The Japanese confectionery giant operates across confectionery and processed foods, frozen desserts and dairy products, giving it exposure to multiple areas of the snack and nutrition landscape.
While Glico’s observations are rooted in Asian markets, the underlying shift is not unique to the region. Global snack research points to a similar blurring of indulgence, sensory experience and health.
According to Glico’s COO for Asia Pacific Yukio Kimura, consumers are increasingly looking for foods that combine natural sources of nutrition, functional benefits and better-for-you attributes in convenient everyday formats.
Rather than choosing between health and enjoyment, consumers increasingly expect snacks to deliver both, blurring the line between better-for-you and indulgent products.
For Glico, this convergence is playing out through three areas of snack innovation: better-for-you positioning, flavour experimentation and convenience. Regional flavours can be given a modern twist, while on-the-go snacks can be positioned around better-for-you attributes while consumers continue to expect convenience and taste alongside nutritional value.
Bisco is an early example of this approach. Launched in Japan in 1933 as a yeast-containing cream sandwich biscuit, the product was developed as a nutritious confectionery. Its formulation has since evolved, with lactic acid bacteria replacing yeast.
Over the decades, the formulation evolved from yeast to lactic acid bacteria, which Glico says are able to withstand stomach acid and reach the intestines alive.
“Bisco is one of our very first examples of how this commitment comes to life, bringing the benefits of gut health research into an accessible everyday snack,” said Kimura, speaking at our Growth Asia Summit 2026, held at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore.
He added that the brand’s long history reflects Glico’s view that nutritional value and snacking can coexist in the same product.
Better-for-you snack choices
Today, Glico has since expanded its regional portfolios to include whole-wheat biscuit variants for Pocky and lower-sodium alternatives for Pretz, specifically aiming to capture Gen Z consumers who view nutrition as disease prevention but refuse to compromise on flavour.
There are also seasonal and traditional collaborations. Glico has reimagined traditional ingredients into trendy temporary formats, such as Pocky Double Rich Matcha and Pocky Cherry Blossom (Sakura) Matcha, alongside Southeast Asian regional savoury exclusives like Pretz Hainanese Chicken Rice and Pretz Chili Crab.
Kimura’s insights are consistent with Innova Market Insights’ research, which found that 34% of consumers see health as an important part of an indulgent food or beverage experience.
Innova’s “Layers of Delight” trend similarly suggests that indulgence is becoming more multidimensional. Rather than being defined solely by richness or decadence, indulgence can combine comfort, sensory experiences, mood and health considerations.
The research also points to a balance between familiarity and novelty: 60% of consumers say they want to explore new things when indulging, while 46% prefer the same option. Texture and flavour can therefore become ways for brands to introduce novelty without abandoning familiar consumption cues.
What this means for snack brands
The implication for snack developers is not necessarily to make every indulgent product “healthy”.
Instead, the opportunity may lie in combining one or two credible nutritional attributes with the sensory and emotional cues that make consumers want to snack in the first place.
Bisco illustrates the principle: its nutritional positioning is built into a familiar biscuit-and-cream format rather than requiring consumers to trade taste or convenience for a functional benefit.
The convergence isn’t necessarily about turning confectionery into a health product. It is about reducing the trade-off consumers perceive between nutritional value and the sensory experience of snacking.
