February is National Snack Food Month

Happy National Snack Food Month! According to the NPD Group, Americans consumed almost 386 billion snacks in 2018 alone. Whether we’re snacking on healthy choices, comfort food, or CBD-infused items, there’s no denying that we love to snack!

Compared to others across the globe, Americans far out-snack other cultures. A Mintel report from 2019 shows that a staggering 95% of American adults snack at least once a day and 70% snack more than twice a day. Whether Americans are supplementing meals, enjoying their work break Cheetos, or practicing “snackification,” the trend of replacing large meals with small frequent snacks, snacks are a part of most Americans’ daily lives.

2019 Snacking Trends

Each year, the National Confectioners Association puts on the Sweets & Snacks Expo to offer industry professionals insight into the hottest snack products on the market. We witnessed a number of trends at the 2019 show that we’d like to share.

Health Snacks

Of the many trends, we observed, none were more prevalent than health-friendly snack foods. As consumers are becoming increasingly more concerned with the ingredients and health benefits of what they are putting into their bodies, the industry has seen a shift toward clean ingredients, clean processing, and clean packaging.

Person grabbing a bag of almonds in store.
Does your packaging reflect the ingredients of its contents?

We’ve seen a surge in everything from healthy alternatives for traditional junk food to functional snacks that work with restrictive diets like ketogenic, sugar-free, gluten-free, vegan and more.

Sophisticated Snacking

We have also seen a rise in international fusion snacks that appeal to a savvier, more global audience. This includes foods like seaweed crisps and BBQ-flavored mung beans.

Alcohol-Inspired Snacks

If there’s one thing that people love with a drink, it’s yummy snacks. Alcoholic beverage-flavored products are on the rise among adult American crowds. Snack manufacturers are taking popular, time-tested pairings like pretzels and craft beer or Guinness and chocolate to create all-new flavors. These products pair seamlessly with the alcoholic drinks themselves, but also taste great on their own!

Cheese Craze

Americans love cheesy snacks. The ever-popular snack category continues to grow in popularity as consumers gravitate toward products with fewer ingredients, such as the single-ingredient snack Air Cheese.

Beef Jerky

Finally, we have seen beef jerky take on new heights with the incorporation of new textures, flavors, and base ingredients. Beef jerky manufacturers have even started making non-meat varieties that are becoming more popular with vegan and vegetarian consumers.

All About “Snackaging”

Increasingly, we are seeing a lot of snacks packaged in flexible packaging containers like resealable pouches and baggies. This category of packaging allows for greater portability to fit many consumers’ on-the-go lifestyle. As is the nature of snacking, most consumers do not finish an entire package worth of a snack in one sitting. In order to keep products fresh between snack appointments, manufacturers rely on various resealable options for pouches.

Snackaging also plays a part in the consumers’ decision-making process. The snack’s packaging determines whether the consumer will or will not purchase the product, depending on a variety of factors including size, design, and functionality.

A set of brown packaging pouches
Flexible pouches with resealable openings are one of the most popular packaging options for snack products.

Another popular packaging format used for snacks is wide mouth, grip-friendly PET jars. We see these especially in wholesale sizes of products for sale in club stores. These containers have wide-mouth closures that easily allow for a scoop or a hand to retrieve the product from inside. These containers are a great option for large families who buy in bulk and then portion out the snacks for lunch boxes and after-school snack bowls.

Empty wide-mouth mason jar
Bulk snack products are commonly packaged in wide mouth, grippable PET jars.

MJS Packaging Solutions

When was the last time you reconsidered your snack product packaging? As the number one country in snack consumption, it’s imperative to stand out among your competitors and catch the consumer’s eye. For help designing your packaging refresh, contact one of our knowledgeable packaging solutions specialists for advice and relevant industry knowledge. Contact us online or call us at (800) 915-2262 to get started.