While healthfulness and price top the list of concerns millennials and baby boomers have when purchasing food, both generations still expect fun from their food choices. SymphonyIRI, Chicago, found that one-fourth of consumers across all ages — millennials, generation X, young boomers, old boomers, seniors — eat indulgent snacks every day, so there is definitely opportunity for bakers and snack manufacturers to profit from adding excitement to the snack category.

“I would say the fun factor is more prevalent in younger consumers and the health factor is more prevalent in the older consumers, even though there is some overlap,” said Susan Viamari, editor of Times and Trends magazine SymphonyIRI.

Sara Monnette, director of consumer research for Technomic, Inc., Chicago, attributes this to the fact that millennials and members of generation X tend to be more adventurous in the foods they are willing to try and eat regularly than their older counterparts. “Much of this is influenced by the fact that they have diverse social networks and are more worldly in their travels than boomers were at that point in life,” she said.

This fun factor can come from creating exciting new flavors or incorporating restaurant taste in a take-home product. While consumers eat at home more, they still want the excitement of eating out in their own kitchens.