Snacks in 2025: The big picture
Retail value sales of snacks are set to rise in Belgium in 2025, though volume sales are expected to stagnate. Demand for snacks has been determined by contrasting factors during the year. On the one hand, in the context of rising prices and pressure on purchasing power (partially balanced by wages indexation in Belgium), consumers are becoming more conservative in their spending and more attentive to promotions. These factors are boosting the performance of private label at the expense of branded products in some categories. On the other hand, driven by busy lifestyles, the trend towards snackification, which involves consumers’ increasing tendency to consume snacks instead of a proper meal, is helping to boost sales of snacks, especially savoury snacks.
Key trends in 2025
The trend towards natural and functional food, and towards healthier eating habits has remained strong in Belgium in 2025. Indeed, due to busy lifestyles, consumers have proven keener to look for the high energy/protein health and wellness claim. This trend has translated into a strong performance for protein/energy bars, and led to several new launches. These have included Crunchy Bar Protein Chocolate Chip (Holie Food), a high protein (22%), 0% added sugar product featuring hazelnut, almond, roasted peanut and dark chocolate, and Barebells Creamy Crisp, which offers 20g of protein, as well as being biscuit and caramel flavoured, coated with dark chocolate and featuring crunchy nuts. At the same time, one of the most dynamic companies in gum has been True ApS True Gum (True ApS), a product launched in 2022, which thanks to its strong health and wellness positioning (100% natural ingredients, without any petrochemical additives, sugar-free and biodegradable) has scored very well in 2025. Similarly, another domestic company, Yolloh, a manufacturer of vegan, gluten-free and sugar-free sugar confectionery, has performed very well in 2025 and expanded its retail availability.
Competitive Landscape
Mondelez Belgium BVBA is set to remain the largest company in snacks in 2025 and is, indeed, expected to extend its lead over second-placed, Smiths Food Group, during the year. This performance is largely being determined by the company’s strong presence in chocolate confectionery, a category in which unit prices have risen strongly. The company has faced strong competition from private label, particularly in chocolate confectionery and in sweet biscuits. Indeed, the top three brands in sweet biscuits are private labels. In both chocolate confectionery and sweet biscuits, private label is managing to win share thanks to a combination of a wider, improved offering and the fact that it offers lower prices than branded products.
Channel developments
Supermarkets is set to remain the dominant channel in snacks in 2025 despite experiencing a slight decline in value share during the year. Supermarkets is facing significant competition from discounters, a channel that traditionally features lower prices, as well as from convenience stores, a channel which has benefitted from consumers’ busy lifestyles. Nonetheless, while many budget-conscious consumers are turning to discounters, supermarkets has remained resilient in a challenging economic climate, partly due to the positive performance of its private label offer.
What next for snacks?
Snacks is set to see current value growth in Belgium over the forecast period, though sales are set to stagnate at constant 2025 prices and in volume terms. With prices expected to go down, and increasingly busy consumer lifestyles, snackification is set to grow in importance. Moreover, consumers are expected to be less conservative in their spending. At the same time, as pressure on purchasing power declines, especially over the second half of the forecast period, consumer expenditure in foodservice is likely to go up at the expense of grocery retail expenditure.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Snacks industry in Belgium with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to a comprehensive range of core packaged food categories.
If you're in the Snacks industry in Belgium, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Snacks in Belgium report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes, company and brand market shares
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Snacks in Belgium?
- Which are the leading brands in Snacks in Belgium?
- How are products distributed in Snacks in Belgium?
- How is the rise of e-commerce and/or the expansion of modern grocery retail impacting traditional retail?
- What are the key health and wellness concerns driving, or challenging, sales in Snacks?
- How significant are vegan and vegetarian dietary requirements in determining sales growth in Belgium?
- How has COVID-19 impacted consumer demand? To what extent have lockdown, home seclusion and stockpiling boosted sales? Will the longer term economic repercussions of the pandemic stimulate or suppress future growth?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
- How significant will values-based claims, such as sustainability and ethical labelling, be in supporting future growth and brand equity?
Snacks in Belgium
Snacks in 2025: The big picture
Key trends in 2025
Competitive Landscape
Channel developments
What next for snacks?
DISCLAIMER
Chocolate Confectionery in Belgium
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Price rises drive strong current value growth
Mondelez to extend lead
Supermarkets to remain dominant
Falling prices set to boost demand
Technological developments to support innovation
EUDR to impact prices
Gum in Belgium
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Challenging conditions for gum
Perfetti Van Melle to stay far out in front despite share erosion
Convenience stores and discounters to make slight share gains
Impulse sales and innovation to support current value growth
Growing focus on additional benefits
Self-checkouts to provide opportunities for gum placement
Sugar Confectionery in Belgium
KEY DATA FINDINGS
High prices and unhealthy image undermine sales
Haribo retains lead, while Solinest benefits from expansion of medicated confectionery
Supermarkets is the leading channel, while e-commerce expands
Impulse purchases and innovation to drive current value growth
Growing influence of social media
Ban on sale of tobacco products could open up space for sugar confectionery
Ice Cream in Belgium
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Ice cream hit by increasing cost of raw materials
Leader faces growing competition from private label
Private label offer bolsters strength of supermarkets
Plant-based ice cream to see continued significant growth
Technological developments influencing innovation
Glacio to continue to focus on innovation
Savoury Snacks in Belgium
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Snackification, hectic lifestyles and mindful indulgence support growth
Smiths Food Group stays out in front
Supermarkets remains dominant but faces growing competition
Busy lifestyles and snackification to boost sales
Focus on health and wellness, and sustainability
Possible shift to foodservice as economic conditions improve
Sweet Biscuits, Snack Bars and Fruit Snacks in Belgium
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Varying performances across categories
Mondelez leads, but protein/energy bars player see strongest growth
Supermarkets faces growing competition
Contrary forces affecting volume sales
Lotus Bakeries joins forces with Mondelez
Protein/energy bars continues to align with key trend, but will face growing competition
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Snacks
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- Chocolate Pouches and Bags
- Boxed Assortments
- Chocolate with Toys
- Countlines
- Seasonal Chocolate
- Tablets
- Other Chocolate Confectionery
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- Bubble Gum
- Chewing Gum
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- Boiled Sweets
- Chewy Candies
- Gummies and Jellies
- Liquorice
- Lollipops
- Medicated Confectionery
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- Power Mints
- Standard Mints
- Toffees, Caramels and Nougat
- Other Sugar Confectionery
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- Frozen Yoghurt
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- Single Portion Dairy Ice Cream
- Single Portion Water Ice Cream
- Plant-based Ice Cream
- Unpackaged Ice Cream
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- Bulk Dairy Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Desserts
- Multi-Pack Dairy Ice Cream
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- Bulk Water Ice Cream
- Multi-Pack Water Ice Cream
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- Nuts, Seeds and Trail Mixes
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- Potato Chips
- Tortilla Chips
- Puffed Snacks
- Rice Snacks
- Vegetable, Pulse and Bread Chips
- Savoury Biscuits
- Popcorn
- Pretzels
- Meat Snacks
- Seafood Snacks
- Other Savoury Snacks
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- Dried Fruit
- Processed Fruit Snacks
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- Cereal Bars
- Protein/Energy Bars
- Fruit and Nut Bars
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- Chocolate Coated Biscuits
- Cookies
- Filled Biscuits
- Plain Biscuits
- Wafers
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This report originates from Passport, our Snacks research and analysis database.
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