Healthy is trending in the center store, with growth in fiber and protein leading this charge. While customers certainly still value longtime snack staples, the search for functional ingredients and bolder flavors is increasing, and retailers and their vendor partners are responding.
Snack bars, granola bars and clusters, according to market research firm Circana, for example, jumped in sales by 10.3% for the 52-week period ending May 17. In units, the segment increased by 3.6%. Rice/popcorn cakes saw an extreme increase of 319.9% in dollars and 354.4% in units, likely also due to a decrease in price per unit. Jerky, which inched upward in unit sales by just 0.2%, upped in dollars by 4.8%.
The salty snacks that increased in unit sales for the period include tortilla/tostada chips, other corn snacks, cheese snacks and pretzels.
Potato chips, however, dipped by 3.1% in units, and other salted snacks (not including nuts) decreased by 13.7% in units. Ready-to-eat popcorn/caramel corn and pork rinds both also saw unit sales declines.
For sweet snacks, cookies dropped 2.2% in units, fruit snacks following at a 2.1% dip.
Choosing Function
FriendShip Stores, which operates 31 locations in Ohio, is noticing the broader trend toward health and function hit its snack shelves.
“The trends we are seeing are items that have protein and fiber listed on packaging. Customers are looking for products with less ingredients and cleaner ingredients. Another trend is items bringing a nostalgic feeling back to customers,” said Natalie Goldsmith, category manager for FriendShip.
Indeed, according to consumer insights company Brightfield Group, high fiber increased as a label claim consumers looked for in food and beverage at c-stores by 5% from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026. Low sugar increased as a claim by 5.8%. C-store shoppers are also increasingly interested in protein (up 2.7%).
At Texas-based, 25-store Roadtrac, with five locations under construction to be opened within the next year, customers are prioritizing protein-based snacks. Beef jerky, protein bars, trail mix and protein chips have grown in popularity.
“And there’s so many new players to the game now, so that’s a new thing that these consumers are really wanting to target, especially being health conscious nowadays,” said Zain Sunesara, partner at Roadtrac Stores.
Roadtrac increased its inventory with some of these protein items, such as protein bars, beef jerky and meat sticks.
Both Roadtrac and FriendShip noticed the influx of GLP-1 users contributing to the trend toward functional snacking.
These customers want items high in protein and fiber, Goldsmith noted.
Going forward, she believes protein-heavy items will continue to be added to shelves, as customer demand won’t be slowing any time soon.
Further demonstrating the uptick in healthier buys, Brightfield Group data found that year-over-year purchases of items such as individually wrapped snacking cheese and crackers in the convenience channel outpaced that of the general population.
Additionally, energy snacks saw a 2% growth rate for the period. Caffeinated snack bars saw a 1.1% lift.
Still, despite the increase in interest in function-forward snacks in the convenience industry lately, typical indulgent treats aren’t being left behind.
The same Brightfield Group data also found purchases of regular packaged cookies and packaged snack cakes in the convenience store channel outpacing the general population.
Flavors and Promotions
Goldsmith noted that not all trends last in the c-store channel. Dubai chocolate, for instance, was an “in/out” trending item that performed well at FriendShip.
“We like to watch trends and bring in new items to see if they are items that will be in-and-out items or items that will be sticking around for a while,” she said.
FriendShip usually purchases trending items as shippers or adds them to the counter or at the queue lines.
Beyond stocking trending snacks, FriendShip also offers promotions to bring dollars to the category.
“With the economy, customers are not purchasing like they did in the past. They like promotions, are looking at more generic labels vs. name brand (and are) looking for products they can bundle,” said Goldsmith.
FriendShip partners with its vendors for everyday and loyalty app promotions. For segments that are trending down, everyday promotions can help lift the category. At the chain’s stores, meat sticks sell better than bags; promos for meat sticks makes buying them even more attractive.
Also, promotional prices for new items helps pique customer curiosity.
Aside from trends, FriendShip chooses its vendor partners based on how they distribute.
“Distribution is a huge thing, since we don’t have our own warehouse. If (the) product is in our wholesaler’s warehouse, that is a big plus,” said Goldsmith.
Customers are also gravitating more toward promotional items compared to a few years ago at Roadtrac. They’re preferring bigger bags; two-for-one deals; or buy two, get one free.
“If a customer sees that maybe a bigger bag is worth more, or if they see some type of promo on the shelf, they’re more inclined to purchase those, and we’ve seen that especially in our chips category,” said Sunesara.
During the summer, Roadtrac increases its snack inventory that appeals to younger consumers.
“They do like these unique, bold flavors; they like trying them and testing them out. They also like these limited-time flavors and these new TikTok-style snacks, international snacks,” said Sunesara. “And I think that’s eye-catching. I feel like this new Gen Z is more impulsive buying, so if they see something that really catches their eye, they’re inclined to try it, as compared to the other generations.”
The chain is also noticing an increase in cross-collaborations with brands, and it has added more international flavors to its snack aisle, such as Hispanic flavors.
As for the second half of 2026, Sunesara believes it will stay consistent to what the c-store industry has seen so far this year.
“People will still be more price conscious, and people will stick to the larger-sized items and respond better to the buy two, get one frees and the promotions,” he said.
