Not all potato chips are created equal. And competition among up-and-coming chip brands is fierce in this highly mature retail snack segment valued at $8.9 billion, per IRI, Chicago. In chips, a select few companies and longstanding legacy brands dominate annual sales and market share.
We are poised at a significant point in time in the American snack industry. Over the past few years, at various points and to different degrees of intensity, we fortified ourselves with the necessities: sanitizer, toilet paper, and—yes—snacks. We are a nation of snackers, and we continually demonstrate our brand loyalty at the checkout counter—or internet shopping cart.
Despite snack mixes and nuts being known for having many “on-the-go” options, during the pandemic—when consumers have been staying home more—they have still been flocking to the category.
The puffed and extruded category mostly experienced growth from 2021 to 2022. Consumers are also searching for better-for-you flavors, and the category aimed to accommodate.
The tortilla chip category enjoyed a healthy boost in sales during the past year, in spite of the fact that the numbers of bags placed in shopping carts barely budged—thanks to the price increases seen throughout the grocery store and elsewhere.
Consumers are continuing to spend more time at home versus pre-pandemic and this is influencing what they are buying and how and what consumers are eating.
The cracker category shines through innovative product formats and flavors.
July 15, 2022
Crackers share a direct lineage with bread, finding their innovative genesis as a tool of necessity. The notably long shelf life of crackers makes them a resilient go-to food staple throughout the past two centuries.