World’s biggest snack companies: who’s really got the crunch in 2026

Key takeaways:

• The global snacks market is nearing $700bn, but growth and power are increasingly concentrated among a small group of multinational players with the scale to dominate shelf space and snack occasions worldwide.
• Savory snacks and baked formats are doing the heavy lifting in 2026, favoring companies like PepsiCo, Mondelēz and Mars that can span multiple dayparts and eating moments.
• The biggest movers are being driven less by organic surprise and more by structural advantage, with M&A, portfolio breadth, and distribution muscle separating long-term winners from the rest.

Snacks aren’t a sideshow anymore. In fact, snacking has become one of global food’s most reliable growth engines. Market researchers including Euromonitor International and Grand View Research value the global snacks market at around $680-$720bn, with most long-term forecasts pointing to compound annual growth of roughly 4%-5% through the rest of the decade. Savory snacks remain the largest slice by value, but sweet, baked and hybrid formats continue to blur category lines as consumers graze across the day.

That growth hasn’t been evenly shared. As with bakery, snacking is increasingly dominated by companies with the scale to fund innovation, absorb cost shocks and secure shelf space globally. Revenue size matters – but so does how deeply snacks are embedded in a company’s portfolio.

Ranked below from biggest to smallest by revenue scale, these are the companies that truly shape global snacking in 2026 – and the brands doing the heavy lifting behind the scenes.

1. Nestlé

• Headquarters: Vevey, Switzerland
• Annual revenue: CHF 91.4bn ($102bn) (FY2024)
• Estimated snack market share: Low double digits globally
• Estimated snack CAGR: ~3%-5%

Nestlé tops the list on sheer scale. It isn’t a snacks pureplay, but few companies touch as many snack occasions in a single day. Chocolate, biscuits, wafers, cereal bars and impulse formats are woven throughout the portfolio, giving Nestlé unmatched breadth rather than reliance on one hero brand.

That’s where brands like KitKat, Nestlé Toll House and a wide spread of regional biscuit and wafer lines come in. KitKat alone operates at near-universal recognition across Europe and Asia, while baked snacks and sweet treats quietly rack up volume in emerging markets. Analysts consistently rank Nestlé among the largest snack players by value, even if growth runs slightly below the category average simply because the base is so big.

2. PepsiCo

• Headquarters: Purchase, New York, US
• Annual revenue: $91.9bn (FY2024)
• Estimated snack market share: ~25%+ of global savory snacks
• Estimated snack CAGR: ~4%-6%

If there’s a gold standard for snack dominance, it’s PepsiCo. The company’s own reporting shows Frito-Lay North America accounting for more than a quarter of total group revenue, underlining just how central snacks are to the business.

The real power sits with brands like Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos and Ruffles. These aren’t just strong brands – they define entire categories. Lay’s anchors potato chips globally, Doritos owns bold flavor and Cheetos thrives on playful indulgence. Together, they give PepsiCo unmatched shelf leverage and some of the highest purchase frequency in the food aisle.

3. Mondelēz International

• Headquarters: Chicago, US
• Annual revenue: $36.4bn (FY2024)
• Estimated snack market share: ~6%-7% globally
• Estimated snack CAGR: ~4%-5%

Mondelēz is built for global snacking. Biscuits and chocolate travel better than almost any other food category, and the company’s portfolio reflects that reality. Oreo remains one of the most scalable snack brands on the planet, endlessly remixable and instantly recognizable. Ritz dominates savory biscuits, while Cadbury anchors chocolate-led snacking across multiple regions.

Analysts tend to see Mondelēz as one of the cleanest ‘snacks-first’ stories at scale – not flashy, but relentlessly effective, with growth driven by international markets rather than short-term novelty.

4. Mars

• Headquarters (Snacking): United States
• Estimated snack revenue: ~$36bn (combined)
• Estimated snack market share: High single digits
• Estimated snack CAGR: ~5%-7%

Mars is the biggest structural mover in the 2026 snack rankings. Following the completion of its acquisition of Kellanova in December 2025, Mars Snacking now spans confectionery, savory snacks, baked snacks and breakfast-led formats.

That means M&M’S, Snickers and Skittles now sit alongside Pringles, Cheez-It, Pop-Tarts and RXBAR. The result is a portfolio that covers more eating occasions than ever before. While Mars doesn’t publish full financials, analysts broadly agree the combined business places it firmly among the world’s largest snack players – and one of the faster-growing ones.

