Mintel’s Germany snack food market forecast shows that the sector continues to thrive in 2024 in spite of price hikes. To appeal to consumers, brands can focus on delivering healthy snack options without compromising on indulgence and taste.
The Snack Food Market in Germany – Current Landscape
Mintel’s snack food market report shows that growing fiscal confidence ensures the snack sector continues thriving in 2024, despite price hikes driven by climate change.
Amid focus on healthier diets by the German government, snack brands have scope to target a host of consumer health goals, which are emerging as top Germany snack market trends. Brands can look to natural sweeteners to cut back refined sugar and avoid artificial sweeteners, while sugar reduction technology could revolutionise the sector. In the salty snacks category, opulent flavours, such as lobster or truffle, and indulgent pairings can interest seniors as the population ages.
With the majority of snackers in Germany agreeing that healthy snacks that contain indulgent ingredients are appealing, solving the healthy indulgence puzzle is key for brands. Air-frying or freeze-drying can maintain taste and deliver indulgent crunch without excessive fat, while apportioned delights can inspire Germans to snack more mindfully.
Germany Snack Market Statistics
- Consumption in the Snack Food Market in Germany: 99% of Germans snack, with sweet treats leading, but growth of fresh fruit and vegetable snacks reflects a trend towards clean label options that brands can meet by shortening ingredient lists.
- Germany Snack Market Trends: 41% of healthy snackers seek low-sugar snacks, which has proven difficult for sweet categories to deliver on.
Snack Food Market Report – What’s Inside?
Key Topics Analysed in this Report
- Germany snack market drivers, including the government’s targets to limit obesity.
- Snack consumption, including consumption frequency, and what the rising interest in fresh fruit snacks means for food and drink brands.
- Consumer interest in healthy snacking, including limiting sugar content in sweet snacks.
- Consumer behaviours and attitudes towards snacking.
- Germany snack market trends in launch activity and opportunities for further innovation.
Report Scope
This report gives insight into German consumers’ snacking habits – snacking being defined as eating between meals.
Mintel’s snack food market report will look at:
- snacking at home
- snacking outside the home (at work and on the go while travelling)
- consumers’ snacking motivations, preferences, and their attitudes towards snacks
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Adam Millward, Research Analyst at Mintel. Adam joined Mintel’s German reports team in 2023 as an Associate Research analyst, having previously worked as a translator and interpreter at an international tax firm. Adam graduated from the University of Kent with a degree in German language and literature, including a study placement at the University of Heidelberg.
Our Germany snack food market forecast shows that amid broad interest in better-for-you snacks, reducing sugar is a must for brands. Looking ahead, emerging technologies, such as AI, sugar and reduction technology, will allow snacking launches to be both healthy and indulgent.
Adam Millward
Research – Mintel Reports
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- The five-year outlook for snacking
- Market context
- Snack foods are an essential part of the German diet
- Graph 1: types of snacks eaten in the last two weeks, 2024
- Dipping inflation levels abet the snacking sector
- Graph 2: consumer price index for selected snack categories, 2023 vs 2024
- Government targets healthier eating habits amid high obesity rates
- Busy lifestyles drive the demand for convenience and satiety in snacking options
- Germany’s ageing society risks a volume sales decline for snack brands
- Graph 3: population structure by age, 2022-30
- Opportunities
- Help under-the-cosh cohorts balance their energy across the day
- Screen overwhelm yields an opportunity for focus and eye health claims
- Minimise ingredient lists as far as possible for a less processed image
- Balance health and indulgence to reach a broad range of snackers
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MARKET DRIVERS
- The German economy
- 2024 remains challenging
- Graph 4: key economic data, in real terms, 2019-25
- The inflation rate is bouncing back to more conventional levels
- Inflation is still the key factor affecting consumers’ finances…
- …confidence and expenditure
- Graph 5: financial confidence index, 2022-24
- The impact of the economy on snacking
- The level of inflation across snack categories has dropped, improving affordability for consumers
- Graph 6: consumer price index for selected snack categories, 2023 vs 2024
- Climate-flation is a long-term threat for snacking, particularly in sweet categories
- Healthy eating
- Almost half of Germans assess themselves as overweight
- Increasing level of obesity drives the need for BFY snacks
- BMEL’s nutrition strategies aim to tackle obesity with sugar, salt and fat reduction
- Government investment in PB proteins is an opportunity for protein-rich snacks
- The ultra-processed food furore risks a dent in snack intake, and in turn volume sales
- German lifestyles
- Busy lifestyles drive the demand for convenience and satiety in snacking options
- Germany’s ageing society risks a volume sales decline for snack brands
- Graph 7: population structure by age, 2022-30
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Types of snacks consumed
- Snack foods are an essential part of the German diet
