Irish people snack on average three times a day and the main reason we do is to boost our physical and/or mental energy levels.

This is according to Bord Bia, which published its Insight Snacking Research to agri-food companies this morning.

Among the findings, is that 42 per cent of snacks are accompanied with drinks, with Irish people having a strong appetite for chocolate, fruit, crisps and, would you believe, sunflower seeds.

It terms of gender divide in snack eating, the research found women were more frequent snackers, more emotive driven and more calorie conscious. While Irish men being men, their snack trends were based on hunger and substance.

According to Bord Bia, one out of seven people bought their snacks from a supermarket, with one third choosing multipacks.

Also a key finding, it noted there is a gap in the market for low-cost cheap healthy options. And the most popular time for snacking is 3pm in the afternoon with the average spend €2.13.