This report looks at consumers’ snacking habits, defined as eating between meals. The report discusses types of snacks eaten, frequency of snacking, where snacks eaten, reasons for eating snacks, and behaviours and attitudes related to snacking.
UK Consumer Snacking Trends
- Over half of snack eaters consume snacks to boost their daily nutritional intake, highlighting a continuing opportunity for brands to position snacks as contributors to specific nutrient needs.
- Functional claims in snack launches remain popular, with digestive health, energy, bone health, immune system support, and weight/muscle gain being the most common. Brain health is also emerging as a notable area of interest.
- Efforts to avoid ultra-processed foods (UPFs) remain strong, with 71% of UK adults trying to avoid them, unchanged from 2023. Media coverage of UPFs has influenced 57% of snack eaters, making certain snacks less appealing, particularly those with long ingredient lists, which 67% associate with being ultra-processed.
- A positioning of ‘only N ingredients’ is highly appealing, with 77% of snack eaters finding products with fewer ingredients more attractive. Simplifying ingredient lists and equating simplicity with naturalness can help brands build trust and align with consumer preferences.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Types of snacks eaten, frequency of snacking, and where snacks are eaten
- Key trends in recent launch activity and consumer interest in trying new snacks
- Factors influencing snacking and reasons for eating snacks
- Impact of media coverage of ultra-processed foods on snack choices
- Eating snacks to boost daily nutritional intake and interest in snacks with specific health benefits
- Attitudes towards fortification for added nutrition in snacks
| Report Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Published Date | August 2025 |
| Report Author | Richard Caines, Principal Analyst, UK Food & Drink Research |
| Market Data Range | 2019-2025 |
| Consumer Data | 2,000 internet users aged 16+, May 2025 |
| Consumer Questionnaire Coverage | Types of snacks eaten, Frequency of snacking, Where snacks are eaten, Reasons for eating snacks, Behaviours related to eating snacks, Attitudes towards snack eating and snacks |
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Richard Caines. Richard is a Senior Food & Drink Analyst at Mintel, responsible for researching and writing a wide range of UK food and drink reports, as well as writing Analyst Insights discussing key launches, marketing activity and trends. Richard has more than 25 years of experience in market research, including a number of different analyst roles at Mintel.
Media coverage of UPFs is making certain snacks less appealing, but snacks with positive nutrition messages, including fortified products, will help support sales.
Richard Caines
Principal Analyst, UK Food & Drink Research
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for the snacks market
- Communicate ‘processed’ ingredients’ nutritional benefits to drive acceptance
- More opportunities for fortification in snacks
- Stream of innovation is important to those who eat snacks as a treat
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market predictions
- Consumers remain cautious, as food inflation inches up again
- Government confirms HFSS advertising restrictions, but delays implementation until January 2026
- Increase in number of young adults and over-65s, but fewer children
- What consumers want and why
- Seven in 10 snack eaters snack daily
- Graph 1: frequency of snacking, 2020-25
- Big out of home element to snacking
- Graph 2: where snacks are eaten, 2025
- Nearly six in 10 snack for reasons other than satisfying hunger
- Graph 3: reasons for snacking, 2019 and 2025
- Strong demand for snacks with only a few ingredients
- Graph 4: behaviours related to eating snacks, 2025
- Fortification of snacks with added nutrients has strong appeal
- Graph 5: attitudes towards snacks and snacking, 2025
- Innovation and marketing
- Flavour innovation remains the central theme of launch activity in snacks
- More non-HFSS launches, but high/added fibre or protein are the top nutritional claims
- Chocolate continues to lead advertising spend on snacks
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market drivers
- Only three in 10 see their finances as ‘healthy’ and confident for the year ahead
- Graph 6: financial wellbeing and confidence indices, 2019-25
- Food inflation has slowed from 2022/23, but inched up again in May 2025
- Graph 7: consumer price inflation for all food, 2022-25
- Many snacks have faced steep inflation
- Graph 8: CPI inflation for selected food categories, all food and all items, 2024 and 2025
- High inflation impacts volume growth in some snacking categories
- Graph 9: growth in retail sales in selected snack categories, by value and volume, 2024
- Strong consumer interest in healthy eating that includes permissible treats
- Graph 10: how often people try to eat healthily, 2018-25
- Government confirms HFSS advertising restrictions, but delays implementation until January 2026
- HFSS is defined by nutrient profile
- Experts across the industry to help the government develop a new food strategy
- Government responds to House of Lords food system recommendations
- Highly processed foods under scrutiny
- Spotlight on blood sugar is bad news for sweet treats
- Population growth to buoy demand for snacks
- Graph 11: population, by age, 2020, 2025 and 2030
- Increase in number of young adults and over-65s, but fewer children
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- Types of snacks eaten
- Snacking is nearly universal
