Nutritional significance

Snack foods frequently receive criticism due to their high levels of salt, sugar, and fat. They are seen to be nutritionally damaging when eaten regularly in place of a traditional food.

Snack foods, however, can be very nutritious when made from fruits, pulses, or cereals. It should also be pointed out that the consumption of snack foods does not necessarily lead to health problems such as obesity, but the cause is rather an unbalanced diet with excess fat, sugar, and salt. Therefore, if these food products are part of a wider diet, they can be an important source of fats and energy, particularly for the poorer sectors of society whose diet may be lacking in these nutrients.

Often, it is cheaper to purchase snack foods than it is to make a meal at home. This is likely to be one of the reasons why poor people are relying more and more on such products. Along with the convenience factor, this may, for example, explain the increase in sales of sweet buns to workers in Bangladesh.

Selling packaged snack foods

Thus, in relation to the accusation that snack foods are making the poor malnourished, it may also be that poverty is forcing poor people to rely on snack foods and thus malnutrition is really a symptom of poverty.

Selling loose snack foods