The percentage of adults who eat several smaller meals throughout the day increased between 2008 and 2018, according to Packaged Facts. Essential and increasingly influential consumer demographics, including Hispanics, African Americans, and women showed a greater-than-average likelihood of eating several smaller meals daily.

The report also found a modest but marked trend toward eating later in the day, led by Asian Americans and adults ages 18 to 35. Since 2008, the percentage of adults who eat breakfast before 9 a.m., lunch before 1 p.m., and dinner before 8 p.m. has dropped.

The implications for bread and bakery translate into huge opportunities for smaller snacking breads and flatbreads. Craft at scale has been a mantra shared by artisan bakers like Gary Gottenbusch, chief executive officer of pretzel company Ditsch USA, LLC, as they seek to bring great-tasting and authentic bakery products into more mainstream channels.

“Now we are expanding pretzels into different applications — small pieces for grab and go, like popcorn,” Gottenbusch says.