Older people's craving for snacks up

/ Courtesy of CU

By Rachel Lee

More older people are craving snacks.

According to convenience store chain CU, sales of light bites among those 60 and older have risen significantly in the past three years _ 59.5, 32.4 and 30.2 percent in 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively.

And sales in the first quarter of this year are up 67.9 percent over the same period last year.

"More elderly people are spending more on themselves while following the latest trends," Cho Joon-hyung, a merchandiser, said. "In Japan, they have a new category called ‘snacks for adults’ that has a wide range of products.”

Sales to people in their 20s have grown about 13 percent over the past three years.

But sales to teenagers were down 5.8 percent last year from 2013.

CU also said that the older group’s favorite snacks had changed, reflecting market trends.

Popular snacks like Wang Sora and Saewookkang were king among the group, but now the Honey Butter Chips craze is catching on.

The honey and butter-flavored potato chips have been flying off shelves across the country since their launch in August causing chronic shortages.