Consumers continue to reach for their favorite puffed and extruded snacks in their many forms. However, while U.S. shoppers still put tried and true types (like cheese curls and pork rinds) in their cart, they’re increasingly interested in trying new flavor twists, better-for-you bases, and other novel takes on the category. This need for elevated nutrition profiles and innovative flavors is keeping producers on their toes and inspiring product creativity.

“Snack fever is at an all-time high, especially when it comes to extruded snacks,” says Joey Rosa, founder of CauliPuffs. “Brands are really getting inventive with the way they craft snacks, experimenting with unique and innovative ingredients.”

Market data

Cheese snacks remain wildly popular with U.S. consumers, according to data from Circana, a Chicago-based market research firm (@WeAreCircana)—that subcategory brought in just over $4 billion in sales for the 52-week period ending February 25, 2024. Frito-Lay’s Cheetos brand led the pack, with its $3.2 billion in sales outpacing all other producers combined. What’s more, the figure constituted a 13.5% dollar sales increase (and a unit sales boost of 6.7%) over the previous time period. Private-label cheese snacks also saw a healthy gain—PL’s sales of $124.4 million represented a 27.8% increase over the previous year.

While pork rinds have seen an increase in recent years, the category saw a slight dip (1.5%) in sales for the previous period, bringing its sales down to a still-healthy $625.7 million. This comes after Circana data shared in Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery’s State of the Industry report showed a decrease of 1.5% for the period ending April 23, 2023. Still, many producers in the subcategory had numbers worth celebrating, or at least smiling about. Leader Baken-Ets (another Frito-Lay brand), with sales of $132.3 million, saw a slim increase of 2% for the year-long period; private-label rinds bumped up 16.3% to $84.7 million. The largest loss in the column hit Utz, whose $4 million constituted a 27.3% loss.

Finally, corn snacks had a nice increase of 16.9%, bringing the subcategory to $2.7 billion for the 52-week period. Once again, Frito-Lay topped the chart; its Fritos line sold $1.4 billion during the period, an increase of 16.9%. Another corn-snack line in the Frito-Lay stable, Chester’s, made a leap during the period—its $458.4 million share for the time period constituted a notable nudge of 48.7% over the previous period. Private-label items in the subcategory hit $72.3 million for the year period, a jump of 56.5%. Not a single ranked company saw a decrease, and newcomer Like Air, with sales of $1.7 million, appeared on the list for the first time.

Trends

The desire to satiate snack hunger with healthier options continue to drive purchasing decisions in all snack categories. According to Maiko Shimano, director of marketing at Calbee America, this category is no exception.

“The demand for better-for-you snacks remains strong, and brands in the puffed/extruded snack category, such as Harvest Snaps, are in a unique position to deliver these to consumers without sacrificing great taste,” Shimano remarks. “We enjoy being a player in this competitive space and are excited by the new products coming to market, especially in the better-for-you segment.”

Part of the BFY surge involves parents looking to feed better snacks to their little ones. Rosa of CauliPuffs says that interest is also behind the creation of his company.

“As parents ourselves, we crafted CauliPuffs because we were on a mission to find a wholesome alternative to the typical junk food that kids often reach for,” Rosa says. “We wanted our snacks to tick all the right boxes: Gluten-Free, Non-GMO, Avocado Oil, Baked-Not-Fried, Kosher-certified, and, of course, absolutely scrumptious for those snack-time cravings.”

In addition to BFY benefits, consumers also are seeking new flavor adventures when reaching for puffed and extruded snacks.

“Flavor innovation has also been a significant factor driving consumer interest,” states David Beck, salty portfolio marketing director, Kellanova Away From Home. “Cheez-It Puff’d has introduced new flavors to its lineup as a result. From classics like Double Cheese and White Cheddar, which are available in both Away From Home and Retail to innovative options that are exclusive to retail, like Cheese Pizza—and in the past, Cheddar Jack and Scorchin’—the brand continuously strives to offer a diverse range of flavors. This commitment to flavor variety sets Cheez-It Puff’d apart from its competitors, providing consumers with an array of choices.”

Megan Osowski, director of marketing at Our Home, also says that snackers across the U.S. continue to show a strong preference for heat and other high-level flavors.

“The consumer demand for flavor, and big/bold flavors is definitely still holding strong,” she declares. “Hot and spicy flavors in particular have continued to see strong and steady growth trends in puffed snacks.  These trends resonate across all demographic groups, but in particular with Gen Z.  Our You Need This brand recently launched Hot Cheddar Fries and we’re seeing that flavor paired with the Fries format resonate well with that audience.”

Product innovation

Shimano says that the puffed/extruded category benefits from being more flexible than other snack varieties.

“Unlike chips or popcorn, a puffed/extruded snack is not limited to shape and texture,” she notes. “We can provide a diverse snacking experience by offering a variety of forms, textures, and nutritious ingredients.”

Shimano says Calbee informs its innovation decisions by tracking consumer interests with various tools.

“Consumer interests drive everything that Calbee does,” she relates. “Before launching products, we utilize multiple consumer research methods, including quantitative online research and qualitative focus groups. Getting feedback firsthand helps us understand unmet needs so our brands can play a key role in closing those gaps.”

Beck reports Kellanova also keeps a keen eye on consumers in a number of ways.

“Kellanova uses a combination of both qualitative and quantitative tools to keep up with the latest consumer preferences and behaviors, including syndicated trend resources, food and flavor trends monitoring, social media feedback, consumer immersions and ethnographies, brand health tracking, consumer buying, eating, and snacking panels, custom surveys, and point of sales data trends,” he relates.

CauliPuffs is still a recent entry into the puffed/extruded category, but according to Rosa, the brand is already connecting with consumers, and eyeing innovation opportunities.

“Our CauliPuffs are still fresh on the scene, having only been released in the past year, but since their debut, we've been heating up our portfolio, introducing two spicy flavors that have everyone buzzing: Habanero Ranch and Vegan Smokin' Hot BBQ,” Rosa says.

Osowksi says her company’s recent launches feature heat and other bold flavor notes.

“You Need This recently launched Hot Cheddar Fries and Zesty Ranch Fries,” she says. “Our plant-based Hot Cheddar Fries deliver mouthwatering, bold flavor without the junk. These crunchy, spicy fries are an easy-to-eat, social snack that are also gluten-free, vegan, and Non-GMO project certified.”

What’s next

“Kellanova expects that current trends will remain,” Beck surmises. “Consumers are looking to level up their snack experience and are continuing to expect more from food including intriguing flavors and easy on-the-go options. Kellanova strives to meet the needs of current and future trends with its product assortment and hopes to continue offering incremental innovation in the space.”

Shimano offered SF&WB a sneak peek of an upcoming launch—a limited edition version of Calbee’s Harvest Snaps line, in a limited-edition Jalapeno Pepper Jelly with Cream Cheese flavor: “This new addition, which brings an intriguing, sweet-heat flavor combination to our flagship lineup, will give our current consumers an opportunity to enjoy something fun and unexpected tied to the snacks they love, while offering people that are new to our brand a delightfully delicious way to try Harvest Snaps for the first time.”

Rosa says his relatively young company is hard at work looking for opportunities to get creative with its puffed/extruded snacks.