Promotional Features
Better-for-you snacks that deliver on indulgence - how can formulators succeed?
For snack processors, balancing health, taste and cost has become essential for success in today’s competitive market.
And it’s an evolving and complex challenge. In recent years, global inflation and disruption to supply chains have driven up the cost of raw materials, transportation and packaging. The cost-of-living crisis has reduced purchasing power, with consumers forced to reassess their spending and shifting toward more wallet-friendly options that still promise value.
Alongside this, regulatory pressures continue to gain momentum. Nutri-Score – Europe’s most established front-of-pack nutrition labelling which grades food from A to F – continues to press brands to reduce salt, fat and sugar content, fuelling reformulation to healthier snacking options which satisfy stricter advertising rules. In the UK, HFSS regulations are banning high fat, salt and sugar products, such as snacks, from prime spots like store checkouts, entrances and aisle ends, with further clampdowns on TV advertising and multibuy promotions planned from October 2025.1
Meanwhile, consumers are becoming more conscious of the health implications linked to ultra processed foods, leading many to seek out products with cleaner labels and fewer artificial ingredients. This awareness, together with economic and regulatory pressure, is driving significant changes in how snack manufacturers approach reformulation in order to meet health standards and budgets.
Yet taste is still king for consumers when choosing snacks; even when selecting better-for-you options, they still expect a full-flavoured, indulgent experience.
“Consumers snack because they want an indulgent treat that tastes good, and a snack needs to satisfy that,” says Thalia De Mesmaeker, Customer Segment Marketing Manager at Griffith Foods.
Better-for-you meets flavour
Flavour delivery is at the forefront of product development at Griffith Foods. The company offers solutions designed to bridge the gap between indulgence and nutrition, as well as sustainability, designed to support snack processors in achieving NPD and reformulation success.
By leveraging expertise in consumer insights to understand the latest flavour trends, Griffith Foods’ culinary experts help to create delicious products that satisfy consumer demand. The company’s food scientists then scale this into a manufacturable product, validated through its in-house sensory science team to ensure product success.
Griffith Foods offers a range of seasonings and coating systems that are made with vegetables, designed to improve the nutritional qualities of healthier-for-you products without sacrificing the all-important indulgent taste.
“One of the challenges with snacking seasonings is using raw materials that don’t introduce undesirable flavours,” says De Mesmaeker. “All of our work around reformulations with our seasonings, whether for salt or sugar reduction or to increase fibre and protein, is achieved without affecting the taste of the end product. That can be a very difficult exercise to get right.”
On-pack labels are a key consideration, too. Vegan labels, for example, or on-pack nutrition claims, can deter some buyers who associate the product as lacking in flavour or indulgence. “Pack claims must be very clear,” says De Mesmaeker. “If there are too many on a pack, it can be a barrier for consumers, especially for those not looking for a specific claim.
The company’s ‘Made with Natural Seasonings’ range allows processors to use seasonings with recognisable ingredients that deliver tasty and indulgent flavour profiles. Griffith Foods also has a toolbox approach to enable snack processers to choose from different sodium or sugar reduction solutions without compromising on flavour – they also have the capability to include fibre, protein and vegetables into seasonings and coatings.
“Working with Griffith Foods ensures that any reformulation – whether reducing salt or boosting fibre – is never at the expense of taste,” says Jamie Measor, Regional Nutritionist, Europe and Africa at Griffith Foods.
“Our innovative seasonings help processors hit that sweet spot between better-for-you and indulgence.”
Another challenge for snack brands is the narrative around ultra-processed foods, driving innovations that meet clean label expectations without compromising on quality or indulgence.
“The narrative around ultra-processed foods will be a huge challenge for the savoury snack sector over the next five-to-ten years,” says Measor. “This may drive further clean label efforts in savoury snacks, but is very open to interpretation. For example, should brands focus on length of ingredient list or how natural the ingredients are? Certain functional ingredients, such as stabilisers and preservatives, can be crucial in ensuring a food-safe product that performs well both in production and in taste”
“ And just because a p product may be defined as ultra-processed, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be ‘better-for-you’ or nutritionally enhanced. As part of responding to ultra-processed foods, savoury snack brands can also focus on improving the nutritional composition of their products.”
Sustainability – a growing focus
Today’s consumers are demanding food products that have a positive impact both on their health and also on the planet. Sustainability is another important factor in the future of snack innovations, and balancing it alongside nutrition and taste is increasingly important for manufacturers.
A survey by Griffth Foods found that 42% of consumers across 13 European countries ranked ‘sustainably sourced’ as the most influential on-pack claim on savoury snacks, ahead of ‘high in protein’ (37%) and ‘high in fibre’ (22%).2
Griffith Foods requests all of its suppliers complete a full spectrum EcoVadis assessment covering environmental, social and governance standards, allowing the company to enhance and improve sustainability performance and engagement across its entire supply chain.
In addition to this, Terova – a key business unit within the company – is an opportunity to work with thousands of farmers around the world to implement sustainable cultivation programmes across a range of spices, herbs and botanical crops, with full traceability.
Making nutritional improvements can also align with sustainability. “Increasingly we’re seeing nutrition metrics become more embedded into sustainability and ESG reporting,” says Measor.
“Making a small nutritional improvement to a product, for example reducing salt by a small percentage, can have a significant impact on a brand’s overall portfolio impact and a consumer’s salt intake over time.
“A key aspiration of Griffith Foods is to nourish the world. We believe there is a place for nutrition improvement within indulgence that also supports regulations and industry reporting, all while protecting the planet.”
While recognising the need for more nutritious and sustainable snack product development, Griffith Foods knows that taste remains the main purchase driver for consumers. By embedding this approach into its strategy, snack manufacturers partnering with Griffith Foods are well positioned to satisfy consumer expectations while navigating challenges in health and sustainability.
References
1. Guidance. Restricting promotions of products high in fat, sugar or salt by location and by volume price: implementation guidance. Gov.uk (updated 29 September 2023).
2. Europe: 13 Geographies: Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, UK. Griffth Foods Own Research 2024.
