What Americans Are Snacking On Today

Our Global Study on Snacking 

The results are in for our 2022 Healthy Snacking Usage & Attitudes Study. This global study spans ten countries and 8,000 consumers for an in-depth look at what’s driving consumers’ snacking choices today. Exploring their perceptions and behaviors around snacking allows us to gain insights into some of the most important snacking trends. 

For the US component of our U&A study on snacking, we surveyed 763 consumers across all fifty states, split evenly between females and males. Some of the takeaways include which snacks are the most popular with consumers right now and which types of snacks people have been consuming more. 

Today’s Most Popular Snacks 

We asked US consumers which snacks they've consumed in the last three months and found the categories that came to the top were indulgence and dairy. Indulgent snacks continue to be highly sought after for comfort and as a treat in the post-pandemic period, with 70% of consumers snacking on chips/pretzels, 60% on cookies/brownies/muffins, and 57% on candy/chocolate/gum. 

Watch our latest on-demand webinar on US snacking trends. 

While the most commonly consumed snacks in the US right now are snacks we think of as less healthy, the next most popular category is dairy—a category with strong health associations for benefits such as protein, calcium, and even probiotics. 65% of consumers are snacking on cheese (such as string, cubed, sliced, and spreadable), 57% on milk, and 48% on yogurt. 

Snacks Gaining Momentum 

We also looked at which snacks people have been consuming more of over the past year to understand any shifts underway in their snack choices. Overall, we found positive momentum for healthy and functional snacks, possibly influenced by increased health awareness and changing needs stemming from the pandemic. 

Dairy 

The dairy category (including plant-based dairy alternatives) saw the biggest increases. 20% of consumers are drinking more plant-based milk, with those ages 16-31 having increased their consumption of this more than any other snack. 18% of consumers are eating more yogurt, and 17% are consuming more cheese. Cheese was at the top of the list of increased consumption for the 46-64 age group, while yogurt came in second. Yogurt also came in second for the 65+ age group. 

Functional 

Consumers have also been increasing their use of certain functional snacks in the past year. 18% report greater use of energy drinks, with  32- to 45-year-olds increasing their consumption of energy drinks more than any other snack. 17% of consumers are snacking more on protein/energy bars—particularly consumers ages 20-45. 

Indulgent

For the indulgent snack category, chips/pretzels are being more frequently consumed by 17% of consumers. However, none of the age groups had chips/pretzels at the top of the list for increased consumption. The percentage of consumers who’ve been eating more sweet indulgent snacks over the past year is much lower—for example, 14% for candy/chocolate/gum and 13% for cookies/brownies/muffins.

US Snacking Trending Toward Healthy and Functional

Despite Americans’ love of indulgent salty snacks and sweet snacks, a shift toward healthy and functional snacks is apparent. Dairy snacks like yogurt and cheese, which are already popular, are on the rise. In addition, more consumers are reaching for plant-based milk, energy drinks, and protein or energy bars—indicating a more considered approach to snacking to meet certain needs, compared to simply snacking to indulge.

This trend indicates manufacturers could appeal to snacking consumers by focusing more on healthy nutrition (especially dairy, protein, and plant-based ingredients) and functional benefits (especially for energy) to address their current needs. Learn how our wide range of solutions—from dairy and plant proteins to cheeses—can give your products a healthy boost to grab the attention of today’s consumers.