Study: Fruit is America’s favorite snack

Public health advocates lament Americans’ poor eating habits, noting the obesity epidemic that has swept the nation. But the country’s favorite snack remains a healthful one: fresh fruit.

According to consumer research firm The NPD Group’s recent "Snacking in America" report, fresh fruit is not only the most frequently consumed snack in the country, it’s also one of the fastest-growing snacks in popularity.

The Port Washington, N.Y.-based firm reports that during the two-year period ending in March 2012, Americans on average ate fresh fruit as a snack on 10 more occasions than chocolate and on 25 more occasions as potato chips, the second and third most popular snack foods, respectively.

Snacks accounted for 20 percent of eating occasions during that period, according to NPD, compared with 28 percent for breakfast, 25 percent for lunch and 27 percent for dinner.

Although most snacking occurs during the evening, the number of snacks eaten at night has remained flat in recent years, as has the number of afternoon snacks. Morning snacking, by contrast, has increased by 22 percent since 2002, and surpassed afternoon snacks in 2010.