Synergy Flavours: Shaping future snacking with health, sustainability & flavor

Today’s health-conscious consumers are demanding more than convenience from snacks — they want functionality, sustainability, and nutrition. Traditionally associated with saltiness and greasiness, snack consumption is now viewed as a “value-added, mindful eating occasion,” according to Synergy Flavours.

Indulgent products remain critical to meeting consumer expectations, as snack manufacturers reformulate recipes and explore single-ingredient swaps. The industry — which is expected to reach US$287.43 billion in revenue by 2026 — is focused on balancing protein fortification, sugar reduction, and clean label transparency, while maintaining sensory appeal.

Synergy is responding to these demands by exploring plant-based proteins, fermentation techniques, and sustainable sourcing strategies. Jamie Blake, European category development manager, tells Food Ingredients First how these advancements are shaping the future of snacks. He also highlights how plant-based proteins are shifting from “niche to mainstream,” offering diverse business opportunities for manufacturers.

While convenience remains non-negotiable, Blake says today’s consumers expect modern snacks to deliver functional benefits aligned with their nutritional focus.

“Data from Innova highlights that seven in ten consumers globally seek functionality from their foods, and snacks are no exception,” he says. “Protein remains the most sought-after nutrient for consumers in the UK/Europe. NPD around bars, baked bites, extruded crisps, and biscuits with pea, chickpea, and lentils are being used to balance taste and texture, while incorporating more ingredients with naturally higher protein.”

He expects these snacking trends to be the primary driver on the functional front throughout this year, “as consumers now seek snacks that confer benefits rather than simply add calories — such as supporting energy, muscle mass, and gut health.”

Sugar reduction and gut health demands

Snack manufacturers are now leaning toward prebiotic fibers, such as inulin and chicory root fiber, to meet rising consumer demand for digestive and gut health benefits.

The gut is described as a gateway to holistic wellness in Innova Market Insights’ Top Ten Trends 2026, with at least half of global consumers trying to include more fiber and probiotics in their diet, and a quarter looking to include more prebiotics.

Meanwhile, snacking’s “sweet side” is impacted by the wave of sugar reduction. Sugar is being replaced partially by taste modulation flavor solutions, with sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit gaining popularity in recent years, Blake tells us.

“In addition to functionality and sugar reduction, upcycling and circular ingredients are another key areas set for success in 2026. Spent grain flour is one example of upcycled ingredients where we’re seeing modest launch activity across Europe.”

He also highlights fermentation ingredients like kombucha, quinoa, millet, and açai as “trending products” for various snack applications.

Consumers prefer snacks that offer benefits like supporting energy and gut health — rather than just adding calories, says Blake.

Sustainability in snacking

After multiple delays, the EU Parliament has set a December 30, 2026, EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) compliance deadline for large and medium operators, and a June 30, 2027, deadline for small and micro enterprises, in an effort to advance the F&B industry’s deforestation-free goals.

Blake says such regulations play a significant role in ensuring sustainability and traceability in the sourcing of snack ingredients. The EUDR means that cocoa, coffee, palm oil, soy, and derived goods placed on the EU market must be deforestation-free and geolocated to plot level.

“In addition, UK retailers often require suppliers to set science-based targets and report value-chain emissions, pushing ingredient manufacturers to quantify and reduce farm-level and processing emissions, creating a new sourcing baseline.”

Many suppliers are governed and categorized by certifications from regulatory bodies for specific ingredients along the food chain, through audits with “stringent rules and regulations.”

“Examples of specific ingredients include Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil certification for palm-oil derivatives. For cocoa and specific botanicals, deforestation monitoring has intensified and is becoming more mainstream through geolocation and legality checks to anticipate EUDR,” Blake adds.

Snacks with alternative proteins

With the rise of plant-based and alternative protein sources across the F&B industry, many brands are building a diversified “protein portfolio” that blends rather than showcases a single “hero protein.”

“Brands have moved beyond soy into pea, fava bean, lentil, oat, chickpea, and sunflower to balance nutrition, cost, functionality, and label expectations, such as non-GMO and allergen avoidance. Pea remains one of the most popular, with fava and oat rising fast in supplier pipelines,” says Blake.

Consumers now have more choices for protein-rich snacks, which he says is incentivizing manufacturers to get creative and incorporate different proteins to suit different goals. Fava bean protein is considered the most versatile for extruded puffs and baked snacks, as it has a “neutral color and flavor profile.”

Blake explains that the ingredient’s snack applications are promising, as it offers strong water-binding and emulsification when processed well for puffed crisps/chips and high-protein crackers.

“Sunflower protein isolate, meanwhile, is allergen-light, which offers a label-friendly alternative and a non-allergenic positioning compared to soy. It also has neutral flavor and color profiles, as well as viable protein levels for bars, baked snacks, and extrusions.”

Sunflower protein is evolving rapidly, with potential applications including protein bars/cookies and savory crackers.

“Likewise, lentil and chickpea proteins are migrating from niche to mainstream, often blended with pea to balance taste and texture, and are suitable for applications including baked crisps, mini breads, and children’s snacks,” says Blake.

Fermentation enhances snack flavor profiles while enabling salt reduction, offering a healthier and more flavorful alternative to traditional seasonings.

A fermented future?

While plant protein applications in snacks are growing, their associated off-flavors continue to challenge F&B manufacturers. Scientists are using fermentation to overcome this taste hurdle, while Synergy uses the technique to improve snack flavors.

“Synergy has developed a yeast extract derived from the fermentation of cheese whey permeate to support the formulation and manufacturing process of cheese-flavored snack seasonings,” Blake tells us.

“This innovation, known as lactic yeast, can influence the ingredients included in snacks, allowing for cheese-flavored snacks to be made vegetarian, kosher, and halal, while also being gluten-free and GMO-free.”

Incorporating the ingredient into snacks allows manufacturers to boost the intensity of cheese flavor in crisps and crackers without increasing the amount of cheese powder in the recipe.

“Furthermore, the technology offers the potential for additional benefits, including salt reduction through its enhanced flavor profile for umami and salt perception.” It also offers a healthier alternative to traditional snack seasonings.

“Future developments are set to potentially include cost optimization benefits that allow for expensive dairy raw materials to be reduced and managed in snack formulation,” Blake concludes.