SNAC International debuts 2024 State of the Industry Report

55% of consumers point to protein as the most important health claim.

courtesy of Getty Images / SNAC International

SNAC International, a trade association for the global snack industry, has announced the release of its 2024 State of the Industry Report in a special edition of its annual magazine, SNAC World. The report, brought together by Circana and Sosland Publishing, not only highlights the dollar and unit sales numbers for each category along with top performing brands within each category, but also delves into consumer trends and preferences surrounding snacking and the influences that shape their decisions and buying tendencies.

Some of the key findings include:

Snack producers are still hot on the spicy snack trail. Interest in spicy foods grew in the first half of 2023, with spicy Nashville hot, spicy margarita, and mango habanero flavors seeing triple-digit increases.
Busy Americans are integrating their favorite snacks into meals, up 35% over previous years. Once a week, more than half of consumers use both sweet and savory snacks as a key ingredient in no-prep dinners.
55% of Millennials and Gen Z consider themselves savory snackers, with 65% admitting to creating unusual snack combinations.
39% of salty snack consumers would purchase healthier versions if they were more available.
Pumping up the protein and adding energy boosting ingredients in 2024 will win with Americans. 55% of consumers point to protein as the most important health claim and more than 7 in 10 parents and millennials say they seek snacks to supply energy.

Category-specific data revealed that while potato chips led the salty snack category with $8.6 billion in sales, tortilla chip sales increased by 9.5%. “Salty snacks have bucked the trends with continued growth driven by tortilla chips,” says Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive vice president and practice leader, client insights, at Circana. “The taste, texture and versatility of tortilla chips appeal, and they are a favorite of the younger generations due to tremendous innovation with products.” The pretzel category experienced 2.2% growth in unit sales with an 8.7% increase in dollar sales.

“This year’s State of the Industry Report takes a detailed look not just into what snacks people are buying, but why they are buying them,” says Christine Cochran, CEO of SNAC International. “I’m proud of our team’s work and insight to support industry brands by giving them new data straight from their target market. This will let them make informed decisions and stay ahead of trends.”

The full report, including category-specific sales data, can be downloaded here.

Liz Parker Kuhn is the senior editor of Candy Industry and Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, and has worked at BNP Media since 2012. She has written for CBS Detroit as well as for her own blogs. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. Liz can be contacted at (248) 839-7156 or at parkere@bnpmedia.com.

This webinar will examine variables factoring into nutritionally improved candy sales, including ingredients, label claims, and alternative sugars. Better-for-you options remain top of mind for consumers who are searching for indulgences, but in a healthier format.