New research from Chomps reveals a major imbalance in the U.S. snacking market: while consumers actively seek protein in 36% of snacking occasions, protein snacks currently make up only 19% of retail sales—leaving billions in untapped opportunity.  

Despite this gap, protein-forward snacks are outpacing the overall snacking category 3x in growth within the $126 billion snacking industry, with protein snacks accounting for $24 billion—yet the retail landscape and product innovation pipeline have struggled to keep pace with shifting consumer habits.  

Key findings from the study include:  

• Protein demand vs. fulfillment gap: The U.S. snacking market includes seven core need states, with protein playing a major role in 36% of snacking occasions, particularly for "efficient nutrition," "healthy fuel," and "grazing satisfaction." However, protein is only being fulfilled in 19% of purchases, leaving a major opportunity for brands and retailers to close the gap.  
• Retail and product innovation lag consumer demand: Protein-focused snacks are growing fast, but innovation has not kept pace. While the share of new protein-based products has nearly doubled since 2017 (now ~13%), it still lags behind protein’s share of total sales (~19%), showing the need for greater investment.  
• Younger consumers are driving growth: Gen Z and Millennial consumers are driving protein snacking, representing ~34% of protein snack consumers today (vs. 29% in 2019).   
• GLP-1 medications are changing snacking habits: GLP-1 users are shifting spending toward protein snacks, including meat snacks, yogurt, and nutrition bars, reinforcing a broader consumer movement toward protein-forward snacking.  
• Snacking is changing—and protein is leading the shift: The $126 billion U.S. snacking market spans major categories such as salty snacks ($41B), cookies ($14B), and yogurt ($11B).  

Protein snacks are gaining value and volume share, reshaping the market and pushing more brands to prioritize protein innovation.  

“Consumers are actively seeking high-quality, protein-forward, and real ingredient snack options, yet the snacking industry has been slow to respond with meaningful innovation,” says Matt Landen, SVP of business development at Chomps. “At Chomps, we’re seeing firsthand how new consumer groups—especially millennials, Gen Z, and women—are embracing protein snacks in new ways. This is not just a trend; this is a permanent shift in how people snack.”  

With protein-forward brands like Chomps, Quest, and Chobani generating outsized growth, the question isn’t if protein will take a larger share of the market—it’s how fast brands and retailers will catch up to shifting consumer preferences.  

This study was conducted in August 2024, collecting 2,550 unique consumer survey responses, providing recent snacking occasion details, such as time of day, location, products, and brands consumed for each to inform this work. Respondents are not affiliated with Chomps.   

Related: Chomps taps Tim Bosslet as chief financial officer