A 2024 survey reveals a growing trend in Singapore and other countries where people are choosing snacks over full meals, citing time constraints and busy work schedules as primary reasons. Working professionals, particularly those in demanding roles, are increasingly opting for quick and convenient snacks during lunch breaks, neglecting proper meals.
Over the past year, in Singapore and other countries, more people often turned to snacking instead of having meals, a 2024 survey found.
By the time she was done, she had lost her appetite and the bowl of noodles had become a soggy, lumpy mess. The report, titled World Market for Snacks, defined snacks as foods falling under the following categories:Sweet biscuits, snack bars and processed fruit snacks Ms Lee is fully aware that her “snack for a meal” habit is unhealthy but being efficient during work hours to her is more important than a healthier meal.“But because the volume of work at my job is so intense, I would rather forgo a proper lunch so I don’t have to work overtime.”Not starving, but still hungry: Some helpers in Singapore not eating enough as employers restrict food
Madam Soh Wan Keem, principal dietitian of Nutrimaxx Consultancy, a coaching and counselling outfit for therapeutic diets, said that the increasing accessibility to snacks is also “changing the eating habits of many Singaporeans”. Ms Putri believes that this is driven mostly by people intent on clearing their workload, but that an “Asian work culture” –“If one person looks around the office and sees colleagues working through lunch, then all the more the person is not going to eat,” she said.As for why they choose not to order meals using food delivery platforms, Ms Putri said that prices tend to be more expensive for such services.
The report looked at the performance of snack categories across regions and markets around the world. Ms Serene Chew, a senior manager of strategic communications at a financial institution, said: “Eating snacks is comforting when the stressors get higher." However, if snacks replace meals three to four times a week, there is a possibility that one will be short of essential nutrients such as protein, fibre and vitamins.
“It is hard to determine if the cause is dietary in nature without a medical assessment, but it's best to seek help if something is amiss. Pain is our body’s way of asking for help,” Ms Johnson advised.The overarching sentiment of health professionals interviewed by CNA TODAY was this: Never skip meals or replace them with bite-sized, ultra-processed alternatives.
SNACKING MEAL REPLACEMENT WORK-LIFE BALANCE HEALTH TRENDS SINGAPORE
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