Blurring Line Between Snack and Meal, Mac and Cheese to Graze On

SEPT. 4, 2014

SITTING down to three square meals daily is going the way of the landline, as consumers increasingly graze throughout the day and eat what had once been standard between-meal fare like yogurt and granola bars as meals. Americans eat only snacks, including produce like fruit and cut vegetables, at mealtimes 40 percent of the time, and that is expected to increase over the next five years, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm.

The trend has been no help to frozen meals, where total sales for nonbreakfast products were $9 billion in the 52 weeks that ended Aug. 10, a 3.3 percent drop from the same period a year ago, according to IRI, a market research firm. Now Stouffer’s, a Nestlé brand, is trying to lure shoppers from the snack aisle with Mac Cups, a version of its popular macaroni and cheese in containers that are about the size of a single-serve yogurt.

Tom Moe, the director of marketing at Stouffer’s, said the blurring of the line between snacks and meals could benefit both categories.

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A commercial for Mac Cups, a version of its macaroni and cheese in snack-size containers.

“This notion of eating five meals a day, where consumers are grazing throughout the day depending on their need, has opened up a complete new territory,” he said.

In a new commercial that uses stop-motion animation, two entrée-size boxes of macaroni and cheese nuzzle on a countertop, then sneak behind a toaster. The Supertramp song “Give a Little Bit” plays. Soon they emerge from behind the toaster as four of the Mac Cups follow them like ducklings.

“Stouffer’s mac and cheese, with real aged Cheddar,” a voice-over says as a cutaway shows grated cheese being stirred into macaroni. “Now in a convenient cup.”

The commercial, which will be introduced on Monday, is by JWT, New York, part of WPP, with direction by Peter Sluszka. Stouffer’s, which declined to reveal the advertising budget for the campaign, spent $36.5 million on advertising in 2013, up from $27.7 million in 2012, according to Kantar Media, a unit of WPP.

While Stouffer’s advertising for multi-serve meals features families sharing lasagna at the kitchen table, print ads for Mac Cups show a lone woman eating out of the ramekin-shaped container with a spoon as she lounges in a living room chair with her feet propped up. “Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese isn’t just for dinner anymore,” a headline declares.

Eric Weisberg, executive creative director of JWT New York, said, “Stouffer’s is rooted in those dinner table moments, so it was really important to make it clear that this wasn’t just for dinner.” He added, “That’s why you see that relaxed imagery and people away from the table.”

With no actors, the new spot lacks the bite-and-smile video of the brand’s other commercials, but Mr. Weisberg said the ad’s primary objective was to introduce the new portions and “to really celebrate this form and create excitement for it.”

The product, which cooks in the microwave in about three minutes, is available in the frozen aisle in plain, bacon and cheeseburger varieties. Two-packs sell for $3.50.

Mr. Moe, the brand manager, said that with more protein than chips or pretzels, the new portion, with about 10 grams of protein and 250 calories or fewer, would, like yogurt, leave consumers feeling more sated.

“A lot of the snacks out there leave the consumer unsatisfied because they’re not really rich, wholesome, satisfying and hearty,” he said. “And that’s where you can say, ‘Enter Stouffer’s.’ ”

Darren Seifer, an NPD analyst, said that “the barriers that we typically have constructed between main meals and snacks seem to be coming down,” and that consumers are increasingly interested in higher-protein snacks.

“Some of the big things these days are around satiety, saying my product has protein and it’s going to help you feel full without consuming a lot of calories,” Mr. Seifer said.

What might also help the smaller portions is that Americans are increasingly likely to eat alone, according to NPD, which reported in August that consumers eat and drink alone more than 50 percent of the time, including 32 percent of the time at dinner.

Stouffer’s leads the frozen meal category, with a 15.2 percent share of the segment in 2013, followed by its sub-brand, Stouffer’s Lean Cuisine, with a 14 percent share, according to Euromonitor International, a market research firm.

According to a recent report by Mintel, a market research firm, 30 percent of Americans have eaten a ready-to-eat frozen or refrigerated meal as a snack, and those ages 25 to 34 are most apt, with 41 percent having done so.

“Multipacks containing smaller, snack-size packages that are quick to heat, as well as easy to carry, would benefit the category,” the report stated in a section that reads like a preview for the new Stouffer’s offering. “A move toward more frequent snacking occasions in place of three square meals per day will increasingly create a need for portable packaging, and quick preparation.”