Matt Preston on the food trend of snack culture - Food Files

May 04, 2026

If I were to put my finger on a surefire inclusion in the new 2026 dictionary, it would be the rather ugly word, ‘snackification’.

This word – a reset of the concept of eating three meals a day – has been adopted by the most unlikely of bedfellows: dour lycra-clad gym trainers, and manufacturers of high-fat, high-sugar junk food with dollar signs in their eyes.

In the past, the concept of snacking was linked to spontaneous pleasure – a decadent treat eaten between meals, often high in sugar and fat. These ‘empty calories’ could lead to weight gain if eaten immoderately. ‘Snackification’ is about much more than simply having five packets of Cheetos with a Magnum Almond to follow.

Snacks have always been big business. Euromonitor International placed the value of the global snack market in 2024 at US$679 billion and growing year on year. This represents a challenge for health when snacks begin to replace the nutrients of a traditional rounded meal. However, this current trend of snackification comes with a significant change, with manufacturers identifying that many consumers are willing to pay a big premium if those snacks are ‘healthy’ (or at least perceived to be) or ‘all natural’, which is fascinating, as you’d think that the cost-of-living crisis would have challenged this way of thinking. But globally, these attributes are almost twice as desirable as food being organic or environmentally friendly.

Credit: Brett Stevens

We are seeing a new high-end market for virtuous, small-scale indulgence as Gen Z’s ‘Little Treat Culture’ takes a nutrient-dense turn. The International Food Information Council found that Gen Z was almost 50 percent more likely to consider nutrition when buying snacks than Boomers. Where ‘low sugar’, ‘fat free’ or ‘vegan’ once dominated, now protein boasts are the go. High protein (combined with low calories and minimal carbs) is the holy grail, even at the expense of taste. The younger generation also chases trendy add-ins, like adaptogens and nootropics. Also look for high-fibre foods, kefirs and probiotics drinks to join this aspirational health space. Prebiotic drinks, too (their growing popularity in part credited to booming bowel and colon cancer diagnoses). Probiotic Pepsi anyone?

Snackification also leans into the old theory that it’s better to eat six small meals a day rather than three larger ones, especially for fuelling muscle gain and weight loss. This theory was challenged with dialectical precision by the intermittent fasting movement, championed by the likes of US biologist Dr Valter Longo and Canadian nephrologist Dr Jason Fung, and more recently by Ohio State University and University of Washington researchers, who found that snacking never left you feeling ‘properly’ full. Though maybe that was just old-school snacking?

The growing popularity of ‘snackification’ also embraces the perception of ‘time poverty’, where a lunch hour can be a frowned-upon luxury. It also aligns to social media trends like ‘girl dinner’ and ‘boy kibble’, as well as marching hand-in-hand with the growth of Aussies taking weight-loss injections – six small snacks are far more palatable with the reduced appetite they bring. Furthermore, high-protein, low-calorie snacks don’t just hit weight-loss goals; they also provide the protein requirements for weight training, to counteract the inevitable muscle loss that comes with losing fat this way.