Snack Trends of 2025

Snacking is a universal habit, and yet, we all snack differently according to our demography, age, and cultural context. Terms like “empty calories” or “ultra processed foods” didn’t exist in the mainstream, but many people were of the opinion that snacks were just “not real food”. 

Nowadays snacks offer a contrasting mixture of a feel-good escapism, mindful nutrition, and sensory enjoyment, where health, aesthetics and indulgence can meet and have civilized conversations. In this article we will have a panoramic view of how some snacking trends are catering to the tastes and consumption occasions of consumers of all generations, and how color plays an important role in communicating the targeted value of snacks.

Younger consumers, like Gen Alpha, are driven by playfulness and fun. Although their consumption still mostly depends on what their parents choose, their preferences revolve around stimulant visual inputs and interactive features. Digital media and popular cultural characters are common inspirations for color design in snacks aimed at this generation. 

Add to that Gen Z, driven also by social media, digitalization, AI, and gaming, where eye-catching colors, and maximalist intensities, transmit a sense of trepidation, excitement and even humor.  Bold, primary colors, contrasting color patterns, or surprising features like color changing foods, or the use of fluorescent pigments are some of the attractors used for this demographic. 

Also widespread, are congruent reds, yellows, and oranges which are an innuendo for one of the trendiest waves: complex tastes, which includes scwicy (sweet and spicy), tangy-spicy, and sweet and savory. And the fun continues, with creative and daring combinations of different store-bought products, for a “Do Your Own Snack” experimental adventure, to show, share, and enjoy.

With the lines continuing to blur between traditional snacks and main meals, the frequency of snacking is increasing among both young and mature adults, demanding fulfillment of their daily nutritional and functional needs. Protein supercharged snacks are transversal among the generations that seek muscle building or preservation, and satiety.

Fiber also plays a role in hunger stilling, as well as in gut health support, along with prebiotic and probiotic ingredients, going in line with the increased prescription of GLP-1 agonist drugs. As Gen X navigates the physiological changes of aging, they are interested in snacks that preserve their wellbeing. Baby Boomers may also recur to snacking for health and wellness purposes, prioritizing foods that are low in salt and sugar, yet indulgent. 

Millennials and Gen Z also want to support their demanding commitments with friends, study, work and family, with nutrients and energy rich snacks. Health-laced snacks tend to display either earthy tones reflecting wholesomeness and naturalness (like brown, warm yellows, sepia or greens), or vibrant and energy loaded colors that communicate stamina, like bold pinks and reds, or fluorescent yellows and greens

We know that social media platforms are segmented by age. Gen Z and Millennials are the main users of image-rich apps, like TikTok and Instagram.

Sensory stimulation navigates in consonance with pastel tones, sophisticated and even artistic palettes, with elevated photographic value. Pink, peach, purple, blue and green, but also subdued neutral colors like beige, are associated with sophisticated indulgence and aesthetic delight. Snacks are both for enjoying, and for showing off.

We already mentioned that snacks with increased nutritional value are being used as meal replacements. But there’s something else…nowadays more and more snacks taste like authentic meals!

Be it familiar or exotic flavors, based on local tradition, or inspired by international cuisines and street foods, check any grocery and you’ll find the same old chips, peanuts, and puffs, but with a hearty and delicious flavor twist: street tacos, Thai tom yum, wagyu steak, meaty chorizo, bunny chow, Korean Smoked Galbi, coconut milk and peanut satay, Bolognese, honey roasted chicken wings, spicy ramen, beer chicken…these meal-flavored snacks are both satisfying and convenient, hinting savory profiles with colors like ocher, warm brown, or terracotta. 

The quality and value perception of snacks has shifted with time and is also different for each age, gender and social group. Convenience, indulgence, nutritional benefits, and social connectivity can be identified as deep catalysts for snacking behaviors. Related to all these primary motivation forces, we encounter the semiotic visual input and sensory stimulation of color, that sets the table for the holistic enjoyment of snacks!

If you want to learn how to best reflect the value of your snack products with the use of natural colors, contact our commercial and technical teams!