3 Top Snack Packaging Trends in 2025

Over the past few months, three packaging trends have been frequently observed in a variety of snack categories, including candy, jerky, and chips.These include: vibrant, eye-catching package designs; portable packaging for specialty treats; and more environmentally friendly packaging materials.

1.Vibrant, Bright Visuals

More and more snack businesses are creating packaging that deviates from the standard snack packaging found on the market.Their favorite design elements are eye-catching visuals and vibrant, upbeat color schemes.

Take a look at the snack packaging for Kellanova's new puffed, Pringles Mingles.Instead of using Pringles' iconic tubes for the new product line, the brand owner decided to use vibrantly colored bags because the snacks are shaped more like 3D bowties than chips.

Every Pringles Mingles flavor has a different color scheme, but they are always bright and cheery.The color schemes are two-toned: Sharp White Cheddar & Ranch is royal blue/sky blue, Dill Pickle & Ranch is green/chartreuse, BBQ & Pizza is purple/fuchsia, and Cheddar & Sour Cream is orange/yellow.

In the meat-snack market, Pearson Ranch Jerky recently updated its packaging with vibrant, eye-catching images to enhance brand message and stand out on the store.

Elk, buffalo, deer, and wild boar mascots are among the colorful character-driven illustrations on Pearson Ranch's redesigned packaging, which was unveiled in early 2025. The matte, soft-touch pouch gives the product a high-end vibe.Below each entertaining character are clear, unambiguous taste names that make it easy for customers to instantly choose their favorite.

This new design accentuates natural, gluten-free ingredients and integrates the entire product line under a single, contemporary aesthetic.The vibrant characters and captivating imagery promote positive word-of-mouth, build an emotional bond, and increase brand identification.

2.Packs For Portable, High-Quality Snacks

The snack category's long history of on-the-go packaging is being carried over into the second trend, which is specialty foods that are convenient for customers to pack and consume when they're not at home.Single-serve packs or pouches of sweets, chips, pretzels, and fruit snacks, and individually wrapped protein bars wrapped in cellophane are examples of traditional formats.

Brand owners are using those traditional on-the-go forms along with carefully designed packaging images to showcase the distinctive positioning of their products as they create new snack items to satisfy the demands of modern consumers.

For instance, Sunsweet caters to busy, health-conscious consumers by offering their healthier dried fruit snacks in resealable stand-up pouches.Dried prunes or mixed fruit blends are perfect for on-the-go snacking without sacrificing nutrients because each pouch has a single-serve size.

Key features like ‘No Added Sugar,‘Good Source of Fiber‘, and ‘Naturally Sweet’ are highlighted on the front panel of Sunsweet's redesigned pouch line packaging, which will be introduced in early 2025.Younger consumers searching for practical, healthful snack options will find the new packs appealing due to their updated color scheme and simplified artwork.

For Sun-Maid Farmstand Reserve, a high-end fruit snack designed for busy, discriminating adult snackers, Sun-Maid Growers of California, another snack pioneer, uses non-resealable single-serve pouches.

3.Sustainable Snack Packing

The ongoing drive for more environmentally friendly packaging materials, especially rigid and flexible materials with recycled content, is the focus of the third and last snack food packaging  trend.

In the UK and Ireland, Cadbury sharing bars are now packaged in 80% certified recycled plastic, according to Mondelēz.

Chemical recycling is used to create the recycled component in the new Cadbury film packaging, making the film safe for food contact.Using mass balance allocation, ISCC PLUS certifies the packaging material as recycled.

In keeping with its continuous commitment to sustainability, PepsiCo Europe has unveiled a new Sunbites chip bag composed of 50% recycled plastic film.The new film, which was created in partnership with INEOS, Amcor, and other packaging partners, uses recycled polypropylene from post-consumer waste that has been mass balance certified.Similar to the Mars project, this action guarantees that the material is totally recyclable and satisfies food safety regulations while drastically reducing dependency on virgin plastics.

In late 2023, the new packaging started to appear in a few European markets, such as the UK and Ireland.According to PepsiCo, the Sunbites line alone will eliminate more than 200 tonnes of virgin plastic each year by using 50% recycled plastic.

 Conclusion

In the snack business, these trends—bright images, portable forms, and sustainable packaging materials—are establishing new benchmarks as companies aim to stand out on shelves and connect with today's consumers.It is now imperative to integrate your packaging strategy with current trends, whether you are innovating for convenience, aesthetics, or eco-consciousness.

With premium, flexible packaging solutions made for vivid designs, portable functionality, and eco-friendly materials, Puropak assists snack businesses in realizing these trends.Let's work together to build a more sustainable future.Get in touch with us right now to find out how our personalized snack bags may improve your snack products.