Munching Equality: Women Keep Pace With Men in Snacking!

New study sheds light on old perceptions of eating habits among women and men.

Women have often been stereotyped as being more calorie-conscious and prone to emotional eating, while men have been portrayed as less mindful of their food choices and more likely to indulge in heavy meals.

However, it's important to recognize that these perceptions are not necessarily reflective of reality, as eating habits can vary widely across individuals regardless of gender.

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‘Long-held perceptions about gender-based differences in eating habits are now being challenged, as research suggests that individuals' food choices and consumption patterns are shaped by a variety of factors that go beyond their gender identity.’

'STTEM - Safety, Technology, Taste, Ease & Mood Uplifter' - The India Snacking Report (Volume I) by Godrej Yummiez, a brand of ready-to-cook products, highlights that 76 percent of women snack more than once a day while 74 percent men do the same.

Breaking the Stereotype

This indicates a relatively 2 percent higher count of women snacking more than men. The report attempts to bring out such interesting insights about attitudes and perceptions of people when it comes to snacks & snacking.

Snacking is viewed as a mood uplifter by both genders, thereby highlighting the correlation of emotions to snacking.

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Throwing light on the food-mood connection of genders, the report reveals that 74 percent of women snack more when they are happy, i.e. 4 percent more as compared to men (70 percent) and 60 percent of women snack more when they are sad, i.e. 8 percent more as compared to men (52 percent)

Snacking Habits Uncovered

An aspect that came up in this study was that of snacks and main course meal timings merging or overlapping. 64 percent of males & 67 percent of females confessed to indulging in any time snacking.

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Recall or association of snacks with 'meals' is a very interesting finding of this study. Forty-six percent of males and 53 percent of females associates snacking with a mini meal.

Speaking on the insights and the report, Abhay Parnerkar, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of Godrej Tyson Foods Limited, said, "As the foremost player in the ready-to-cook category, Godrej Yummiez strives to understand the dynamic patterns defining snacking amongst people in the country. The India Snacking Report clearly shows that both genders equally prefer snacking and make their choice basis moods, and preferences. Going forward, the dynamics that will shape India's snacking habits will be based on the acronym STTEM- Safety, Technology, Taste, Ease & Mood Uplifter- the five pillars. Speaking specifically of the Taste pillar, Indian snack categories will have a larger influence over both consumers and brands."

Source-IANS