There’s a wave of new package snack options, with an emphasis on higher-protein, salty and savory, that are entering the market. It’s a trend that offers convenience retailers a golden opportunity to meet consumers where they are—with the support of trusted suppliers and wholesalers.
Consumers with health concerns, for one, are cutting back on sugar, which translates to less confection intake. Enter healthy salty and savory snacks.
“From functional wellness and premium experiences to indulgent breaks and social moments, the ‘snackscape’ is defined by both shared needs and local preferences,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, global executive vice president and chief industry adviser at Circana. “Brands that recognize this balance and tailor their innovation and positioning accordingly will be best positioned to capture long-term growth.”
Healthy snack innovations have been motivated by some emerging revelations. The GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) factor is the latest. GLP-1, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels to support those with Type-2 diabetes, has prompted “households to turn more toward high-protein savory snacks and scale back on sweet options,” said Lyons Wyatt.
One snack segment long known for delivering supreme protein is meat snacks.
“People have a desire for more protein, as 41% of adults are seeking more of it in their diet,” said Matt Brown, brand director for Chicago-based Conagra Brands, which oversees the fortunes of Slim Jim, Duke’s and Fatty Smoked Meat Sticks brands, the latter designed for consumers seeking portable protein with a cleaner indigents label.
Beyond “low sugar”
To that end, weight-loss drugs in the United States have skyrocketed and, as a collateral snack impact, are known to suppress snacking cravings—all occurring while consumers become more tethered to “mini-meal” daily eating.
“Over the past year, healthy alternative snacks have continued to grow as consumers become more informed and intentional about choices, especially when it comes to digestive health, diabetes support and overall wellness,” said Jacob Jordan, category insights manager for Temple, Texas-based McLane. “Consumers today are looking beyond just ‘low sugar’ and increasingly focused on nutrition, functional benefits and ingredient transparency,” Jordan adds. “High-protein, gut-friendly and low-glycemic snacks are gaining traction, reflecting a shift from simply avoiding certain ingredients to actively seeking out those that support health goals.”
Further, shoppers are more open to trading between brands, pack formats and textures—looking for the right balance of taste, convenience and function, Jordan said.
“Over the past three to five years, there’s been a surge in high-protein snacks: where ‘no sugar’ was once the marker of health, ‘added protein’ is now a leading indicator of better-for-you,” he said. “This trend presents a major opportunity for c-stores to expand offerings in functional snacks and promote options that align with wellness-driven missions.”
Fundamentally changed ‘snackscape’
Even though U.S. c-store salty snack dollars are down—3% for the year ending May 18, according to Circana—there remains a major consumer desire to reach for salty snacks, particularly among the core of potato chips, tortilla chips, corn and cheese snacks, pretzels, nuts, ready-to-eat popcorn and pork rinds.
The entire salty snack basket represents a $7.9-billion U.S. c-store market annually, paced by potato chips, which lost 4.5% for dollars but still commands $2.8 billion in c-store sales for the year period, Circana reports.
Packaged pretzels lost 4% in sales while corn snacks proved an outlier by registering 3.3% growth and units down a modest 1%. In a tough economy, private label options have always served as consumer go-to choices.
Over this past year ending mid-May, though, ready-to-eat popcorn, pretzels, potato chips, cheese snacks and pork rinds all lost c-store dollar sales, according to Circana, but nonetheless still ranked within the top 10 of their respective segmentations. The single outlier: corn snacks, which gained almost 25% in the c-store channel.
On the other side of the snacking universe, U.S. chocolate fortunes are hampered by the prevailing higher costs of cocoa as an ingredient—impacting U.S. confection prices—as well as the GLP-1 factor that sees a growing number of people reducing sugar intake—be it as pre-diabetics or already having the disease. They are eyeing snacks that up the ante on healthy, functional ingredients.
“We may have a fundamental change (occurring) in how our category management works for those impulse sales,” said Roy Strasburger, CEO of StrasGlobal, Austin, Texas, and co-founder of the Convenience Leaders Vision Group (CLVG). The organization is comprised of c-store leaders to identify trends, challenges and disruptions in retail.
New opportunity awaits
CLVG’s recent Vision Report, “The Skinny on GLP-1s and Their Impact on the Convenience Industry,” examined how GLP-1 drugs are transforming consumer purchasing patterns and retail strategies.
“GLP-1s are a big piece, but they are just a piece, of a catalyzing moment that we have right now, especially in the U.S., around how people are thinking about what they’re eating and how they’re looking at that,” said Sherry Frey, vice president of Total Wellness at NielsenIQ (NIQ).
Retailers need to more deftly sift for targeted innovation—and merchandising—solutions to serve customers eating less, seeking high-protein options, and changing traditional impulse-buying behaviors, the report found.
“There’s going to be a huge opportunity for the retailers who are prepared and are being innovative to differentiate themselves from other people in the industry and to take advantage of what these new opportunities are going to be,” said Greg Parker, CEO of Savannah, Georgia-based Parker’s Kitchen c-store chain.
