State of the Industry 2026: Nuts and snack mixes gain ground
Producers are looking to attract consumers with novel flavors and health benefits.
Consumers are working hard to satisfy their need for healthy snacks and desire for indulging snacks while keeping an eye on their budgets. This can be seen in the uptick of trail mix sales. Convenience rounds out the big three for snack needs. The industry appears to be buoyed by customer wants that allow them to outperform challenges caused by weather, tariffs, and inflation.
Market data
Snack nuts were up just a nibble—according to sales data from Circana for the 52-week period ending May 17, 2026, the category hit $6.7 billion, which amounts to a 0.9% increase over the previous period. The leading ranked producers in the category:
- Wonderful: $990.5 million, a 0.5% decrease
- Hormel Foods: $934.4 million, a jump of 4.4%
- Blue Diamond: $471 million, a decrease of 6.3%
Private-label snack nuts took in roughly half of the total in this column—with dollar sales of $3.3 billion, PL nuts gained 0.9% compared to the year before.
The nutritional snacks and trail mixes category was up 3.3%, almost doubling the pace from 2025, to more than $1.8 billion. Top brands include:
- Gourmet Nut: $147.5 million, up an impressive 36.8%
- Kar’s Nuts (a Second Nature brand): $91.1 million, a 4.1% increase
- Cibo Vita: $86.1 million, up 3.4%
Courtesy of Wonderful PistachiosLike snack nuts, private-label products took home about half the dollar sales in nutritional snacks and trail mixes ($962.9 million) but experienced a decline compared to the previous year, 3.6%.
Looking back
The snack market is “heavily shaped by the convergence of health and indulgence,” shares Diana Salsa, VP president of marketing with Wonderful Pistachios. Setton Farms’ Executive Vice President Joseph Setton adds that convenience plays a large part in the industry remaining stable. What’s more, Salsa and Setton agree pistachio kernels are at the nexus of health, indulgence, and convenience. Kernels are popular for the ease of consuming without needing to deshell. They also offer the opportunity for producers to spice pistachios up with Tajín or pickle flavors.
Pistachios are popular as solo snacks, but according to Setton, adding them to other foods levels up a consumer’s sense of gratification, with “pistachios used as a premium ingredient, flavor, as a color, as a fragrance, and more.” This offers pistachios space as a preferred snack for simple moments, as well as snacks that go in the picnic basket for a concert in the park night.
Salsa reflects Wonderful Pistachios’ ad campaign and introduction of its Chocolate Toffee and Chocolate Sea Salt products have helped “drive category growth, attract new consumers to the brand, and create new consumption occasions.”
Courtesy of HersheyThe aforementioned jump in sales is especially seen for trail mixes, perhaps due to snackers’ fondness for products with varying tastes and textures and pulling together several things consumers are looking for, like nutrition, convenience, and appealing taste profile. Nuts, toasts, candies, dried fruits can all be found in snack mixes.
Salty snacks were able to deliver “bold, dynamic flavors and satisfying textures to elevate salty snacking experiences,” according to Natalie Perera, senior director of marketing for pretzels and bold snacking with Hershey. The company’s Dot’s Homestyle Pretzels brand ventured into the category with its snack mix in March. In May, the product was voted Powerhouse Snack winner in the Sweets & Snacks 2026 Most Innovative New Product Awards.
According to producers, the challenge in 2026 is for brands to differentiate themselves on store shelves and they appear to be leaning into responding to consumer requests to make that happen.
Looking ahead
To achieve the standards consumers are seeking, the snack industry needs ingredients. And after last year’s record-breaking crop, the pistachio industry is bracing for a lower yield due to a record-breaking heat wave California experienced last year. Despite this challenge, they are optimistic that the new lines of pistachio snacks will result in gains.
Keeping with the health, luxurious taste, and convenience, Setton Farms will be launching Pistachio Kernel Multipack in a convenient on-the-go snack option with 18 individual bags of 0.75-oz roasted with sea salt kernels. The brand reports its biggest launch of the year has been Hot Honey seasoned pistachio kernels.
“These spicy no-shell pistachios are perfectly dry roasted, oil-free, ensuring a clean, crunchy snacking experience that preserves the health attributes of our California-grown pistachios,” Setton reports, adding that he hopes seasoning the nuts with natural sweet heat will make them an addicting snack and quickly become their most popular seasoned variety.
The healthy side of snacks reportedly will be a large part of the strategy to entice consumers to pick a brand over another. Protein, antioxidants, and different benefits will be aspects of the marketing narrative. The salty snack audience is mindful and deliberate with how they fit products into their budgets. They will splurge, as one can note with a few brands seeing an increase in dollar spend, even as they see a decrease in units sold. Consumers will pay for what they think is a healthy indulgence.
Courtesy of Wonderful PistachiosSalsa states, “[Wonderful Pistachios] are leaning into sports viewing. Over one-third of consumers enjoy pistachios while watching sports,” and the company is determined to make its snacks a mindful alternative to traditional game-day snack options.
Leaders in the category plans to retain their edge with flavor—lots of flavor. Producers say to expect things like Dark Chocolate Pistachios with Sea, Salt Dubai Chocolate, Chipotle Honey, and Bold Cheese.
Dot’s is banking on winning the game day snack war with “bold flavors [that] consumers (are) gravitating toward [during] their favorite moments with family and friends,” Perera says.
Consumers stand to benefit from the race to win a coveted spot on the game-day menu. Producers have their eyes set beyond simple recipes and punching up flavors with the intent of never having a bland bowl of salty snacks. Shoppers should also expect shortages due to lower crop yields in the pistachio arena, but when they can find their favorite snacks, there will surely be new flavors to bring to the big game party.
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