Meat snacks brands – like Chomps, Lorissa’s Kitchen (LK) and others – are growing with sustainability, allergen-free claims and unique formats, as the category evolves to meet a wider consumer base.
Shelf-stable meat snacks grew to $2.64 billion in the year ending Jan. 26, growing 10.3% in dollars and 2% in units, according to Spins data.
Nearly all Americans (85%) said they wanted to increase their protein intake in 2025, according to a Chobani and independent research firm Edelman Data X Intelligence survey of 1,000 consumers.
The CDC recommends men consume 56 grams and women 46 grams of protein per day. However, men typically consumed 97 grams per day, compared to 69 grams of protein for women, according to an NIH study published in January 2021.
Megatrends, like the emergence of GLP-1 antagonists, are fueling demand for protein, as consumers “understand that protein means satiation and balance,” Stacey Hartnett, senior VP of marketing for Chomps, explained. These macro trends are less fad and more “real lasting consumer shifts,” creating opportunities for brands, she noted.
Chomps doubles down on sustainability
Price and flavor are often the main purchase drivers, but sustainability claims can often be a tiebreaker on two comparable products, especially among Gen Z consumers.
Younger shoppers are “combining the idea of clean label and social responsibility with sustainability,” when searching for products, Sherry Frey, VP of total wellness, shared in a recent article.
“The leading consumers of protein snacks right now are Gen Z and Millennials, which represent about 34% of the protein snack consumers today. ... This new audience is an incremental audience and consumer that we are bringing to the category,” Hartnett said.
Chomps doubled down on its sustainability commitment and became a Certified B Corporation on May 21 – a gold standard for environmental and social responsibility – Hartnett said. Chomps’ meat snacks products are Non-GMO Project Verified and come from grass-fed beef and antibiotic-free turkey.
The B Corp status followed Chomps’ partnership with 4ocean on May 6, where Chomps will match every pound of packaging plastic with an equal amount of removing or preventing plastic from polluting the ocean.
“There is a pretty transformational shift in the way that consumers are thinking about food. It has created this rippling effect across the industry, and how brands are adjusting not just their product, but everything that they are considering and focusing on,” Hartnett said. “There is growing education and importance being put on sustainability and around thoughtfully sourced protein practices.”
LK launches allergen-free snacks at Walmart
LK similarly is focused on sustainability claims, while also tapping into consumer demand for allergen-free products, Emily Arthurs, LK brand director, explained.
LK expanded into 2,800 Walmart stores nationwide in May, with its beef, turkey and chicken snacks that are free of the top nine allergens.
Founder of LK, Lorissa Link, launched the meat snack brand in 2016 after realizing most of the Jack Link products include an allergen, Arthurs noted.
Lorissa Link “recognized that a lot of allergen-free products compromise texture, and they compromise flavor in the process of being made safe for this segment of the public to eat, and that was another thing that Lorissa did not want to compromise on. She wanted to make sure that there was good flavor and good texture, so that if you were a meat stick consumer already ... you could easily switch from one meat stick to the other,” Arthurs elaborated.
The global allergen-free food market is projected to grow from USD 50.4 billion in 2025 to USD 102.8 billion by 2035, reflecting a CAGR of 7.4% over the forecast period, according to Future Market Insights data.
Meat snacks’ back-to-school opportunity
Allergen-free and convenient meat snacks are becoming a popular go-to option for caregivers seeking healthy snacks for their children, with LK and Chomps already preparing for the back-to-school season.
Women are often the primary grocery shoppers for households, and meat snack brands are increasingly focusing on meeting their demands, Arthurs noted. Most women (68%) are the primary household shoppers, Statista reported.
LK launched a multi-pack of 24 mini sticks exclusively at Costco – available in seasoned and smoked and hot and spicy – to meet this demand, she added.
Additionally, Chomps is working with retailer partners ahead of the busy back-to-school season, identifying end caps and specific store placements for maximum exposure, Hartnett noted. Chomps launched its mini format, called Chomplings in 2018, and recently expanded with multi-packs of 14 mini meat snacks, she added.
“Costco, Target, Albertsons, Kroger and the like are recognizing that the shopper herself wants better value, and she recognizes that she gets better value when she does buy multi-packs or bulk up. We also know that Costco is the number one retailer in the world for organic and better-for-you products,” Arthurs said.
