Unwrapping Convenience with Flexible Packaging for Snack Foods

With the snack food market poised to reach $611.75 billion by 2030, a significant increase from its value of $439.22 billion in 2021, the trajectory of snack food consumption provides insight to a shift in consumer behavior. This uptick in snack food consumption is driven by a variety of factors, including the return of consumers to their fast-paced lifestyles outside of their homes, leading snack foods to serve as easy-access, on-the-go meal sources. In fact, a recent study illustrates just how much eating habits have changed, with 71% of global consumers snacking at least twice a day, and over half of households making a meal out of snacks at least weekly.   As snacking habits continue to expand, it’s important that snack brands adapt to meet the changing needs and preferences of these consumers. Central to this adaptation is the packaging of snack foods—which often serves as the first point of contact between the consumer and the brand. By providing consumers with feature-focused packaging formats, brands can better prioritize the snacking experience and keep consumers coming back to their brand in the future.

The Key Components of a Superior Snack Package

To provide a positive consumer experience, a superior snack package should encompass key components that cater to snackers’ needs and preferences. Reclosable flexible packaging is ideal for a wide range of snack products, including chips, pretzels, cereal, trail mix, cookies, jerky, and more. Its versatility, convenience, and help in keeping food fresh make it an ideal solution for discerning consumers seeking a positive snacking experience. Here are four ways snack food packagers can help elevate the snacking experience:

Versatility in Size for Snack Food Packaging

Traditionally, snack food packaging has been designed for one-time use by a single snacker. While this is a convenient packaging solution, there is also a lot of opportunity for brands to develop bulk snack food packaging that contains multiple servings. Larger packaging formats not only help keep a family of snackers satisfied, but bulk snack food packaging can also provide convenience for individuals who want to stock up for extended enjoyment of their favorite snacks.

Reclosability on Snack Packages

To help consumers enjoy their favorite snack in multiple servings, reclosable packaging is key. When a snack cannot be consumed in one sitting, it’s important that consumers feel confident that their favorite treat will remain fresh until the next time their craving strikes. The right closure on a snack packaging application helps prevent oxygen from entering the package and leaving the product stale.

To help ensure consumers feel confident that their snack foods will remain fresh and secure in the packaging application, our Fresh-Lock^® Click ‘N Lock Zipper features an audible/tactile experience. A noticeable click that can be felt when pressure is applied to the zipper plus an audible noise lets consumers know that the package has been securely closed, helping their snack remain fresh until its next use. Similarly, Fresh-Lock^® Double Lock Zippers are designed to help aid consumer confidence in the closure with an ergonomic feel. For brands that want to provide a premium snack food packaging experience, Fresh-Lock^® Ergonomic Slider is convenient, easy to use, and looks great on any flexible snack pouch.

Snack Food Packaging Should Be Durable

Snack brands should aim to make sure that their packaging application can withstand the rigors of daily use. Packaging that features durable flexible films and closures helps consumers enjoy their favorite snack wherever their adventure takes them. Whether tossed in a car for a road trip or stowed in a backpack for a long hike, the snack food package should hold up and help prevent the contents from spilling so the consumer can enjoy their treats anytime, anywhere.

Maximizing Consumer Appeal Through Visual Design for Snack Packaging

While effective packaging usability is crucial for creating a positive experience for snackers, the visual design of a snack package application also plays a significant role in capturing consumers’ attention. In the highly competitive snack food market, brands must go the extra mile to draw consumers to their products. Appealing packaging can help brands capitalize on consumers’ inclination to judge a snack by its cover, offering a platform to convey the brand’s values, ideologies, and emotions—all of which are increasingly influential to consumers.

Packaging with Purpose: Sustainable Snack Packaging

In an era of heightened environmental awareness, sustainable packaging applications have gained a lot of traction. In fact, 69% of consumers believe that sustainable packaging for snack foods helps them enjoy their treats more, and 82% wish that more snacks had biodegradable packaging.

As a manufacturer of sustainable closures for more than 30 years, we have a wide variety of recyclable and compostable closures that help safeguard snack foods while simultaneously helping keep waste out of landfills. Among our offerings of industrially compostable closures, we also have home compostable options that can biodegrade within 90-180 days under compost conditions. This eco-friendly feature can help empower consumers to dispose of their snack packaging responsibly, fostering a more circular approach to waste management. Fresh-Lock® Zipper Style 8035, featuring a single lock, designed with a fully home compostable resin.

For flexible snack food packages that already feature recyclable films, the same study that focused on global consumer trends and snacking found that 72% of consumers agree that they typically recycle their snack food packaging. What some consumers might not realize is that in some cases, the entire package might not be fully recyclable. Luckily, when paired with our line of recycle-ready closures, mono-material snack food packaging can make recycling more straightforward for snackers.

With a closure like our Fresh-Lock^® Multiplex Zipper, consumers can feel at ease that their flexible snack packaging can be fully and easily recycled. With five sets of interlocking channels that help seal in freshness, Multiplex Zipper also helps prevent snacks from becoming stale—it’s a win-win!

The Power of Collaborating with a Trusted Snack Packaging Manufacturer

There are a lot of ways snack food brands can help prioritize the consumer experience, but selecting a reputable snack packaging supplier can also make a difference in the success of your product. Whether you’re packaging crackers, candy, popcorn, or the like, the right partner will collaborate to help you achieve the highest standards of quality, functionality, and consumer appeal. The Fresh-Lock team is here to help you meet your goals—contact us today and unlock the full potential of your snack product in the market.

This blog was originally published on 3/14/2024 but updated and republished on 7/11/2025.