The global snack food market is projected to reach $58.8 billion by 2030. This growth persists alongside significant pressures, including a 17 percent increase in corn prices since 2020 and a median annual cost of $2.1 million for unplanned downtime in food manufacturing. This data outlines the financial scale and operational complexity of the modern snacking industry.
Key Takeaways
- $7.1 billion global “chips & pretzels” market size in 2023 (segment of snack market)
- $9.7 billion global popcorn market size in 2023
- $8.1 billion global trail mix and snack mix market size in 2023
- 2.0% year-over-year growth in US sweet snacks sales in 2023 (multi-outlet)
- 2.3% expected decline in the value of UK biscuits & snacks in 2024
- 2.5% inflation in snack category cost components (CPI food away from home vs at home indices)
- $11.4 billion global packaging market for food snacks in 2023 (forecast report)
- $34.7 billion global plastic resin market size in 2023 (packaging input)
- US food manufacturing (including snack foods) employed about 1.2 million people in 2023 (NAICS 311)
- 4.2% labor productivity growth in food manufacturing (2018–2023 trend, BLS)
- $2.1 million median annual cost of unplanned downtime for food & beverage manufacturers (estimate from IFS/OEE study)
- 1.4 billion people worldwide are estimated to be obese by 2030 (WHO projection)
In 2023, snack markets grew globally, but higher input costs and downtime costs are pressuring manufacturers while demand keeps rising.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size8 stats
01
$7.1 billion global “chips & pretzels” market size in 2023 (segment of snack market)
02
$9.7 billion global popcorn market size in 2023
03
$8.1 billion global trail mix and snack mix market size in 2023
04
$124.6 billion total US food expenditures in 2023 (BLS/CE, total food and nonalcoholic beverages)
05
4.8% CAGR (2024–2030) projected for the global savory snacks market
06
4.7% CAGR (2023–2028) projected for the global chips and extruded snacks market
07
$58.8 billion global snack food market projected for 2030
08
$43.9 billion global sweet snacks market projected for 2030
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In the Market Size category, the snack industry already spans billions in key segments in 2023 such as $7.1 billion for chips and pretzels and $9.7 billion for popcorn, and it is poised for continued growth with forecasts like a 4.8% CAGR for global savory snacks through 2030 and a 4.7% CAGR for chips and extruded snacks through 2028.
02 · Category
Industry Trends2 stats
01
2.0% year-over-year growth in US sweet snacks sales in 2023 (multi-outlet)
02
2.3% expected decline in the value of UK biscuits & snacks in 2024
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across Industry Trends, US sweet snack sales grew modestly by 2.0% year over year in 2023, while the UK expects a 2.3% decline in the value of biscuits and snacks in 2024, signaling a split and potentially weakening outlook across key markets.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis10 stats
01
2.5% inflation in snack category cost components (CPI food away from home vs at home indices)
02
$11.4 billion global packaging market for food snacks in 2023 (forecast report)
03
$34.7 billion global plastic resin market size in 2023 (packaging input)
04
17% increase in corn prices (US) from Jan 2020 to Jan 2022 (USDA ERS price series)
05
9% increase in wheat prices (global benchmark) from 2022 to 2023 (World Bank price data)
06
$35.5 billion annual global cost of food loss & waste in supply chains (FAO estimate)
07
15% share of food costs in total manufacturing costs for packaged foods (peer-reviewed study on manufacturing cost drivers)
08
$1.2 billion global cost of cocoa butter price volatility to chocolate and snack value chain (industry study)
09
12.6% increase in retail prices for snack foods from 2021 to 2023 (US CPI snacks component series)
10
6.5% increase in natural gas prices in the US from 2022 to 2023 (EIA)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
With snack cost components up 2.5% in food-away-from-home versus at-home prices and supply-chain pressures rising as corn prices jumped 17% from Jan 2020 to Jan 2022 plus wheat up 9% from 2022 to 2023, cost analysis shows that even modest inflation can compound quickly across inputs like grains and packaging markets, while the $35.5 billion global food loss and waste bill adds further hidden cost.
More related reading
04 · Category
Workforce & Operations4 stats
01
US food manufacturing (including snack foods) employed about 1.2 million people in 2023 (NAICS 311)
02
4.2% labor productivity growth in food manufacturing (2018–2023 trend, BLS)
03
$2.1 million median annual cost of unplanned downtime for food & beverage manufacturers (estimate from IFS/OEE study)
04
OEE improvement of 10–30% reported in packaged food plants after implementation of TPM/lean programs (peer-reviewed review)
Interpretation
Workforce & Operations Interpretation
In the Workforce and Operations space, US food manufacturing including snack foods employed about 1.2 million workers in 2023 while labor productivity grew 4.2% from 2018 to 2023, suggesting that plants are getting more output from the workforce as operational gains such as cutting unplanned downtime valued at $2.1 million and achieving 10–30% OEE improvements through TPM or lean continue to matter.
05 · Category
Performance & Health1 stats
01
1.4 billion people worldwide are estimated to be obese by 2030 (WHO projection)
Interpretation
Performance & Health Interpretation
With WHO projecting 1.4 billion people worldwide to be obese by 2030, the Performance and Health snacking space will need to increasingly prioritize healthier options that support long-term well-being.
report visual · Key figures
Snacking: market size, growth, and price pressures
Snack segments vary widely by size, while growth and cost pressures (CPI, commodity and energy inputs) reshape demand and margins.
$7.1 billion
$7.1 billion global “chips & pretzels” market size in 2023 (segment of snack market)
$9.7 billion
$9.7 billion global popcorn market size in 2023
$8.1 billion
$8.1 billion global trail mix and snack mix market size in 2023
4.8%
4.8% CAGR (2024–2030) projected for the global savory snacks market
2%
2.0% year-over-year growth in US sweet snacks sales in 2023 (multi-outlet)
12.6%
12.6% increase in retail prices for snack foods from 2021 to 2023 (US CPI snacks component series)
source-verifiedglobenewswire.com · factmr.com · alliedmarketresearch.com · cspnet.com · bls.gov2024
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, February 13). Snacking Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/snacking-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Snacking Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/snacking-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Snacking Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/snacking-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)