Food and Beverage Trends 2025: Wholefood Snacking

At Equator, we spend a lot of time immersed in trend forecasting. Keeping our finger on the pulse of the food and beverage industry is an important part of what we do, allowing us to share valuable insights with our clients. Recently, we compiled a comprehensive trend report, full of emerging flavours, surprising influences and shifting consumer priorities. This will be available very soon, but in the meantime, we thought we’d serve up some bite-sized portions here on our blog. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be unpacking the trends we foresee shaping the industry in 2025 and beyond. Think of it as your culinary crystal ball, but with actual data rather than mysterious swirling mists.

First up: wholefood snacking. If you’ve noticed the snack aisle in your local supermarket starting to look like a farmer’s market, you’re not alone. This shift represents a fascinating evolution in how consumers are approaching their between-meal moments, and it’s reshaping product development, marketing and pack design in some pretty exciting ways.

The state of snacking

From feeling ‘snacky’ to having a ‘snackcident’ (going out to buy an everyday item and coming back with an abundance of snacks), grazing between meals is so popular it’s entered our vernacular in several ways. And, according to Mondelez’s 2024 State of Snacking report, 88% of global consumers are reaching for at least one every day. What’s changing is what we’re reaching for.

An increasing number of us are actively seeking nutrient-dense, wholefood products and avoiding (or cutting down on) ultra-processed foods due to their potential health risks. Just last month, retailer Waitrose revealed an increase in consumer demand for whole food ingredients, with sales of items like whole milk, brown rice and block butter rising significantly compared to this time last year. Unsurprisingly, this interest has spread to the snack aisle, where ingredients previously relegated to niche corners of health food stores now feature heavily!

Brands are using low-GI vegetables, legumes and keto-friendly ingredients to create products that don’t spike blood glucose, innovating with natural sweeteners like honey or chicory fibre rather than processed sugar (great news for the 83% of consumers actively limiting or avoiding sugary food and drinks, according to ADM). From roasted chickpeas to snacks made from whole grains and seeds, the category continues to expand. This growth is fuelled by the popularity of plant-based diets, with brands working hard to develop options that cater to all preferences.

Protein power and gut health

Two prominent areas driving innovation in the wholefood snacking space are protein and gut health. As we just mentioned, plant-based diets are continuing to gain momentum (a recent ProVeg survey revealed that 53% of Europeans plan to increase their consumption of legumes, while 40% intend to eat more plant-based alternatives), so brands are getting creative with protein-rich wholefood ingredients. Peas, lentils and chickpeas are being transformed into everything from crunchy bites to savoury crisps, offering satisfying alternatives to traditional snacks while delivering impressive protein content.

Meanwhile, gut health has emerged as a major focus, driven by increasing public awareness of the gut microbiome’s crucial role in overall wellbeing. The conversation around the gut-brain axis – the complex communication system between our digestive system and brain – has exploded across social media (with over 627,400 TikTok posts tagged #guthealth) and mainstream media alike. This heightened awareness has sparked innovation in fibre-rich snacking options, with brands incorporating ingredients like oats, seeds and prebiotic fibres. These products aren’t just about satisfying hunger – they’re part of a broader trend toward functional foods that offer specific health benefits beyond basic nutrition.

Challenges and opportunities

While the wholefood snacking boom represents positive change in many ways, it’s not without its complexities. The surging demand for popular ingredients like almonds, cashews and dates has raised important questions about environmental impact. Take almonds, for instance – their water-intensive cultivation in drought-prone regions has sparked crucial conversations about sustainable farming practices. And while wholefood ingredients like legumes and grains are often assumed to have a smaller environmental footprint than their processed counterparts, the reality isn’t always so straightforward. There are also ongoing discussions around fair trade practices and labour conditions in certain growing regions that the industry needs to address.

From a consumer perspective, there’s also a need for greater transparency around nutrition. While “natural” and “healthy” don’t automatically mean “low calorie” or “low sugar”, many shoppers may assume otherwise. Even wholefood snacks packed with nutritious ingredients like nuts and dried fruits can be surprisingly calorie-dense when consumed in large quantities.

Snack to the future

Yes, that’s a Back to the Future pun! But back to the blog… Moving forward, brands operating in the snack space should look to prioritise clear communication about their sustainability efforts and supply chains, as transparency becomes increasingly important. Whether it’s through bold on-pack messaging (like The Co-op’s campaign-style callouts) or leveraging connected pack technology to share deeper stories about sourcing and sustainability, engaging in honest dialogue with consumers is crucial and will help to mitigate concerns about key ingredients.

The future of wholefood snacking lies in addressing these challenges while continuing to innovate. This means exploring alternative protein sources like lupin, hemp and algae, which offer exciting nutritional benefits with a potentially lower environmental impact. It also means supporting sustainable farming practices, embracing seasonal ingredients and helping consumers better understand portion control and balanced snacking habits.

Despite these challenges, the wholefood snacking revolution shows no signs of slowing down – and that’s worth celebrating. It proves that we can create snacks that are both delicious and nutritious. The key lies in striking the right balance between consumer demands, environmental responsibility and transparent communication.

For more information on how Equator can help you with strategy and research, including trends forecasting, category audits or consumer studies, get in touch with our team today.