In the food industry, there is no food that pays as much attention to flavor as salty snacks. In recent years, snacks have become a hotbed of innovation, with major brands stimulating taste buds in increasingly creative ways. From healthy to international flavors to bold ingredients, taste is always the driving force in the snack category.

High-end and healthy ingredients

While the snack category is not known for healthy products, consumers are looking for better options that feature high-quality natural ingredients and greater transparency.

In a highly competitive category, brands need to constantly transmit value, using natural flavors and identifiable ingredients to send high-end signals in the snack category.

In a recent Mintel survey, more than 60 per cent of US consumers believe that "fruit" is the ingredient that makes snacks look healthy, while the average ratio for "nuts" and "oats" is 40-50 per cent.

While consumer interest in healthy snacks is at an all-time high, the snack category still needs to satisfy cravings, and taste is often the common denominator between better-fou-you and indulgence. Despite the growing demand for healthy and functional ingredients in snacks, there is still room to indulge yourself through eye-catching flavors. According to a recent survey by Mintel, 37% of consumers believe that unique tastes make healthy snacks more indulgent.

Adventure in the field of snacks

The snack category is unusual because these products are a category that consumers seek comfort and familiarity with, but it is also a category where taste trials are numerous. It is possible for consumers to have a positive experience with some familiar taste, such as a taste from another food, or a taste mixed with something they have already tried.

Despite the appeal of familiarity, consumers are more willing to take risks on snack tastes than in any other category. In a recent Mintel survey, more than 42% of consumers said they were eating more savoury snacks than they did last year, and more than 1/3 said they were experimenting with new and exciting flavors. The stimulation of taste promotes the attempt of snack category, so brands can use unique taste to attract consumers who love to eat and indulge.

Bold Snack Taste

Bold flavors are gaining popularity among savoury snacks. Bold snack flavors are often inspired by social media and fashion trends that spark consumer interest and drive product innovation. Snack brands can look online for bold, wide-ranging taste ideas and take advantage of opportunities in online retail channels.

In recent years, for example, in the snack category, one of the surprisingly breakout flavors is dill pickle. Consumers of all ages have a strong interest in quirky, fun, but familiar dill pickles.

Consumers and food brands alike are looking for inspiration for savoury snacks with global tastes that tend to have cross-category appeal. In recent years, Mexican-style foods like elote (roasted corn) and churros (Mexican fritters) have quickly become popular flavors in the salty snack category. New product launches featuring the flavor of the fritters have increased by more than 400 percent since 2020, demonstrating the broad appeal and potential of this Mexican food.

Another important global flavor that has recently influenced the field of snacking is South Korea cuisine. Driven by food service and even popular culture, Korean food is one of the few international dishes to grow in 2021. Two major South Korea foods, grilled meat (South Korea grill) and pickles, are driving snack brand initiatives to cater to the adventurous tastes of Gen Z consumers, while also mainstreaming South Korea foods.

Spicy

It's no surprise that consumers like high-calorie foods, and the snack category is no exception. A clear indicator of this trend is the hot sauce market in North America, which is worth more than $1.2 billion in 2021 and has a CAGR of 7.1 percent through 2028, accounting for more than 40 percent of the global hot sauce market.

As consumers love spicy foods such as hot sauces (such as sriracha), this trend has opened the door to other globally inspired spicy flavors such as hot sauces. In a competitive environment, many brands are taking advantage of the appeal of popular chili varieties to create unique spicy experiences that were once dominated by jalapeno or habanero peppers. In recent years, there has been a directional increase in consumer interest in pepper varieties and combinations.

In addition to the spicy taste, the taste of these peppers also brings a strong flavor, which is very suitable for salty snacks. The interest in these spicy flavors is largely driven by young Gen Z and millennial consumers, who are learning about them through food service and social media.

The future flavor of salty snacks

Snacks have endless room for innovation and possibilities-it's a food category with no rules. Consumers crave exciting new flavors of savoury snacks and are willing to take risks to try something unexpected.

The development of social media trends and internet culture means that brands and consumers can quickly share new ideas about the limitless possibilities of snacking. As the snack category continues to grow, brands that continue to push boundaries and leverage technological innovation and spice industry expertise will succeed.