Snacks are ready-to-eat food commonly high in oil and flavored with salty flavorings. From the processing viewpoint, they are manufactured by a broad array of processes. The simplest category, also named first-generation snacks, comprises popcorn, peanuts, nuts, dehydrated fruits, and related items. Most snacks fall into the second-generation snack category that includes simple formed products obtained after direct extrusion (corn chips, puffed or expanded corn products, balls, and curls) or by cutting/sheeting/forming such as regular-fabricated potato chips, tortilla chips, and pretzels. Third-generation snacks are produced from extruded pellets that are commonly fried and flavored.
The increasing consumption of cheese based products and growing demand for convenient and healthy on-the-go snacking are expected to drive the growth of the Europe snacks market. However, increasing cost of raw materials may restrict the market growth.
Factors, such as changing consumer lifestyles and consumption patterns are creating opportunities for the Europe snacks market. However, strict rules and regulations for product commercialization are likely to challenge the growth of the market during the forecast period.
