January 31, 2025 – In Asia Pacific, consumers are adopting healthier lifestyles, and they seek snacks that offer both nutrition and convenience without compromising on taste. Innova’s 360 research highlights healthy snacking trends in the Asia Pacific, including consumer habits, attitudes, and new product launches in the snack space.
Consumer Snacking Preferences
Healthy living is a top priority for modern consumers in Asia, driven by aging populations, healthcare pressures, and a growing focus on self-care. While snacking remains a key part of daily life, consumers seek a balance between pleasure and nutrition. Treating or rewarding is the top snacking driver, but snacks trends also deliver physical needs like satisfying hunger and boosting energy, as well as emotional needs like stress relief and comfort. Asians over-index on snacking’s emotional benefits, making it a significant factor in their choices.
When it comes to healthy snacks, main drivers to purchase are for nutrition, to feel physically well, to boost immunity, to maintain a balanced diet, and to prevent health conditions. Emotional and mental benefits, such as reducing guilt and managing stress, also play a role. However, drivers are diverse, with 1 in 10 consumers choosing healthier snacks for specific goals like supporting specific fitness activities or improving appearance.
62% of Asians eat a healthy snack at least once a day. Healthier snacks are preferred over indulgent ones (63% vs. 23%), with the strongest demand in naturally healthy categories like savory nuts and seeds, bread, and dairy snacks. However, more than 1 in 4 consumers seek healthier options in treat categories like sweet biscuits and salty snacks, while 1 in 5 look for health-focused chocolate and cakes.
Snacks markets reveal that morning is the most common time for healthy snacking, but nutritious choices are favored across all snacking occasions. Indulgence is generally less important than health except in spontaneous snacking. Naturalness, positive nutrition, and reductive nutrition are key attributes that make a snack healthy for Asian consumers. Indonesians are most likely to target positive and reductive nutrition, while Indians over-index in demand for organic, plant-based and sustainable snacks.
New Product Launch Trends
In APAC, over 1 in 4 snacking launches feature at least one core health claim. While natural and clean label positionings have plateaued in recent years, positive nutrition boosts and low/light formulations continue to grow. Health claim penetration differs significantly between Asia (24%) and Australasia (56%), but while Australasia remains stable, Asia is driving growth with a strong upward trend over the past five years.
China leads in overall snacking launches, yet health claims remain limited. Snacks markets show that Australia and India take the lead in product launches with health claims. Cereal and energy bars is the top snacking category with most of the health claims, followed by snacks, confectionery, and sweet bakery. Among health claims, only natural and clean label GMO-free is outpacing the growth rate for all health claims. Positive nutrition boosts, such as prebiotics, probiotics, immune health, high protein, and heart health, are performing best. Sugar reduction is also expanding, reflecting a change toward balanced nutrition in the region.
Cereals and Energy Bars Trends
Snacks markets indicate a 10% rise in Asia Pacific cereal and energy bars launches over the past five years. Australia, India, and China have had a high penetration of health claims launches over the past year. Positive nutrition boosts represent the main type of claim with 73% penetration, followed by natural and clean labels and low and light.
High fiber and high protein lead snacking product launches, with fiber often serving as a secondary claim while protein is becoming the primary focus for many brands. Prebiotic, reduced sugar, low sugar, and no trans fat claims are the fastest growing niches, reflecting a strong consumer shift toward functional and balanced nutrition.
Many bars combine multiple health claims, e.g., with natural or sugar-reduction claims to support nutrition boosts. Formats are also evolving, and balls and bites often carry more specialty functional ingredients.
Healthy Snacks Trends
There has been a 10% rise in snacks trends with health claims over the past five years. Australia and India lead the way in healthy new product development in the past year. Indian penetration of health claims has risen particularly fast since 2019. Natural claims lead, ahead of nutrition boosts and low and light claims.
Healthy positionings are most established in bean-based snacks, popcorn, snack mixes, and snack nuts and seeds. They are less prominent in traditional corn and potato-based snacks, finger foods, and meat snacks. No additives/preservatives is the leading claim in use, followed by protein and fiber claims. It is notable, that many protein and fiber claims are attached to products that are inherently rich in these nutrients, like nuts, seeds and fruits. This emphasis on inherent benefits is particularly on-trend in India and extends to some functional claims like immune health.
Confectionery Snacking Trends
Snacks trends reveal that Australia and Singapore display the highest penetration of health claims in confectionery launches. Meanwhile, China and India show fastest growth, reaching 28% and 24% penetration, respectively in the past year. However, overall health claim penetration in Asia Pacific has stabilized in recent years.
Natural/clean label and low/light claims lead in both chocolate confectionery and sugar confectionery launches. Sugar confectionery featuring health claims more frequently than chocolate products. Additive-free is the top claim, followed by sugar-free and organic.
Healthy positionings are most established in fruit-flavored snacks, licorice, and mints, with medicated confectionery, gum, and lollipops also strongly represented. However, health messaging varies, fruit-flavored snacks and licorice emphasize natural ingredients, while mints and gum favor sugar-free claims. In contrast, indulgent chocolate confectionery, including seasonal novelties for holidays, rarely features health claims, prioritizing indulgence over wellness.
Sweet Bakery Trends
Australia again leads in healthy sweet bakery launches, while China and India drive the fastest growth in new product development. Sweet biscuits and cookies remain a much more significant focus for healthy innovation than cakes, pastries and sweet goods.
Natural and clean label claims take the lead over low/light positionings, with nutrition boosts remaining niche. No additives or preservatives and no trans fat claims are the most common, while functional benefits and sugar reduction methods are emerging in the space. China is exploring nutrition boosts and replacing sugar with sweeteners. Meanwhile, India focuses on inherently healthy natural ingredients.
Healthy Snacking Evolving Trends
APAC consumers embrace diverse snacking choices that go far beyond traditional categories. Fruits and vegetables, bread and bread snacks, and dairy products are popular snacks, with brands introducing convenient formats to meet demand.
Health remains a key focus across these categories. While fruit and vegetables are inherently healthy, bread and crackers benefit from natural claims like no additives, no trans fats, and high fiber. In dairy, protein is an important focus, with snacking cheeses emerging as a popular functional option in China. Snack yogurt innovations emphasize low-fat, probiotic benefits and protein enrichment, reflecting the region’s growing demand for balanced nutrition.
What Is Next in Snacks Trends in Asia Pacific?
In Asia, 62% of consumers eat a healthy snack at least once a day. While snacking remains a treat opportunity in many cases, its growing role in daily life has made health a key priority. Brands have an opportunity to enhance the nutritional profile of snacks, offering more options for those seeking balanced, between-meal nutrition.
As more consumers turn to diet for health management, functional snacks trends are gaining attention. Protein, probiotics, prebiotics, and immune-supporting ingredients are increasingly in demand. Brands that innovate with targeted nutrition boosters are likely to shape the future of snacking, making health-focused choices more accessible and appealing.
This article is based on Innova’s Now & Next in Healthy Snacking in Asia Pacific report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more
