The snacking trend marches on in 2025. More than 90% of consumers worldwide have one or more daily snacks. Sometimes snacks can be a brief rewarding experience during the day. Other times, snacks serve as a meal replacement. Whether it’s for a busy professional, trade worker, or college student, CPG snacks are the go-to food source for an on-the-go world. 

Certain consumer needs are in high demand for snacks, such as organic or gluten-free labeling. It is also important for formulators to focus on creating value for the consumer with high nutritional content and extended shelf life. The key is balancing these sometimes competing consumer values. But there are opportunities.  

Here are four ways formulators can meet consumer expectations for convenient and delicious baked goods and snacks while providing enhanced nutrition and cleaner, more traceable labels. 

Calcium and Vitamin D Fortification 

Today’s snacks need to offer more than just empty calories. Calcium and vitamin D fortification can pack sought-after nutrition into snacks, but these ingredients can sometimes affect the taste and texture of final products. The Saf Pro® Accent™ Calcium & Vitamin D Fortification Series are rigorously formulated blends that can give snack cakes and breakfast bars the same nutrition as a glass of milk with no added taste or aroma.  

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Natural Shelf Life Extension and Mold Inhibition 

Consumers want convenience in snacks, which means products may need to last a while on pantry and grocery store shelves. Baked snacks that stale or mold quickly risk failure of repeat purchase. Fortunately, the Saf Pro® Star-Zyme™ Anti-Staling (AST) Series offers clean label enzymatic solutions for lasting softness in baked snacks. Specifically, Saf Pro® Star-Zyme™ AST Bun & Flatbread + NMI provides anti-staling and antimicrobial action, ensuring freshness lasts in baked snacks that prioritize crumb softness, like bagels, pastries, and sweet breads. For superior mold inhibition, extend shelf life with the non-GMO, natural mold inhibitor Saf Pro® NMI XtendLife Series of blends.

Clean Label and Organic 

Sometimes, less is more in snack formulations. Consumers increasingly place high value on products that have short, familiar ingredient lists or can accommodate organic labeling. Saf Pro® Organic Dough Improvers offer formulators organic dough improvement solutions to strengthen doughs, improve gas retention, and increase volume. In addition to organic, Saf Pro® ingredients meet labeling requirements for halal, kosher, vegan, non-GMO, and clean label. 

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Free-From Claims  

Consumers with dietary requirements may encounter difficulty finding snacks that align with their restrictions. However, more and more brands are catering to individuals with needs like gluten-free, keto, and paleo. Consumers on restrictive diets are eager to find alternatives to types of food they may have given up. Saf Pro® Star-Zyme™ STR 801 dough improver is designed to provide strength and volume in keto, whole wheat, and baked goods with inclusions. Snacks made with Star-Zyme™ STR 801 maintain softness for up to 14 days. Doughs are machinable and strong without need for conventional conditioning ingredients.  

When formulating snacks, manufacturers must make strong appeals to the values driving consumer demand. However, with so many consumer expectations, choosing the right ingredients for the job is mission-critical. That’s why commercial bakeries turn to Saf Pro® ingredients by Lesaffre for baking solutions at any scale. Visit LesaffreBaking.com to discover how Lesaffre helps formulators produce groundbreaking innovations in snacking.