Survey Finds Gen Z Eating More Goldfish Crackers, Less Faux Meat

Oct. 13, 2022

A semi-annual research project from Piper Sandler recently found that of 14,500 U.S. teens, when it comes to their favorite snack brands most intended to eat more or the same amount of Nature Valley, Clif and Goldfish.

Erin A. Hallstrom

A new study by the firm Piper Sandler finds that Generation Z, those born between 1997-2012, appear to loyal to a handful of snack brands, but are shying away from plant-based meat.

The Piper Sandler Taking Stock With Teens survey was conducted in August through September of this year, having surveyed input from 14,500 teens. Geographically-speaking, the respondents to the survey were predominately from the southern (41%) and Midwestern (32%) United States. The West represented 20% of the survey respondents with 7% being from the Northeast.

The survey queried teens on a number of consumer habits, including their fast-food preferences, with Chick-Fil-A, Starbucks and Chipotle rounding out the top three responses. When it comes to consumer packaged goods, the teens reported they intended to 'eat more or the same amount' of Nature Valley, Clif and Goldfish brands.

The results also showed that 14% of the 14,500 surveyed teens ate plant-based meat and of those 14%, 23% planned to eat less plant-based meat in the future.

About the Author

Erin A. Hallstrom

Erin Hallstrom oversaw our digital content strategy for the Food Processing brand from 2008-2023. She is now the Associate Director of SEO Strategy for Endeavor Business Media, where she holds technical certifications in both website analytics and search engine optimization. Most recently, she was named the 2022 Marianne Dekker Mattera Award Winner.