This has meant consumers are trading up to branded offerings as the price differential is now not so great. The trend for snacking on the go has driven the biscuits market, as mini biscuits in mini packets have appeared on shelves and in lunchboxes everywhere this year. The novelty factor means that these tend to be sold at a premium price compared to standard sized packs, and so overall value has remained static while volumes have declined. Most of the biscuits that are available in smaller sizes are in the children's biscuits sector, which has experienced growth of almost 9% as a result. Mini versions of Jammie Dodgers, Jaffa Cakes and Animals have all achieved good growth this year. Mini variety new launches have continued to focus on brand extensions, including Mini Twix, McVitie's Mini BN and Mini Hob Nobs. Noting this trend, McVitie's Mini Cookies were re-launched this year, resulting in value growth of over 70%. Burton's has also launched its own mini cookie variant under the Maryland brand. This year it has extended this to include a tub of mini cookies, with the mini versions overall reaching more than £1m sales so far. Following on from the success of Jammie Dodgers Dipz last year, McVitie's has launched a Penguin version called the Flipper Dipper, featuring Penguin biscuit fingers with a portion of chocolate cream. Realising the potential for these children's treats, own label products have been quick to follow suit. The crackers and crispbreads sector has experienced value growth of almost 18% this year, driven by the relaunch of Quaker's Snack a Jacks. Initially launched at the beginning of 2000, these biscuits took off when the ready salted and salt and vinegar flavours were introduced to the range in March this year. Coupled with a high profile advertising campaign, this has resulted in sales increasing by over £16m to jump straight into the top 20 at number eight. Healthier biscuits have also had a good year with sales up by almost 13%. A trend towards taking care of yourself through healthy eating has boosted sales in this sector along with a deluge of new products. Cereal bars featuring extensions of popular cereal brands from Kellogg, such as Corn Flakes, Special K and Coco Pops, have all been launched this year. In competition with Kellogg, Cadbury recently launched its own healthier biscuit in the form of its Brunch Bar which features honey, bran flakes, raisins or hazelnuts with a layer of chocolate. These have proved popular both for busy adults who have no time for breakfast and for kids as a healthy lunchbox alternative to chocolate and crisps. Growth in this sector is likely to continue as more brands extend into the market. Just outside the top 20, Mars Tracker has had a good year with sales up by more than 22%. A yogurt flavour was launched in 2000, and a new strawberry flavour launched this year has helped keep interest in the brand. Kellogg's NutriGrain Elevenses bar, which made its debut last year, has performed well with sales of over £5m to date, although the popularity of this variant may be responsible for the downturn in value of the standard NutriGrain Bar. The extension of the Go Ahead! range of healthier biscuits continued with Strawberry Bakes, Citrus Bakes, Figfuls and Caramelinis all new this year. Meanwhile, Fox's Big Softies fat-free cookie-style biscuits have more than doubled their sales with a 97% increase. Within chocolate biscuits, both McVitie's Chocolate Homewheat and Penguin biscuits have been performing well (up 8%) as a result of increased promotional activity, in particular as part of the Safeway price cutting campaign. Burton's Foods has reduced the amount of in-store promotions for its brands, in particular Cadbury's Fingers and Jammie Dodgers. This has been in favour of more above-the-line activity. Cadbury's Fingers have recently been relaunched with new packing formats featuring a large sharing-style tub. This has been backed by new television adverts. New products within chocolate biscuits have also focused on brand extensions, particularly the chocolate confectionery market. Milky Way Crispy Rolls and Twix Top have both increased their presence and, as a result, sales this year. In July, Mars announced a decision to trial a new range of biscuits called Bisc& to challenge the big biscuit brands such as Penguin. Four variants, combining existing Mars confectionery brands Twix, Mars Bar, Bounty or M&M's with cookie-style biscuits will be sold in multipacks of seven biscuits. The roll-out date in the UK will be decided after the results of their launch in Holland are analysed. {{P&P }}