2025 State of the Industry Report

Innovation Meets Consumer Demand

SNAC International’s 2025 State of the Industry Report, brought together by Circana and Sosland Publishing, takes a deep dive into the snack food industry’s current landscape, highlighting key trends, statistics, and insights.  

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll find inside…

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Industry Statistics & Trends

Market Growth

The snack food industry’s sales increased 4.8% over the past year, reaching a total of $156 billion.

126B in Sales, 4.8% growth chart

Sustainable Packaging:

Approximately 68% of snack manufacturers have adopted eco-friendly packaging solutions, responding to consumer demand for sustainability.

Made with eco-friendly materials seal
Man eating snack

Health-Conscious Snacking:

Sales of snacks labeled as “low-sodium” and “organic ” have risen 12%, indicating a shift towards healthier options.

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Consumer Insights

Flavor Preferences:

Spicy and globally inspired flavors, such as sriracha and harissa, have seen a 15% increase in popularity among consumers.

Hot sauces and peppers
Clock with knife, fork and spoon for hands

Snack Timing:

Afternoon snacking has become more prevalent, with 35% of consumers indicating they snack between 2 and 5 PM. 

Portion Control:

Single-serve snack packages have grown in sales by 10%, reflecting a consumer focus on portion control and convenience.

Protein bar.
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Emerging Innovations

Ai giving people snack ideas

Technology Integration:

Brands are leveraging AI to predict flavor trends and optimize supply chains.

Functional Ingredients:

There’s a growing incorporation of functional ingredients like probiotics and adaptogens in snack products.

Probiotics
Delivery to consumer

Direct-to-Consumer Models:

An increasing number of snack companies are adopting DTC sales channels to build stronger relationships with consumers.

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State of the Industry Report

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TAKING A DEEPER DIVE

Winds of Change

The snack industry has room to innovate to meet consumer demand for BFY ingredients, new flavors and fun formats.

READ ARTICLE

Knowledge is Power

SNAC International empowers members with new data dashboard.

READ ARTICLE

Nutrition Revolution

SNAC International report reveals consumers seek nutritional and BFY attributes in their snacks.

READ ARTICLE

Potato Chips: Anything Goes

  • Potato Chips rose in dollar sales (1.8%), unit sales (2.8%) and volume (2.3%) for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 26, Circana reported, all of which outpaced Tortilla Chips (0.9%, 1.6% and 0.6%, respectively).
  • Flavor is the name of the game in the Potato Chip category, with leading players launching a host of globally inspired and nostalgic varieties.
  • Private Label’s strong gains in dollar sales (5.4%) and unit sales (5.8%) suggest consumers are still trading down in this category.

Tortilla Chips: Never Enough Spice

  • The Tortilla Chip category remains a dominant force in salty snacks with nearly $7 billion in sales for the 52 weeks ending Jan. 26 despite consumers' waning appetite for higher prices.
  • Intriguing new flavors, particularly in the spicy lane, as well as focus on health and wellness will help this category remain a resilient juggernaut.
  • Fiery flavors like Flamin’ Hot Thai Red Curry and Golden Sriracha from Doritos have tapped into the demand for complex flavor profiles.

Innovation Powers Pretzels

  • Pretzels are a snacking powerhouse on the upswing, growing in dollars (3.5%) and units (2.2%) for the third straight year.
  • Format innovation saw brands combining pretzels with other popular snacks, including popcorn and pita chips.
  • Brands offering elevated flavors, such as Dot's Homestyle Pretzels, are performing well.

Stacking Up Crackers

  • The $9.5 billion cracker market held its own over the past year, with dollar and volume sales up —1.2% and 2.3%, respectively — and unit sales down 1.0%.
  • Better-for-you crackers are gaining with consumers as people seek to improve their diets through better nutrition. Cracker products with gluten-free claims saw growth across all three metrics (up 5.3% dollars and 3.4% volume). Products with no/low cholesterol claims, no/low/less sugar claims and natural sweetener claims are showing gains. Multigrain cracker claims have been getting a boost from consumers with dollars up 2.3% and volume up 4.9%.

Corn Snacks Get Creative

  • The Corn Snacks category held its own against potato chips and tortilla chips. the nearly $2 billion category maintained positive sales with a 1.3% increase in dollar sales and flat unit and volume sales in the face of price increase fatigue.
  • Brands that bring the heat performed best in the Corn Snacks category with legacy brands struggling, indicating that consumers are looking for more innovation.

Pork Rinds Bring Bang for the Buck

  • Pork rind producers are expanding beyond snacking to boost household reach and revive sales that peaked during the keto diet boom.
  • Pork rind sales have remained steady in a value-conscious market, with private label gaining ground as major brands fluctuate. SNAP spending declines have impacted both grocery and convenience channels, but innovation is keeping the category alive.

More Cheese, Please

  • Americans spent $2.8 billion on cheese snacks over the past year, despite a slight dip in dollar (-1.9%) and volume (-1.8%) sales.
  • Hot and spicy, crunchy and puffed cheese snacks are trends fueling the cheese category.
  • While consumers are indulging for fun and flavor and to improve their moods, they are also tempering their snacking with portion control.

Popcorn is Finding Their Mojo

  • Popcorn hasn’t lost its way—it’s just competing in a more crowded snack aisle. With texture-rich and protein-packed options on the rise, popcorn remains a better-for-you favorite. Despite inflation, private label and value brands are thriving—and the popcorn category is no exception, according to Circana.
  • Google “popcorn buckets” along with Time and Forbes magazines to find out the latest on this movie theater trend that could be a merchandising bonanza for some innovative retail company.

More category reports and in-depth insights can be found within the full report.

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State of the Industry Report

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