Snack Industry Adapts to Post-Pandemic Shifts in Consumer Trends

CASEY FLANAGAN | EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

SHIFTING CONSUMER TRENDS through the COVID-19 pandemic have continued to prompt adaptation from snack brands, says David Walsh, SNAC International vice president of communications.

Walsh detailed the state of snacking at the PACK EXPO International Industry Speaks stage in Chicago, noting trends ranging from an increase in e-commerce to a focus on functional snacks.

Snacking was the second highest contributing category to retail dollar growth during the pandemic. It trailed only personal care products including toilet paper and similar items that consumers rushed to buy. “And even as the economy may take a few years to fully recover, we’re expecting the snacks market to really kind of hold strong, and continue to grow,” Walsh says.

Snacking from home

Stemming from the lifestyle shift forced by the pandemic, one prominent trend in today’s snacking landscape is the move toward snacking from home.

“Pre-pandemic, it was all about on the go, portability, convenience,” Walsh says. “Now, with more [people] working from home or even schooling from home, snacking from home has become really important.”

E-commerce snack shopping has also grown in popularity, with a 27% increase since the onset of the pandemic and an 83% increase in 2020 alone.

“There’s still a real major opportunity to capture some of that online growth,” Walsh says. “Many consumers still, believe it or not, don’t think to buy snacks via e-commerce yet.”

Snacking more often

Snacking frequency has increased in recent years. The average consumer snacks 2.7 times per day, and the number of consumers who snack five or more times per day is on the rise.

Walsh says Millennial and Gen Z consumers (ages 18 to 34) are setting the stage for this increase, and their buying power is increasing as they get older. “They’re the ones that are snacking all throughout the day, many meals, grazing throughout the day,” he explains. “They’re most likely to replace meals with snacks, so there’s that meal replacement trend that has become so important. 92% actually replace at least one meal per week with just a snack.”

A broadened definition of snacking has also contributed to the trend toward higher snacking frequency. As consumers snack from home more, snack choices have started to include items like cereal, packaged fruits and veggies, and even leftover meals.

Functional snacking

Another growing trend is functional snacking, as more consumers adjust to health-focused lifestyles. “Things like high fiber, protein, calcium, fortified vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, just to name a few, are really kind of finding a home for innovation in the snack category,” Walsh says.

He cited trending ingredients like cassava for healthy digestion and ashwagandha for immunity and brain health as further examples.

Flavors in the spotlight

“Snack producers are really turning up the heat to extreme levels,” Walsh says, as consumers increasingly demand spicy options across categories.

Nuance behind the heat is important, though, as consumers are searching for di erent types of peppers, hints of lime, cheese pairings, and other adventurous variations.

Sweet snacks, including fruit flavors, chocolate, maple, and nut butters, are also gaining popularity and even competing with treats in the candy aisle, Walsh says.

International flavors including those from Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East had “been very popular pre-COVID, and it kind of has come back now that we’re heading away from the pandemic,” Walsh says.