According to Statista, the Snack Food market will reach US$578.1 billion in 2024. This market is expected to grow annually by 6.13% (CAGR 2024-2028); the total volume of products made is predicted to reach 81.01 million tons by 2028, with the largest share coming from the United States. "Generation Z" (Gen Z) is emerging as an influential demographic for brands, and they are known to be "super snackers" compared to other generations. According to research, over 80% of Gen Z consumers in the UK, Germany, and the US snack between meals. Approximately 49% eat snacks to boost their moods, and around 30% snack as a meal replacement. Popular products include Potato Chips, Energy Bars, Chocolate Balls, Cookies, and more. Food companies and manufacturers are eager to understand these latest trends to create new business opportunities.

The Gen Z population is socially inclusive and values personal experiences from brands. They embrace snacks that are wholesome, healthy, vegan, and gluten-free but also desire bold flavors. Vibrant brand colors and eye-catching packaging also attract these young consumers. In the United States, "Bytebars" is an energy bar brand founded by entrepreneurs of Gen Z, offering easily sharable, naturally sweet, and vegan bars sold in Whole Food Markets. "RXBAR" is another brand featuring protein bars that use minimally processed, simple, and natural ingredients. They are made without artificial additives and focus on health-conscious snackers. "Mezcla" is another brand that makes gluten-free, vegan protein bars, and they are available in exotic flavors such as Mexican Hot Chocolate, Canadian Maple Blueberry, and Japanese Matcha Vanilla.

Siwar Foods has recently signed an exclusive private label and distributor agreement with the French company Sarl So Mochi to market and distribute their world-class Mochi ice cream in the Middle East. Siwar Foods noted that 60% of Saudi Arabia's population is under the age of 30, and their food preferences are strongly influenced by Global Trends that are shared on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. The company believes in the sales potential of Mochi Ice Cream in the region and has created flavors such as vanilla, mango, chocolate, raspberry, and even popcorn to attract Gen Z consumers to the market.

Arnott's Group is the most internationally recognized Australian biscuit and snack manufacturer. They once conducted a study and interviewed local consumers about their snack preferences, which showed as many as 68% of the respondents preferred sweet snacks over savory; this was especially true for Gen Z consumers. The Arnott's Group has developed various popular snacks since 1865, including their signature TimTam Chocolate Biscuits, Scotch Fingers, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Crackers, and Shortbread Biscuits. Nourish Foods is another well-known Australian food company. In 2023, they created the "Offbeat" brand, promoting a healthier, baked snack using vegan and sustainably sourced ingredients for the Gen Z consumers.

Health consciousness: The current food and snacking trends are shifting towards reduced sugar, low carb, and high protein items. Studies show up to 70% of Gen Z consumers express their desire for healthier foods; these include products made with organic, vegan, or gluten-free ingredients.
Customization: Gen Z shoppers expect personalized experiences from brands and enjoy having different options when making snacking decisions.
Sustainability: Social and sustainability issues affect the Gen Z population's purchasing decisions, and they prefer snacks packaged with environmentally friendly material. Some consumers also prefer to purchase products made with minimal carbon emissions, resulting in a smaller carbon footprint.
Convenience: Gen Z consumers are multitaskers and have busy schedules, so quick and easy food options are necessary! A study showed that 58% of these consumers prefer portable, convenient, and healthy snacks.

We established the ANKO Food Lab to help our clients develop unique and healthy products that will appeal to Gen Z consumers. Our advanced food machines have parameter settings and different forming molds that can produce products in various shapes and sizes and with different filling and wrapper ratios to create innovative and delicious food products. ANKO's machines have been upgraded to use new environmentally friendly refrigerant, generating only one-tenth of the original GWP to reduce carbon emissions significantly. Our company is also committed to responsibly managing our existing carbon footprint with the future goal of net zero carbon emission production.

ANKO's SD-97 Series Automatic Encrusting and Forming Machines are designed to efficiently produce a wide variety of snacks such as Filled Cookies, Mochi, Energy Balls, Biscuits, Japanese Azuki Manju, and Mochi Ice Cream. We recommend our SD-97W model and the STA-360 Automatic Stamping and Aligning machine for manufacturers requiring large production runs. The SD-97SS Automatic Table Type Encrusting and Forming machine is suitable for compact factory spaces and businesses switching from manual to automated production. ANKO has a team of experts to assist our clients in customizing production lines and implementing factory configurations; we also provide exclusive recipe consultation services.

Source: statista