Q2 2024 Report: China's Snack Food Market Trend Insights

Key Finding 1

China's online snack food market reached CN¥ 136.5B in MAT2024, rebounding +8.6% YoY with unit volume surging +26.8% YoY. Nuts and roasted snacks (+19.8% YoY) and savoury snacks (+17.3% YoY) led the recovery, while average selling prices declined as brands pursued volume-driven growth strategies.

The broader food and beverage e-commerce market delivered CN¥ 459.99B in sales (+17.9% YoY) across Tmall (天猫), Taobao (淘宝), Douyin (抖音), and JD.com (京东), confirming that online channels continue to capture consumer spending from offline retail. Within this landscape, snack food commands the largest category share at CN¥ 136.5B, with its high purchase frequency, low unit price, and strong consumption demand driving sustained market expansion. The market is characterised by a clear "trading down" dynamic: average selling prices fell -11.3% YoY to CN¥ 31.6 across food and beverage, while unit volume rose +24.4% YoY, indicating consumers are buying more but paying less per item.

Three macro trends are reshaping the snack food landscape: first, consumption scenarios are fragmenting, with "late-night snacking" emerging as a high-growth occasion (+75.0% content e-commerce growth); second, consumer demand is diversifying beyond taste satisfaction toward functional benefits such as stress relief, sleep support, and calcium supplementation; third, texture preferences are evolving, with crispy, soft-and-chewy, and "bursting filling" textures commanding premium social media engagement and sales performance.

Key Finding 2

The biscuit and puffed snacks segment delivered CN¥ 177.7B in MAT2024, a marginal -1.2% YoY decline as average price erosion (-6.7% YoY) offset volume growth (+5.9% YoY). Biscuits account for 60.2% of the segment and grew +1.5% YoY, while puffed snacks contracted -5.2% despite +21.0% volume growth.

Market competition is intensifying: the CR10 fell to 23.0%, down -3.1 percentage points YoY, with top 10 brand sales declining -12.8%. However, health-oriented brands are bucking the trend -- Jiangzhong Shiliao's sugar-free monkey head mushroom biscuit grew +30.7% YoY and Miduoqi's whole grain rice cracker surged +43.8% YoY. The high-growth brand analysis reveals two dominant product themes: "real ingredients" (brands that prominently display core ingredient content percentages) and "healthy formulas" (zero added sugar, zero additives, whole grain positioning). Douyin (抖音) is the primary channel for fast-growing biscuit/puffed snack brands, with over half of the top 10 high-growth brands deriving their main sales from the platform.

Key Finding 3

The candy market reached CN¥ 78.7B in MAT2024 (+4.7% YoY) with unit volume growing +13.1% despite a -7.4% average price decline. Gummy/gelatin candy, mint candy, and chewing gum dominate with a combined 50%+ market share and +20.3% YoY growth, while niche categories including caramel (+166.7%) and marshmallow/nougat (+52.2%) are breakout performers.

The candy market's competitive landscape remains fragmented: CR10 stands at just 21.0%, with Xu Fuji (徐福记), Alpenliebe (阿尔卑斯), and White Rabbit (大白兔) holding the top three positions at a combined 10.2% market share. The most dynamic growth is coming from brands offering fresh, cooling, and functional benefits -- Extra (益达) gum grew +28.5% YoY, Damabfu (大马碧富) mint candy rose +19.9%, and tea-infused candy brand Chakoulai (茶口乐) exploded +348.8% YoY, leaping from #60 to #12 in the rankings. Chinese herbal and botanical ingredients are an emerging growth vector, with sugar-free gum maintaining strong momentum even on a high base.

Key Finding 4

The bakery and pastry segment reached CN¥ 252.5B in MAT2024 (+6.1% YoY), with Chinese-style pastry capturing 50.4% of the market for the first time -- overtaking Western-style pastry. Buffalo milk-based bakery products surged +613.4% YoY as health-conscious consumers trade up to premium dairy ingredients. Three Squirrels (三只松鼠) leads the category with just 3.3% market share, reflecting extreme fragmentation.

The "Chinese stomach" consumer trend is accelerating: traditional pastries including egg yolk puff (蛋黄酥) and eight-treasure cake (八珍糕) are experiencing renewed demand, while Poria eight-treasure cakes exemplify the new Chinese-style wellness pastry category. Buffalo milk has emerged as a breakthrough ingredient, with brands like Tangxiaomai (棠小麦) and Carlton (卡尔顿) capturing the top two positions in the buffalo milk bakery sub-segment. Carlton's buffalo milk thick-cut toast substitutes traditional dairy with buffalo milk to deliver richer protein content and creamier flavour, meeting the evolving nutritional expectations of Chinese consumers.

Key Finding 5

Nuts and roasted snacks reached CN¥ 238.4B in MAT2024, rebounding +19.8% YoY from a -11.4% decline in the prior period. Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) remains the dominant sales peak, with Douyin (抖音) nearly matching the combined volume of Tmall and JD.com during the January 2024 holiday period. The "additive-free" sub-segment grew +20.7% YoY as health-conscious consumers seek unprocessed, natural products.

Three Squirrels (三只松鼠) dominates with a 15.0% market share -- more than double the second-place Be&Cheery (百草味) at 8.0%. Mixed nuts/daily nuts, sunflower seeds, and macadamia nuts are the top three sub-categories by sales, with mixed nuts expanding its share to 25.9%. The additive-free/zero-additive trend is gaining mainstream traction, with brands like Wolong (沃隆), Laojiekou (老街口), and Miguo (觅菓) leading this health-premium positioning. Meiguoshiguang's (每果时光) additive-free macadamia nuts exemplify the category innovation, sourcing from dedicated Australian farms and using minimal processing to preserve nutritional value.