This is equivalent to just over a quarter of total biscuit and cookie launches over that period.
However, while the savoury biscuits market is much smaller than that for sweet biscuits/cookies and levels of new product activity are generally much lower, the savoury sector has been showing a stronger growth rate in many countries. This is driven by increasingly sophisticated and complex flavours, more interesting shapes, improved textures and an increasing focus on health credentials.
"The sector is also moving away from relatively plain biscuits used as an accompaniment for products such as cheese, savoury spreads and wine, and into products positioned as snacks in their own right, suitable for consumption straight from the box or with dips," Lu Ann Williams, director of Innovation at Innova Market Insights, said.
Savoury biscuits product activity is characterised by the relatively high level of interest in healthy options, with over 40 per cent of launches positioned on a health platform of some kind. This includes both passive claims, such as low fat, organic, natural, and gluten-free, and active claims, such as with added calcium or protein or featuring specific benefits such as heart health or digestive health. This figure rises to over 80 per cent for US launches and nearly 60 per cent in Europe, but falls to just 20 per cent in Asia.
Interest in all-natural and clean-label options appears to be continuing unabated, with over 20 per cent of the savoury biscuits and crackers launches recorded globally by Innova Market Insights featuring natural, additive-/preservative-free or organic claims. This trend is particularly evident in the more developed markets, however, particularly the US, where the percentage rises to just under half.
Other key health claims featuring strongly in crackers and savoury biscuits include the use of wholegrains, featured on 10 per cent of global launches, and source of fibre/high-fibre and gluten-free, both featuring on 8 per cent.
New or unusual ingredients are also starting to feature more often in product activity, adding interest or a healthier image or to permit gluten-free claims. Nabisco's Triscuit brand was extended in the US in mid-2013 with Brown Rice Triscuit made with wholegrain brown rice and wheat with pieces of sweet potato or red beans. Other interesting US introductions have included Blue Diamond's Artisan Nut Thins made with almonds, brown rice and seeds.
The sector is also breaking new ground with composite products that sit between crackers and other types of biscuits and snacks. This was illustrated by the 2012 introduction of a Milka Tuc variant in European markets such as Spain and Germany, combining two of Kraft's well-known brands, Milka chocolate and Tuc salted biscuits. The new product sets a Tuc biscuit into Milka chocolate to offer a contrast between the sweetness of the chocolate and the saltiness of the biscuit.
Williams concluded: "It is clear that new product activity is helping to drive the savoury biscuits market forward, with innovation designed to increase the product's appeal as a versatile, nutritious and tasty snack, offering planned and impulse, on-the-go and at-home options for a variety of social and domestic occasions."
