Chefs Culinary Corner

Our team of skilled chefs shares their inspirations and tips for creating menu success.

Shareable Snacking Insights

As snacking culture continues to evolve, younger consumers—particularly Gen Z and millennials—are driving a surge in demand for bold, unique, and convenient options. With 42% of Gen Z and 43% of millennials snacking more often than a year ago, operators are looking for ways to satisfy their cravings for exciting flavors and on-the-go snacks. In this Q&A, Mondelēz chefs Carmisha Ramsey and Joel Minkoff share their expert insights on the snack trends poised to dominate in 2025.

  1. The snack surge is particularly strong among younger consumers, with 42% of Gen Z and 43% of millennials snacking more often than a year ago.1 What kinds of snackable menu items do you think will be especially popular with them in 2025?

    Chef Carmisha Ramsey: Anything that is easy to hold and carry as people move throughout the day. We are all growing increasingly busy, running from one event/meeting to the next. Incorporating our ingredients into smaller hand-held items is an easy win.

    Chef Joel Minkoff: Younger consumers seem to be gravitating to big bold flavors: sweet with heat and savory and sweet and snacks with contrasting flavor profiles will remain popular. Grab-and-go snacks that push flavor, texture and have unique flavor combinations will also be a hit with consumers in younger generations. One example that illustrates this trend is in frozen novelties, in which ice cream sandwiches have different Mondelēz International cookies as the base and fun toppings—something especially attractive to Gen Z and millennials.

  2. More than 90% of millennials love trying new foods and beverages—56% the crazier and more unique, the better.2 How can our brands help operators satisfy their appetite for novelty?

    Chef Joel: Mondelēz Foodservice has well established brands in cookies, crackers and candy that rank #1 in consumption worldwide. The key is to think outside the box and look to alternative applications to increase awareness. Foodservice can partner with retail to create dual activations that complement each other. Applications with SOUR PATCH KIDS and NUTTER BUTTER can increase the consumer’s desire for our brands both at home and away from home.

  3. Datassential reports that “little treat” culture is on the rise, with nearly 90% of consumers indulging in a favorite food or beverage at least once a week and 37% once a day.3 How can our brands help operators tap into the trend?

    Chef Carmisha: The best way to tap into trends is to understand how well it may resonate with your consumer, whether it is on brand for your particular brands, and if it is something that your consumer would believe and buy into coming from you. Staying close to social media and working with the agency team, operators may be able to find the perfect time to jump into the trend before it loses momentum.

  4. Global flavors are increasingly popular in the U.S., especially as the population becomes more and more diverse. Any suggestions for leveraging our ingredients to create internationally inspired snack options?

    Chef Carmisha: Be adventurous when creating new recipes to tie in classic global dishes with our iconic brands. If it’s a sweet dessert, play around with adding OREO, CHIPS AHOY! or NUTTER BUTTER Cookie Pieces into the recipe. If it’s a savory dish that calls for a breading, try crumbling RITZ Crackers into a similar piece size and see how that works out for you!

    Chef Joel: Global flavors from Southeast Asia along with botanical floral flavors are now trickling down from other categories and are appearing more often in the dessert and snack category. The use of rose, lavender, mango, cardamom and saffron have seen a boost on menus. The trick is to pick the right application, and, of course, balance is key. Moderation in using these types of flavors in applications like ice cream will combine well with some of our cookies.

Sources:
  1. Datassential, Snacking: The Takeaways, August 2023
  2. Datassential, New Food Experiences for Millennials, March 2022
  3. Datassential 2025 Trends, December 2024
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