5. General Mills

• Headquarters: Minneapolis, US
• Annual revenue: $19.9bn (FY2024)
• Estimated snack market share: ~3%-4%
• Estimated snack CAGR: ~3%-5%

General Mills isn’t the loudest snack story, but it’s a dependable one. Its snack strength comes from brands built around routine rather than impulse. Nature Valley owns the ‘acceptable snack’ moment; Chex Mix bridges savory and shareable; and Totino’s keeps the company relevant in frozen-led snacking.

Analysts see General Mills as a company that grows by defending habits, not chasing hype – a strategy that keeps volumes steady even when the market gets noisy.

6. The Hershey Company

• Headquarters: Hershey, Pennsylvania, US
• Annual revenue: $11.2bn (FY2024)
• Estimated snack market share: ~2%-3%
• Estimated snack CAGR: ~4%-6%

Hershey has pushed well beyond chocolate. While Reese’s remains a profit engine, the real momentum in 2026 comes from salty snacks. SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels have turned into meaningful growth drivers, giving Hershey a stronger foothold outside the confectionery aisle.

That diversification matters as sugar scrutiny grows. Analysts increasingly view Hershey as a hybrid player – still sweet-led, but with faster growth coming from savory and texture-driven snacks.

7. Campbell’s

• Headquarters: Camden, New Jersey, US
• Annual revenue: $9.6bn (FY2024)
• Estimated snack market share: ~2%-3%
• Estimated snack CAGR: ~3%-5%

Now formally operating as The Campbell’s Company, Campbell’s has made snacks central to its identity. Goldfish remains one of the stickiest family snack brands in the US, while Pepperidge Farm straddles indulgence and everyday.

The scale is there, but analysts note the company is operating in a tougher value environment than many peers. In 2026, the question isn’t relevance – it’s whether those brands can keep growing fast enough in a price-sensitive aisle.

8. Intersnack

• Headquarters: Düsseldorf, Germany
• Annual revenue: €4.5bn+ ($4.9bn-$5.0bn) (2024)
• Estimated European snack market share: ~3%-4%
• Estimated snack CAGR: ~4%-6%

Intersnack is one of the world’s most under-the-radar snack giants. Hugely influential across Europe, it dominates savory snacks and nuts market by market. Brands like Funny-frisch, Chio and Pom-Bär are deeply embedded locally, giving Intersnack strong defenses against private label.

It rarely features in US-centric rankings, but analysts consistently flag it as one of Europe’s most entrenched snack businesses.

9. Calbee

• Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
• Annual revenue: ¥303bn ($2.0bn-$2.1bn) (FY ended March 2024)
• Estimated market share: ~30% in key Japanese snack segments
• Estimated snack CAGR: ~4%-6%

Calbee anchors Japan’s snack market and remains one of Asia’s most important snack companies. Brands like Calbee Potato Chips and Jagabee are cultural fixtures at home, built around texture-led innovation that’s increasingly resonating abroad.

Analysts often cite Calbee as proof that snack leadership doesn’t have to look Western to scale.

10. Utz Brands

• Headquarters: Hanover, Pennsylvania, US
• Annual revenue: $1.4bn (FY2024)
• Estimated US snack market share: ~1%-2%
• Estimated snack CAGR: ~6%-7% (brand-level)

Utz rounds out the list as a reminder that mid-scale doesn’t mean marginal. Utz, Zapp’s and Boulder Canyon balance mainstream and better-for-you appeal, helping the company grow faster than the overall market even without global reach.

Movers to watch in 2026

Mars is the biggest mover by structural change, not organic surprise. The Kellanova integration turns it into a true all-day snacking powerhouse, spanning candy, savory, baked and breakfast. The risk is complexity – the upside is enormous.

Hershey’s salty snack push is no longer experimental. SkinnyPop and Dot’s Pretzels are doing real volume, helping the company grow faster than traditional confectionery peers and smoothing exposure to sugar scrutiny.

Often overlooked in global rankings, Intersnack continues to strengthen its grip across Europe. If it pushes further beyond its home markets, it could climb future lists without anyone noticing until it’s too big to ignore.

Utz remains a lesson in focused growth. While it won’t challenge the giants on scale, its brand-level growth consistently outpaces the market – and that makes it one of the most credible mid-tier challengers in US snacks.

The rebrand to The Campbell’s Company signaled ambition, but 2026 is about execution. Snacks are central to the strategy; the question is whether Goldfish can keep growing fast enough in a value-sensitive aisle.