Key Trend 2025: New Snacking Lifestyles

Source:  WGSN

Snacking opportunities are bigger than ever as consumers seek comfort, health, convenience and status boosts. We forecast the key trends and product development opportunities across the snacking category, with a focus on flavour, ingredients and packaging. 

Hype treats

Snacks are emerging as status symbols, with innovator brands building buzz via limited-edition drops and products that target lifestyle-driven communities and subcultures.

From It-desserts to must-have crisp collabs, snacks are emerging as edible accessories with cool currency.

Innovators are collaborating with brands or creators that align with consumers’ personal values, identities and lifestyles to create snacks that tap into niche communities or nod to in-group knowledge. Secondhand fashion platform Depop collaborated with Pop-Tarts on user-curated collections based on Pop-Tarts flavours, which were then sold as a limited-edition assortment box; while Pringles released LTO Minecraft-inspired potato chips. Immi instant ramen partnered with TikTok star Cooking With Lynja for a limited-release ramen featuring packaging with Lynja's classic Gen Z tagline, "Bussin or nah?", inspired by her viral videos.

Innovators are also leveraging drop marketing and LTO product runs, a spontaneous product release strategy that originated with streetwear brands. In NYC, the strategy is deployed by buzzy bakeries such as L’Appartement 4F, which taps unique flavours and seasonal ingredients to make one-off creations; Lysée, a French-Korean pastry gallery-boutique in Flatiron; Lady Wong, specialising in Southeast Asian kuih, encompassing steamed cakes, dumplings and other snacks that are mostly sweet, but sometimes savoury; and Bạn Bè, a Viet-American bakery that had a waitlist before it opened. Tapping into trending sour pickle flavour, US-based packaged pickle brand Grillo's Pickles partnered with Dotties Donuts (Philadelphia) to create the LTO Pickle Back Whiskey Glaze Donut. Named after the pickelback whiskey shooter – a shot of bourbon or whiskey, followed by a shot of pickle brine – the sweet treat is served with a shot of brine.

The relatively lower price point of snacks and baked goods compared to sit-down meals or fashion items makes the category particularly suited to wide interest and accessibility, while drops and LTOs maintain exclusivity.

How you can action this for 2025

Consider how snack items can play a role in lifestyle trends across sports, fashion, beauty and nightlife, and build hype snacks.

Ingredients

• Select ingredients that are meaningful to the community your snack is targeting, from flavour and sourcing to supply chain transparency

Flavours

• Develop unique flavours that tell a story that will connect with fans, from flavour profiles named for characters, characteristics, places or beloved meals, to rising influences from trending global cuisines, such as those outlined in our Cuisine & Flavour and/or Seasonal Flavour Forecasts

Packaging

• Double down on brand and packaging to match the aesthetics and culture around lifestyles, with nods to community and insider codes
• Collaborate with artists, designers, creators or fashion brands to create keepsake packaging
• Consider packaging that can double as a wearable or accessory, or which can be put on display in home kitchens

@ban__be

Bạn Bè’s cookie tin with flavours such as coconut pandan, black sesame ube, tamarind cacao nib and cà phê (coffee) crunch

Ekiben Baltimore

Ekiben (Baltimore) announces Asian-influenced snack drops on its meme-filled social media profile

@wildairnyc

Wildair's (NYC) Donuts With Friends series features unique creator-donut collaborations such as actor Christopher Abbot’s Yuzu Creamsicle

@ladywongpastry

A spread of kuih from Lady Wong, including seri muka, a light green pandan custard layer on top of a bed of sticky rice (bottom right)

Yardy World

The Pickle Back Whiskey Glaze Donut, a collab from CPG brand Grillo's Pickles and Philly bakery Dotties Donuts, taps in trending pickle flavour, and is served with a shot of brine

Love Hour

LA smashburger spot Love Hour created a line-up of Artist Meals for the 2023 Coachella Music & Arts Festival in collaboration with acts including Kenny Beats and Weyes Blood. Available exclusively at the VIP Rose Garden booth, the bites were served alongside limited-edition merch, including a cap featuring branding from Love Hour, Pabst Blue Ribbon beer and streetwear label Pleasures