Snacking
Small bites, big opportunity
Smart snacking starts here
Today’s snacking needs are ever evolving—for both consumers and businesses. People are looking for snacks that are more filling, better-for-you, sustainable, convenient, great tasting and full of ingredients they can trust. And businesses need stable supply chains, dependable cost structures and the ability to quickly adjust to new trends. As the American snack food market grows—$53 billion in 2025, with a projected growth of 1.4% in 20261—you need the right mix of insights and ingredients to take advantage of new opportunities in snacking.
Today’s snacks are no longer just a quick treat or a bridge between meals.
Consumers’ lives are becoming busier, and they are looking for portable foods that can sustain them on the go—whether it’s for wellness, comfort or convenience. Their tastes are also changing, becoming more global and intricate. Plus, with recent disruptions in the market, like the introduction of GLP-1 medications for weight loss, getting snacks right has become quite complex.
Snacks need to come with functional benefits and recognizable ingredients, help support consumers’ wellness habits or even fully replace breakfast, lunch or dinner. On top of it all, they’ve got to taste great. We see snacking as more than a mid-day treat. It’s a critical opportunity to deliver necessary nutrition, the latest and greatest sensory innovations and a consistent, dependable performance. It’s our goal to make snacking unforgettable. After all, it’s how almost all consumers nourish themselves.
In this new era of snacking, consumers want snacks that deliver on multiple fronts. They need functional benefits, support for their wellness habits or options that can fully replace breakfast, lunch or dinner. On top of it all, they’ve got to taste great. What can your brand do to tap into these opportunities?
1Snack Food – North America: Statista Market Forecast
2CS News, Three Snacking Trends to Watch in 2024
3Datassential Snacking Keynote Report
With snacks, there's no drawbacks
The Ardent Mills Insights Team dug into our data on the snacking marketing to uncover new opportunities. From breaking down the snacking occasion to seeing how often people are snacking - and what their snacking needs and wants are, we've got the insights to help you jump into this exciting market.
Make your next hit snack. Or reinvent your classics.
We see two huge opportunities for snack brands today:
Reinvent your classics: Build on brand loyalty and update your classic snack offerings with innovative ingredients that deliver on both cost savings and great taste—like Ardent Mills replacers for traditional eggs and cocoa powder—or create a version that can stand in as a full meal. Experimentation is a great way to diversify your portfolio to connect with your consumers in a meaningful way.
Create a whole new snack (or category): Tap into the opportunity of the paradigm shift in snacking and open a whole new revenue stream. Create a new snack—or a whole new category—by making something that meets today’s needs in a wholly unique way.
Innovate your snacks with the right partner
Bring your snacking revolutions to life with the optimal mix of products, services and insights that help customers move from idea to shelf faster—with less error and more confidence.
Insights that can put you ahead in the market
What’s driving opportunities in the snacking market? Our Insights Team provides you with proprietary research, food industry market data analysis, macro societal trend analysis and more to help you succeed in the market and move faster with purpose.
Pack your next product with the benefits consumers want
Traditional wheat remains a fantastic and popular ingredient for grain-based snacks. But today’s consumer is also looking to go beyond the classics and be smarter about their snacking. Get expert help to determine which ingredients have the built-in benefits consumers want—and the supply stability you need—to stand out in the market.
This is only a small sampling of our full ingredient portfolio. To explore the full range of our products, visit the Products section of our site.
Innovate smarter with Ardent Mills
Whether you’re up against tighter budgets, shorter timelines or integrating cutting edge tech into your processes, innovating is never simple. That’s why Purpose-Powered Innovation™ is designed around your needs. Our team of agile experts and state-of-the-art network of Ardent Mills Innovation Centers will work hands-on with you to make your ideas a reality.
Get culinary inspiration
See some of the latest on-trend snacking applications using Ardent Mills ingredients.
Click on a snack to see what product it's made with.
Made with Ardent Mills Chickpea Flour
Chickpea & sorghum crisps
Organic wheat bread
Sustagrain® granola balls
Sorghum dulce de leche cookies
Mini brownies