- Parker's Kitchen is No. 73 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count. Lassus Bros. Oil Inc. is No. 177.
Another CLVG insight revealed was a trend to downsize packages—also known as “shrinkflation”—where suppliers are retailers explore opportunities to offer smaller portion sizes and high-protein offerings to meet evolving needs.
Meat snack revival?
Protein-based snacks are in position to capitalize on the consumer lifestyle upheaval. One viable option: meat snacks and jerky.
The “all other” meat snack and jerky segment within the consolidated dried meat snacks category, a $1.19 billion c-store market, lost 6.5% in c-store dollar sales for the 52-week period ending May 18, according to Circana. C-store jerky sales for the period were relatively flat at a 0.7% dollar loss.
Long a male-centric option, meat sticks and jerky makers have evolved their innovation scorecard and have been fine-tuning their message to appeal to a wider coalition of consumers. Retailers are seeking to capitalize via selection diversity.
“We are growing with different meat snack brands, and having a wide variety has helped,” said Missy Holly, category manager and buyer for Lassus Bros. Oil Inc., Fort Wayne, Indiana, with 35 owned-and-operated stores in Ohio and Indiana. “As this segment grows, we’ve expanded to have inline sets as well as endcaps.”
With consumers “smarter than ever about what they eat, especially when it comes to protein and gut health, we focus on meeting them where they are at the shelf, online and beyond,” said Charlie Kuoni, senior brand manager for Old Wisconsin, owned by Carl Buddig & Co., Montgomery, Illinois. “With Old Wisconsin, in addition to a protein-packed snack, it’s about reinforcing that we’re a smart, satisfying choice for anyone looking to snack better,” Kuoni said.
Enter Yumbo, which marks a shift in the brand’s innovation strategy.
Yumbo, a 2-ounce meat stick brand, is going head-to-head with Conagra’s Fatty stick, “matching its velocity while landing 50 cents cheaper at the register (citing Nielsen data from May). We’re growing the Yumbo portfolio and modernizing Old Wisconsin. That kind of value story is resonating,” said Kuoni.
“The two fastest growing segments within meat snacks are sticks (11%) and bites (19%),” said Brown of Conagra, adding that the rapid growth in the bites segment “presents an opportunity for our newest introduction, Slim Jim Bites.”
Brown adds that as more people consume more mini meals per day, the broad “bites” opportunity is extremely timely.
“Up 19% over the past year, bite-sized meat snacks are the category’s fastest growing segment, with $234 million in annual sales,” said Brown. “Slim Jim Bites are a 30% to 40% price per ounce value versus the top 3 to 4-ounce jerky brands of similar size.”
Mixed bag of results
Meat snack performance has varied over the past five years. In 2020, innovations seen through plant-based and hybrid flavors and new protein formulations led to c-store dried meat snacks growing dollar sales 5.3% for the year. “All other” dried meat snacks grew 5.5%.
That momentum lost ground to other new snack arrivals, as the c-store channel is currently “flat at the national level. That said, there are a few standout trends shaping its current report card,” said McLane’s Jordan.
In recent months, pricing changes have influenced both consumer behavior and manufacturer strategies.
“We’re seeing growth in standard-sized bags and multi pack meat sticks, with the latter performing well across all channels due to their portability and perceived value. Larger bags are showing “positive momentum when supported by strong promotional activity, while smaller bag sizes are gaining traction as consumers look to trade down and manage costs,” Jordan said. “Manufacturers are adapting by shifting their focus toward these smaller, more affordable pack formats to align with shopper preferences.”
‘Critical test’ ahead
Consumers are increasingly shifting spending toward mass retailers, Jordan said, where they perceive greater value, especially for snacks. This is leading to fewer trips to c-stores, he said.
This summer will prove to be a “critical test” to see whether convenience can retain snack sales or whether more consumers will purchase snacks at value channels before road trips and outings, Jordan said.
Savory snack suppliers can create value via price, promotion and display strategies.
“Manufacturers are providing scan-back allowances and bill-backs to fund temporary price reductions, enabling retailers to offer sharper pricing without sacrificing margins,” said Jordan. “These programs are especially effective when tied to combo deals, such as pairing snacks with beverages, to drive basket size and reinforce value.”
Retailers are also engaging in Virtual Trade Shows to access limited-time offers, promotional bundles, and display-ready shippers, he said.
“These events have become a key tool for identifying new items and securing deal support for off-shelf merchandising,” Jordan said.
Holly at Lassus Bros. said salty snacks are still down in their stores and are losing ground to other snack options.
“Our bars are up and have more than doubled since 2020. Our cookies and pastries are up along with candy. We highly promote these year-round and have promoted salty as well, but sweet wins over salty on our promotions,” said Holly.
Helping convenience compete with mass, dollar, and grocery channels amid growing consumer price sensitivity is executed via temporary price reductions and seasonal promotional calendars “that play a major role in value messaging for packaged snacks,” said Jordan. “These collaborative efforts between retailers and suppliers are crucial for maintaining traffic and spending in the c-store channel during inflationary times.”
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