There’s no need to panic, but there are some signs – very early signs – that the British are beginning to lose their love of crisps. According to the market research firm Mintel, the amount spent annually on regular crisps in this country has fallen from £1.39bn in 2013 to an estimated £1.34bn in 2015. At the same time, sales of weird crisps (such as Doritos, Hula Hoops and Pringles) have overtaken them. Yet the real danger comes from a trendy insurgent, up from just £50m in 2010 to £129m in 2015: popcorn.
Once a snack for cinemas only, the market for bags of popcorn flavoured with everything from caramel and cinnamon to sundried tomatoes has been growing strongly. One leading brand, Propercorn, which launched in 2011, is now available as part of Boots and Tesco meal deals – in what was once the slot for crisps alone.
Why is this happening? There are no easy answers. But there are some clues. “It really has been pushed by the premium end of the market, so it’s a bit of a gourmet treat,” says Amy Price, a senior analyst at Mintel, who worked on the research. “And it has proved massively popular with young people. We’ve got 35% of people eating popcorn, but that rises to 49% among those aged 16-34.” Soon the £139m market for peanuts – the snack of older people – will be in popcorn’s sights.
There is another thing, perhaps the main selling point, that the new wave of popcorn-makers often trumpet on their packs: health. “I think the health angle has really helped it,” Price says. And to some extent, this is not unreasonable. “It’s a wholegrain,” says Dr Frankie Phillips of the British Dietetic Association, “and wholegrains have the advantages of extra fibre, and the nutrients that are stored in the outer parts of the grain.” For people who don’t get enough of these things, therefore, popcorn might be beneficial.
However. “On the other hand, we tend to eat popcorn either with a lot of salty flavours, or a lot of sugary flavours,” Phillips says. “This is when it starts becoming a little bit messy.” Certainly, the nutritional numbers of new popcorn aren’t very impressive. Each 30g “serving” of Propercorn (sweet and salty) provides 129 calories; a 17g pack of Metcalfe’s Skinny Sweet ’n Salt popcorn contains 78 calories (ie a bit more per gram); 23g of Tyrrells Sweet & Salty Poshcorn has 119 calories (a bit more still – and the same, per gram, as Walkers Salt & Vinegar crisps). For comparison, a can of Coca-Cola has 139 calories.
Little wonder that when they were given the statement: “Popcorn is still healthy even if it’s flavoured – eg caramel,” 24% of Price’s popcorn-eaters agreed and 31% disagreed, which is another way of saying in unison: “Er …” When it comes down to it, whether crisps or popcorn, it’s really a matter of how much. “That’s the truth of nutrition,” Phillips says. “It is all about balance and moderation. So, yes, popcorn sometimes: great. Popcorn every day for your snack: probably not great.” And, ahem, crisps every day, probably not great either.
