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What’s driving the demand for healthy snacks? Our consumer insights reveal the top healthy snacking need states for consumers and how brands can tailor their snacks to meet these different needs.
The global healthy snacks market is forecast to reach $144.6 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.2% from 2024 to 2030.1 The healthy snacks market includes products such as bars, nut and seed snacks, dried fruit snacks, trail mixes, and meat snacks. These represent healthier alternatives to traditional snacks through their better nutritional profile or other benefits.
A healthy snack is typically nutrient-dense—featuring protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, or a combination of these. It has low or no added sugars and a reasonable number of calories. Clean label and functional benefits are also becoming increasingly important to consumers seeking a healthy snack.
A number of factors are driving the continued growth in healthy snacks, including:
To better understand how to address consumers’ diverse interests and preferences in healthy snacks, our proprietary Usage and Attitude Study mapped the primary healthy snacking need states of today’s consumers.2 This provides an invaluable framework that allows brands to customize their product offerings to precisely meet consumers’ needs.
Our consumer study shows there are three main need spaces around healthy snacking: pleasure (accounting for 39% of healthy snacking occasions), energy management (36%), and goal support (25%). Within these spaces are specific need states that drive snack preferences and indicate the importance of health vs. taste for that snack. Different need states are also associated with different activities.
(Different need states as % of healthy snacking occasions)
Healthy snacking for pleasure includes the needs for a guilt-free treat and a relaxing moment, with the latter accounting for the most (almost one in four) healthy snack consumption occasions. Watching TV is the most popular activity for both need states.
Guilt-free treat seekers enjoy better-for-you sweet snacks and savory snacks equally, with taste being more important than health, though low carb, low calorie, and high protein are the most sought-after traits. More women than men seek to fill this need, with evenings the most common day part for consumption.
Consumers seeking a relaxing moment from a snack are most likely doing so in the afternoon or evening, with a strong preference for savory snacks such as high-protein cheese snacks. Taste is far more important than health for this need state, with familiar taste as the most sought characteristic.
The energy management need space encompasses the needs for a quick burst of energy (especially while working, studying, or commuting), to fill a gap (often while unwinding at home or commuting), and for sustained vitality (particularly while working, studying, or gaming). When consuming a healthy snack for a quick burst of energy, consumers prefer something that is caffeinated, cold, and refreshing, with taste far more important than health.
One in five healthy snacking occasions is to fill a gap to help consumers get by until mealtime. Great taste (with a preference for sweet snacks and protein bars) is the top characteristic sought, followed by quick and easy to consume. The snack should ideally also be filling and a good source of protein.
Another energy-associated need state is sustained vitality, which describes the need for long-lasting energy that contributes positively to health to help one perform at their best. Sweet is favored for this need state, with a preference for energy from non-caffeine sources. Despite the distinct health focus of this need state, taste is still slightly more important than health for this occasion.
Healthy snack consumption for goal support comprises the need states of building the body (with a focus on muscle and strength building) and keeping in control (which centers on weight management). Both need states skew toward the morning.
Snacking to build the body occurs mainly before or after exercise or sports, with more men than women seeking to fill this need. The most sought trait is high in protein (desired by more than one in three), and health is slightly more important than taste. Sweet is preferred over savory, and among food snacks, protein bars and protein-enhanced cereal are popular choices.
Those consuming healthy snacks to keep in control often do while working, studying, or getting ready in the morning, with protein-enhanced cereal and protein bars the favorites. Health is somewhat more important than taste, as the priorities here are high in or a good source of protein, no or low sugar, low in carbs and calories, and good source of fiber. Affordability and protein tie as the most sought attributes.
These different healthy snacking need states call for targeted approaches in positioning, format, and formulation to maximize a brand’s sales opportunities in the sector. The right ingredient solutions are an integral part of creating better-for-you products that can satisfy these needs.
Glanbia Nutritionals offers a wide range of ingredients for healthy snacks, including CrunchieTMpieces—to help your consumers start the day right with a high protein cereal or relax in the evening with a savory snack puff—and plant-based solutions like CuisineFlax™ for a guilt-free, fortified snack or better-for-you bakery product.
For your consumers seeking to fill a gap or support a workout, we can help you formulate the perfect protein bar, optimized for texture with our functional protein powders and for flavor. To learn how our ingredient solutions can speed up your product development and deliver superior quality and nutrition, contact us.
Healthy snacking cheese is cheese in a convenient, portable format, available in a small serving size, that delivers nutritional or even functional benefits. Healthy snacking cheeses range from traditional string cheese that comes individually wrapped to next-gen cheese snacks like baked or dried 100% cheese bars, puffs, and crisps.
While all cheese is known for the nutritional benefits of protein and calcium, some newer snacking cheeses in the market (“plus” cheeses) also offer extra nutrients like vitamins A and B12 or functional ingredients like probiotics. In addition, some healthy snacking cheeses come in exciting sweet or savory flavors, while others are paired with nuts, dried fruits, meats, and crackers in combo packs.
Healthy snacking for pregnancy encompasses the right nutrients to support mother and baby, along with convenient formats and enjoyable flavors. The key nutrients at this life stage are folic acid, iron, calcium, vitamin D, DHA, protein, choline, and iodine. Fortified prenatal shakes and bars are a convenient way to make sure of getting enough of these specific nutrients.
Some fortified snacks formulated for pregnant women also contain bioactives that have special roles in immunity, growth, and development. Since pregnancy can be a stressful time, it’s important that prenatal snacks come in delicious and satisfying flavors. However, due to the effects of morning sickness, mild flavors may be appreciated, including flavors associated with calming the stomach like ginger, peppermint, and lemon.
Protein-fortified bars, bites, cookies, and brownies are all good protein snacks. Protein snacking is growing more and more popular, appealing to people on many fronts. Protein snacks are a healthy way to tide you over until mealtime; they provide satiety to help with weight management, and they support muscle recovery after a workout. The sweeter protein snacks like protein cookies and brownies also offer permissible indulgence.
Healthy snacks to eat at night are foods that are convenient, nutritious, and keep you full through the night. Snacks that contain protein or fiber are especially effective at providing satiety. Examples of healthy nighttime snacks are protein bars and bites, yogurts, and snacking cereals with added fiber or protein.
