New biscuit generation

New research from Mintel reveals that the UK biscuit market is not what it seems. Stereotypical images may evoke scenes of granny’s biscuit tin being passed around with a classic biscuit selection and younger consumers dropping the newest and most innovative biscuits into their shopping baskets. However, this is not the case. It appears younger consumers (16 to 24 year olds) have the biggest appetite for traditional British biscuits such as Bourbon and Custard Cream – with 60% of them disagreeing that traditional biscuits are boring, compared to 55% of their older counterparts (55+).

It is not for lack of choice that consumers are turning to classic biscuits – as innovation in the UK biscuit market has never been higher. Indeed, launches more than doubled in the UK between 2007 and 2011, rising to over 300 in the past 12 months. Furthermore, it is mainly younger consumers seeking solace in a biccie as 70% of 16-24 year-olds would opt for biscuits as an indulgent treat, compared to 62% of the 55+. Mature consumers, however, are far more likely to keep the time-honoured tradition of dunking alive – only 46% of younger consumers (16-24) enjoy a biscuit with a hot drink as opposed to 63% of the over 45s.

However, there is one thing casting a shadow across the popularity of the biscuit – the guilt factor. Overall, 36% of British biscuit eaters say they feel guilty about eating biscuits, a figure that rises to almost 46% of all women. A strong demand for healthier biscuit options is also reflected in the fact that 40% of consumers admit they would eat more if they were lower in sugar.

Indeed, healthy issues can represent the battleground for the biscuit industry, as 40% of consumers believe that there aren’t enough of these available – but at the same time almost half of consumers think low fat and healthy biscuits taste ‘bland’.  This represents an area of opportunity for manufacturers, it seems what consumers are crying out for is a healthy biscuit that tastes good.