- Nine in 10 eat sweet snacks
- Graph 12: types of sweet snacks eaten, 2025
- Crisps/crisp-style snacks still the most-eaten savoury snacks
- Graph 13: types of savoury snacks eaten, 2025
- Fresh fruit as popular as chocolate for snacking
- Graph 14: types of other snacks eaten, 2025
- Four in 10 snack on yogurt
- Frequency of snacking
- Seven in 10 snack eaters snack daily
- Graph 15: frequency of snacking, 2020-25
- Most people snack daily
- Younger people remain the key demographic for snack brands to target
- Graph 16: frequency of snacking, by age, 2025
- Where snacks are eaten
- Big out of home element to snacking
- Graph 17: where snacks are eaten, 2025
- Nearly half snack outside the home
- Younger people are more likely to snack away from their home
- Graph 18: out-of-home snacking, by age, 2025
- Reasons for snacking
- Satisfying hunger, cravings, and treating oneself are top reasons to snack
- Nearly six in 10 snacking for reasons other than satisfying hunger
- Graph 19: reasons for snacking, 2019 and 2025
- Messaging should continue to remind shoppers of the snacks they crave and the pleasure they bring
- Too good to share theme used by Walkers
- Focus on qualities that make food/drink an indulgent treat
- Graph 20: qualities seen to make a food/drink an indulgent treat, 2024
- Stream of snack innovation important to those treating themselves
- Combining different textures increases a snack’s treat appeal
- Sweet treats highlight texture along with indulgence
- Room for more snacks offering healthy indulgence
- Behaviours and attitudes related to ultra-processed foods and ingredients
- UPFs’ media coverage is driving demand for snacks containing only a few ingredients
- Noise around UPFs making certain snacks less appealing
- Long list of ingredients is a big signal of snacks being ultra-processed
- Graph 21: top attributes associated with highly processed food and drink, 2024
- ‘Only N ingredients’ positioning an opportunity in snacks
- ‘No artificials’ messaging remains relevant
- Nutritionally rich more important than being minimally processed
- Graph 22: attitudes towards highly processed ingredients in snacks, 2025
- Communicate ‘processed’ ingredients’ nutritional benefits to drive acceptance
- Highly processed snacks can still be better for you
- Behaviours and attitudes related to nutrition and fortification
- Positive nutrition more important than being minimally processed for many
- Snacks are widely eaten to boost daily nutritional intake
- Younger snack eaters snack more for daily nutritional boost
- Graph 23: eating snacks to boost daily nutritional intake, by age, 2025
- Opportunity for snack brands to highlight contribution to daily intake of particular nutrients
- Some snacks highlight their inherent protein content
- Plant-based proteins lead for fortification
- Added nutrients have more appeal than being reduced sugar/fat/salt
- Positive nutrition extends to snacks with specific health benefits
- Graph 24: consumers who try to eat snacks that offer specific health benefits (eg supports gut health, brain function), by age, 2025
- Variety of functional health claims being seen in snacks
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Launch activity and innovation
- New varieties/range extensions grow their share of snacks launches
- Graph 25: share of new launches in snack categories, by launch type, 2020-25
- Hot and spicy flavour trend continuing
- Hot and sweet flavour being offered with hot honey
- Collaborations adding more excitement in snacks
- World cuisine flavours adding safe adventure
- Brands focusing on cheesy options
- Dubai chocolate viral trend triggers pistachio chocolate launches
- Summer editions feature in sweet snacks
- Being non-HFSS still being referenced in launch announcements
- Steep cuts to any one nutrient is challenging
- Some snacks offering sugar reductions above 30%
- High/added fibre or protein the most common nutritional claims
- Snack/cereal/energy bars top protein and fibre snack launches
- Graph 26: % of snack food launches with high/added fibre claim, by snack category, 2025
- Graph 27: % of snack food launches with high/added protein claim, by snack category, 2025
- Brands are using nutrient-dense ingredients to offer a natural source of fibre/protein
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Outdoor and social drives big increase in 2024 advertising
- Graph 28: above-the-line, online display and direct mail adspend on snacks, 2021-25
- Chocolate the most heavily advertised snack
- Graph 29: above-the-line, online display and direct mail adspend on snacks, by category, 2023-25
- Biggest confectionery manufacturers are the top snacks advertisers
- Graph 30: above-the-line, online display and direct mail adspend on snacks, by top advertisers, 2023-25
- Flavour/taste is a central theme of snack advertising
- ‘No Walkers, No Game’ highlights unbeatable taste
- Irresistible taste and flavour messages from Tyrrells, Pipers and Pringles
- Health and permissibility are a rarer theme in snacks
- Whitworths promotes the nutrient benefits of its snack mixes
- Cheez-It launches in UK with big marketing budget
- Being a pick-me-up is another theme in advertising
- Soreen’s ‘squidgy little pick me up’ campaign
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APPENDIX
- Advertising and marketing
- Advertising spending on snacks by category
- Advertising spending on snacks by media type
- Advertising spending on snacks by biggest advertisers
- Advertising spending on snacks by biggest advertisers (Continued)
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
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