Styling and Photography By Laurie Mosco

Goodbye meals – hello snacks!

We’re in the golden age of snacking. 49% of us admit to snacking 3 or more times a day (Supermarket News). That number gets higher in the younger crowd. 74% of consumers between 18 – 34 say they have multiple snacks per day (Food Business News).

As snacking evolves from “tide me over between meals” to “the main event,” what we’re looking for is changing too. Here’s the latest must-haves in snacking.

Snacks Need to be Full of Functional Ingredients

While snacking might be seen as a little anytime indulgence, ingredients are more important than ever.

Now snacks need to be flavorful as well as functional. And they better be full of indulgent flavors too!

Better-for-you claims like low sugar, allergen friendly, and protein-rich are top draws (Supermarket News). Lifestyle claims like Keto, Paleo and Vegan are gaining in popularity too (Supermarket News). 

At times, snacks are replacing a meal, particularly in the earlier part of the day (Food Business News). Better-for-you versions of classic snacks, such as Bobo‘s Suff’D Oat Bites and Dipp’D Oat Bars, are growing on us. 

Both serve up 11g or more of whole grains while offering classic flavors like Apple Pie and Dark Chocolate. Perfect for powering up in the morning.

Another popular morning snack are protein bars. Talty Bars takes the protein bar to new flavorful and functional heights with no added sugar.  

While Talty Bars might use simple ingredients and be full of protein, the flavors are anything but simple. Included in the Talty bar line are indulgent flavor combinations like Chocolate Espresso and Chocolate Coconut.

Nut free is another popular claim. So is the demand for chocolate. 36% of us say chocolate is our favorite snack (Supermarket News). Good thing there’s Vermont Nut Free Chocolates. 

What makes Vermont Nut Free Chocolates so unique is all their creations are made in nut-free facility. Now those nut allergies can get in on all the fun. They offer classics like chocolate bars and chocolate covered pretzels. Even a nut-free version of the peanut butter cup with its Sun Blossoms Milk Chocolate Cups made with sun butter.

There are even better-for-you spins on the top savory snack, potato chips (Food Business News).

For the Vegan and Paleo crowds, there’s Jackson’s sweet potato chips. Cooked in avocado oil and made with simple ingredients, Jackson’s offers that satisfying crunch while keeping with the latest dietary demands. 

There’s even reduced fat varieties like Kettle and its air fried chips. First kettle cooked then air fried, Kettle’s Air Fried potato chips offer a crispier texture. All with 30% less fat than traditional chips. 

Snacking Should Be an Adventure

One of the biggest draws, particularly for new snacks, is different flavors and textures (Food Business News). 

That’s why Freeze-dried candies like Trendy Treats  are having a moment.

First seen on TikTok, freeze drying popular candies offers a new texture and intensifies the flavor, delivering on that newness we’re seeking.

We’re also looking for indulgent ingredients. If those are collabs with the longtime brands we know and love even better (National Confectioners Association)! Like edible cookie dough featuring candy favorites M&M’S, Twix, or Snickers. 

Another collab we’re loving is between chocolate maker Tony’s Chocolonely and Ben & Jerry’s. 

Tony’s Chocolonely’s new Chocolate Love Affair chocolate bars feature mix-ins inspired by Ben & Jerry’s ice creams. There’s Dark Chocolate with Brownie and White Chocolate Strawberry Cheesecake. 

If you’re looking for indulgence, there’s no ingredient quite as indulgent as creamy, nutty, chocolatey Nutella. Many of us enjoy snacking while they are on the go. Nutella B-Ready provides a convenient and delicious option. It combines a popular spread with a easy to hold wafer cookie.

Another top snack is popcorn with 58% of us saying that popcorn is our favorite (Food Business News). Since popcorn is such a blank canvass, snack manufacturers are really experimenting with fun flavors .

In the sweet and salty space, there’s Krackcorn Caramel Popcorn. It checks both the better-for-you and flavorful boxes. Make using a secret family recipe featuring simple ingredients, Krackcorn brings bold flavor while being gluten free, and dairy free.

For those that want to snack like a rock star, there’s Rob’s Backstage Popcorn.  Co-founded by The Jonas Brothers, Rob’s Backstage Popcorn is a sweet and salty snack based on a secret recipe that the band has eaten for more than a decade.

The popcorn line offers all this flavor while being a better-for-you option too! It is vegan, gluten-free, non-GMO, has zero grams of trans fat and less than one gram of sugar.

Don’t forget about spicy! Bold, fiery flavors are having a moment too with spicy being a top trend at the Sweets & Snacks Expo. Rob’s Backstage has that covered too with their Mumbai Nights variety, featuring a bold blend of Indian spices.

Another brand serving up the bold, exotic and adventurous spice blends and fun textures is Beer Nuts.

Each mix starts with seasoned peanuts with a variety of fun, flavorful, texture-rich mix-ins. Like their Cantina Mix featuring twang-seasoned peanuts, guacamole & habanero sticks, and chili lime insane grains. Added bonus — like the name implies Beer Nuts pair perfectly with beer. They’ll be a favorite party snack or when you’re watching the big game.

The numbers don’t lie – we’re obsessed with snacks. It’s not hard to see why. Snacks give us a chance to indulge (just a little), while being an easy way to try out new flavors. Their small size makes it feel like less of an investment than a whole meal would.

And manufacturers are hearing the call, offering us snacks full of wild textures and flavors all with functional ingredients.

We offer all the latest snacking trends to up their snacking game!