
When kids put away a hearty meal or snack, they need something to wash it down. Water is always best, but there is a range of specialty beverages that offer appealing qualities like nutrition and convenience.
Coconut water is a great way to encourage kids to stay hydrated, and several brands lead the pack. Goya Pure Coconut Water is, as advertised, 100% coconut juice loaded with potassium. It’s vegan and free of fat, cholesterol, and high-fructose corn syrup. The organic offerings from Harmless Harvest come in a pink hue (a natural reaction that occurs without pasteurization), and there’s a sparkling version for kids who want carbonation.
For something a bit more substantial, there are plenty of plant-based milk options to explore (oat, almond, soy, rice, etc.). These types of milk have a variety of nutritional benefits and come in different flavors (original, unsweetened, vanilla, and chocolate, primarily). Yogurt smoothies are also a great snack choice. Chobani offers a range of fun flavors, from classics like peach and strawberry banana to treats like s’mores and cookie dough.
Back to school, trends, events and more! Don't miss out, Sign up for our newsletter here!
Pay Attention to Socials
Gen Alpha kids were raised on connected technologies, and it shows in the way they create, embrace, and drive social trends, including mini meals, kid-friendly global cuisine, and specialty drinks as snacks. Brands that want to compete need to keep an eye on how food trends are being shared on social media.
Surveys show that most kids access content on YouTube, followed by TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram. If you’re interested in tracking trends or, better yet, influencing them, you need to stay up to date on these social media outlets.
To find out which trendy flavors are up-and-coming, contact Symrise today!
