Super Bowl parties may look different this year, but food will still be a major part of them.
Frito-Lay estimates a 21% increase in snacking vs. previous Super Bowls as more consumers plan to watch at home in smaller gatherings.
“Super Bowl is as much about enjoying a fun, shared national moment with our favorite foods and beverages as it is about the football game,” said Mike Del Pozzo, Chief Customer Officer, Frito-Lay North America in a press release. “Americans continue to look for familiarity and comfort in their favorite foods as the pandemic has continued, and we expect that trend to remain in the weeks leading up to game day.”
Potato chips are usually the top snack of choice, but during the game, 68% of surveyed adults agreed that chips and dip are the must-have snack. And for the third year in a row, salsa is the most popular dip to pair with Super Bowl snacks, followed by cheese dips and spreads, French onion dip, and guacamole.
Consumers are also preparing even earlier this year, with 86% of respondents planning to shop for the Super Bowl during the week leading up to game day. Most consumers plan on picking up their snacks from the grocery store, but 10% plan to shop online.
Of course, chips and dip aren’t all consumers will be eating on game day. Americans are also expected to eat a record 1.42 billion chicken wings during the Super Bowl, according to the National Chicken Council. Chicken wings have been popular over the past year with servings in restaurants up 7% in 2020 versus 2019, found NPD Group.
Earlier this week DoorDash unveiled its Game Day Eats Report, which details the top food trends on game days throughout the 2020-2021 NFL season. Boneless chicken wings were number two on the list, only topped by mozzarella sticks. The top five also included chips and salsa, Caesar salad, and pepperoni pizza.
