Published Date: May 6, 2026 | "Salty snacks will win by owning occasions – healthy mornings, ageing needs and we‑time moments. The future sees premium indulgence and BFY benefits." Hansika…
Global
Snacks
simple
The Future of Salty Snacks
Published Date: May 6, 2026
"Salty snacks will win by owning occasions – healthy mornings, ageing needs and we‑time moments. The future sees premium indulgence and BFY benefits."
Hansika Subramanian, Principal Analyst - Food and Drink
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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Where are we now
In the next two years
In five years and beyond
IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS
Mintel’s perspective
Healthy snacks will claim breakfast mornings
Breakfast rituals are fading, but the demand for healthy mornings remains
Graph 1: frequency of consuming breakfast and a snack between breakfast and lunch, by daily consumption, 2025
Graph 2: snacking motivations for Millennials, by time of day, 2025
The ‘snackification’ of mornings creates a clear opening for healthy snacks
Graph 3: morning snack frequency, 25-34 age group, 2022-25
Graph 4: snack launches with select claims, 2016-26
Breakfast trade-offs will create whitespace for healthy snacks
Three levers will turn healthy snacks into ‘smart’ breakfast solutions
How brands will successfully show up at breakfast
Nuts and fruit snacks are breakfast-ready but need variety to win
Snacks will support healthy ageing
As populations age, everyday snacks will take on greater significance
Graph 5: top concerns around leading a healthy lifestyle while ageing, by age, 2024
Graph 6: what does ‘healthy ageing’ mean to consumers, 2025
Salty snacks will aid older consumers with longevity
Graph 7: desired product benefits in better-for-you foods, by age, 2022
The need for salt will remain essential, even as consumers age
Graph 8: importance of low salt and sugar in a salty snack, by age, 2024
Smarter flavour design will quietly support salt reduction
Snack brands will reframe protein relevance for older consumers
Graph 9: importance of high protein in a healthy snack, by generation, 2023-25
Brands will reposition protein snacks to target the needs of older consumers
‘Chewability’ in snacks will become the new lever for cognitive health
‘We time’ will inspire modular snacking
The true scale of ‘we time’ snacking
Premium, less-frequent special occasions
Graph 10: frequency of hosting at-home social gatherings, by generation, 2024
Economical, more-frequent everyday sharing
Graph 11: snacks consumed by occasions, by parenthood, 2024
Graph 12: at-home activities parents do with kids in a typical week, 2024
Brands will target ‘we time’ across special occasions and everyday sharing
Opportunity 1: everyday snacks will become customisable ‘we time’ platforms
Graph 13: new launches in potato snacks, top 10 flavour components, 2021-25
Current formats lack ‘wetime’ lens of showcasing novelty, effort and variety
One base snack will create many social moments
Everyday micro-occasions will drive new snack bundles
IN FIVE YEARS AND BEYOND
Mintel’s perspective
While mindlessness will reduce, indulgence will not
Indulgent snacks will move from mindless self-reward to eating less, savouring more
Graph 14: unhealthy food/drink can be part of a healthy diet, 2024
The future will see a premiumised category, providing more with less
As BFY levers become standard, brands will need new sources of differentiation
Graph 15: product launches with select claims, 2016-26
Differentiation will move from claims to benefits
Graph 16: interest in health-focused innovation in snacks, “I would be interested in buying snacks that…”, 2025
Snacking power will shift to APAC
Graph 17: region specific snack launches, 2021-26
Larger snack brands will move from adaptation to assimilation within APAC
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Key takeaways
Discover the future trends in the global salty snacks market with Mintel’s Future Of report. The report identifies the key consumer and industry trends that will impact the global snacks industry over the next five years.
The most important upcoming trends in salty snacks are analysed and succinctly presented alongside relevant insights from Mintel’s consumer data. So you can understand how consumer demands will change and identify future innovation and growth opportunities.
This report also presents Mintel’s analysts’ pick of the most innovative and inspirational launches in salty snacks. Understanding the future of the snacks industry has never been so easy.
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