Stuck-at-home isolation has caused consumers to become increasingly interested in healthy diets and new ways of living. As the population becomes increasingly vaccinated, the consumer spotlight on dietary choices is only increasing as society prepares to resume everyday life. As a result, consumers are further embracing the ketogenic diet, a high fat, low carb diet. With keto’s growing popularity, a range of new opportunities opened in the snacking category to address consumer needs.
We collected over 72,000 data points from social media, customer reviews, and search traffic that revolve around the keto-friendly snack category. As a result, our AI models identified that candy, snack bars, and cereals possess the highest potential for keto-friendly snack innovation, with consumer interest growing 169 percent, 105 percent, and 84 percent year-on-year, respectively.
With such a high interest in keto-friendly snacks, brands looking to enter or expand in the keto-snack space should focus on candies or gummies with reduced sugar content, taking inspiration from upstart brands like Kiss My Keto gummies, or keto-friendly bars such as the aptly named Dang.
Yummy Gummies
Kiss My Keto Gummy Bears are gummy candies that self-proclaim they make consumers feel like a kid in a candy store (without the health repercussions). The brand’s 23-gram bag of gummy bears only has 2 grams of sugar, 2 grams carbs, and 1 gram of protein resulting in only a 40 calorie intake. The same amount of Haribo-brand gummy bears exceeds 15 grams of sugar and 100 calories.
Coupling a massive 169% growth in consumer mentions, and the fact that keto-friendly candies are an emerging space, this area warrants further investigation from brands looking to expand their current snack range or enter into the snack market. The high growth rate and opportunity for this nascent area are surprising and potentially very profitable.
Setting The Bar High
Dang keto-friendly snack bars offer easy convenience to consumers on a keto diet looking for a sweet fix that also fulfills their moderate protein, low-carb, plant-based dietary requirements. It should be noted that this bar, as with most snack bars, is not a low-calorie food option.
Conversely to the gummies and candies emerging market space, the keto-friendly snack bar area is both well-established and competitive. However, over the past six months, mentions about the segment grew at a rate of 105% compared to the same period a year earlier. Consumer interest in this area continues to widen, meriting a closer look by larger, established brands interested in expanding their offering.
For more information about the leading forms of keto-friendly foods or opportunities inside keto snacks, you can request a demo here. If you want to view our recent webinar’s discussion on keto-friendly snacks, you can view the video here.