- Graph 8: consumption of savoury snacks in the last two weeks, 2024
- While elders eat fewer savoury snacks, mature segments can get them engaged
- Graph 9: consumption of selected savoury snack in the last two weeks by age groups, 2024
- Sweet snacks grow across the board
- Graph 10: consumption of sweet snacks in the last two weeks, 2023 vs 2024
- Parents to young children are prolific HFSS snackers…
- Graph 11: types of snacks eaten, parents to over 18s vs parents to children aged 18 and under, 2024
- …and prioritise sugary snacks to get them through the day
- Help under-the-cosh cohorts manage fatigue and energy balance across the day
- Significant rises in fresh fruit and vegetable snacks speak to Germans’ desire for cleaner, BFY snacks
- Graph 12: consumption of other snacks in the last two weeks, 2024
- Offer fruit remixes to spice up the category
- Frequency of snacking
- Snacking is becoming more frequent
- Graph 13: frequency of snacking between meals, 2021 vs 2023 vs 2024
- Look to circadian rhythms to understand what snackers will need throughout the day…
- …morning, afternoon and night
- Target consumers when, where and how they’re likeliest to be snacking
- Screen overwhelm yields an opportunity for focus and eye health claims
- Frequency of health snacking
- Consumers are split into frequent and occasional healthy snackers…
- …lending scope to meet both sides of the healthy snacking ying-yang
- Priorities in healthy snacks
- Scaling back on sugar is a top priority for snack brands
- Graph 14: traits consumers look for in healthy snacks, 2024
- Emerging sugar conversion technology has the potential to solve the permissible indulgence puzzle
- Natural sweeteners can capitalise on a more natural, low-sugar image
- NotCo shows how AI can help snack bar eaters avoid the ‘sugar crash’…
- …while other players use AI to deliver a pleasure payload in BFY snacks
- Meet the demand for protein-rich snacks
- Whitworths positions new snacking range as a nutritional addendum to UK diets
- Explore the potential of savoury popcorn as a low-fat, high-fibre snack
- Minimise ingredient lists as far as possible for a less processed image
- Seaweed can put salty snacks on a less-processed footing…
- …while helping brands level up their sustainability credentials
- Behaviours related to snacking
- Space for indulgent snacks that tick the health box
- Before thinking taste, pioneer snacks that consumers eat with their eyes
- Look to cooking methods with a healthier halo
- Children offer a fertile market, but brands must first pass the parent test
- Graph 15: select behaviours towards snacking, 2024
- Stealth health can help snack brands pass the parent test
- Take savoury snacks off the kids menu with indulgent flavours
- Be it Brat Summer or Demure Autumn, yearning for rebellious lifestyles suits the snack sector
- Attitudes related to snacking
- To strike a health-indulgence balance, look to mindful and apportioned snacking
- Graph 16: attitudes towards snacking, 2024
- Promoting mindful snacking to serve Germans’ wider health goals
- Apportioned packages can deliver permissible delight
- Snackers want more in-store information on healthy snacks from retailers
- Spark more intrigue in well-worn categories with branded crossovers
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LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
- Corn and fruit snacks see the most new innovation across snack categories
- Graph 17: snack launches by launch type, 2023-24
- Brands launch significantly more than private labels as costs mount in the snack sector
- Graph 18: snack launches by branded vs private labels, 2023-24
- High/added/fortified claims are thin on the ground
- Graph 19: select snack launches* by high/added claims, 2020-24
- Graph 20: select snack launches* by ‘low/no/reduced’ claims, 2022-24
- Sugar reduction stalls for sweet snack categories
- Graph 21: average sugar per 100g in sweet snack categories, 2014-24
- Dried fruits double down on natural sugars with No Added Sugar claims
- A new ingredient in the healthy snacking space: water lily seeds
- Lorenz Bahlsen’s latest launches utilise superfood appeal
- Snack categories are marginally behind the food market on Nutri Score uptake
- Graph 22: uptake of the Nutri Score, snacks vs all food launches, 2021-24
- Recent KoRo Handels launches tap into the snack-exercise link
- Movement in environmental launches is slow
- Graph 23: savoury snack categories by environmental claims, 2021-24
- Brands look to cultivate a holistic sustainability image by putting people first
- Milka/Mondelēz trials paper wrappers
- Planet A Foods’ cocoa-free chocolate is a salve to dramatic price rises in sector
- In savoury snacks, East-Asian and spicier flavours show high promise
- Where travel budgets are stretched, snacks afford cost-effective experiences
- The extra-hot trend continues burning brightly
- Players embrace sweet-salty blends
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Milka dials enjoyment up to the MMMax
- Spot the difference: Lidl compares Pringles to its own
- Aldi says that before you can be good to others, you must first be good to yourself
- Edeka’s Munchie YouTube video taps into Germany’s recent cannabis legalisation
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APPENDIX
- Appendix – products covered, abbreviations, consumer research methodology and language usage
- Products covered in this Report
- Searches parameters used in launch activity & innovation
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
- CHAID-Analysis methodology
- A note on language
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