Snack Attack: Shifting Habits, Healthier Options Fuel A $156 Billion Boom

What trends and behaviors are driving $156 billion in snack food sales?

SNAC International’s (formerly the Snack Food Association) 2025 State of the Industry Report examined how an expansion of snacking occasions and better-for-you options are helping propel snack sales even as prices continue to rise.

Snacking accounts for more than 50% of all eating occasions in the U.S., according to SNAC’s data, with consumers substituting three larger meals for a series of smaller, more convenient snacking occasions.

This datapoint was backed up by a similar insight from Mintel’s Snacking Motivations report, which found that “63% of consumers tended to agree that a few snacks can be more satisfying than traditional meals.”

What are consumers grabbing for those in-between meal occasions?

Cookies topped the list with the largest dollar ($11.8 billion), unit (2.9 billion) and volume (2.4 billion) sales, followed by crackers and potato chips. Potato chips dollar sales rose 1.8% with unit sales up 2.8% in the 52 weeks ending Jan. 26, according to Circana data provided to SNAC.

Bars were the fourth highest performing snack category, grabbing over $7 billion in sales. Though further down the category list, pretzels have seen a lot of growth recently, “posting gains across the board, including 3.5% dollar, 2.2% unit and 2.1% volume sales increases,” SNAC reported.

Among these various categories, consumers are looking for better-for-you and permissible indulgence options. Part of this trend relates to the growing opportunity for GLP-1 companion products that boost protein and provide more gut-healthy fiber.

This is unsurprising as nearly all snack category stakeholders and experts have tagged high-protein and high-fiber as two of the biggest trends across packaged food.

Despite the expansion, snack foods are subject to the macroeconomic headwinds of inflation, tariffs and supply chain disruptions that plague other CPG categories. The uncertainty of price increases and availability is driving consumers to purchase in mass, club and ecommerce channels. Value perception is driving snack sales among cost-conscious consumers who are picking up larger volumes to offset higher prices.

Despite these challenges, total snack food dollar sales in Q3 of 2024 increased 1.7% compared to Q3 in 2023, SNAC reported using Circana data. Unit sales rose 1.5% for the same period.