Tell us about your production challenge
If Popeye needed spinach for his power, you need healthy snacks to boost your energy! From dried fruit chips to nuts and protein bars, healthy snacks have become more popular since the 2000s, and the global healthy snack market will reach USD 98 billion by 2025. In the wide range of healthy snacks, raw fruits and vegetables appear as the main ingredient, and these snacks focus on the high protein content and reduced fat or carbohydrate percentages. Also, “less processed” and “less amount of added chemicals” are the primary trend in making healthy snacks as the clean eating movement began after the 2000s. 

Which healthy snacks equipment do you need?

Bag-in-Bag machine

If you are looking for a compact packing machine that packs multiple smaller packs in one master bag; this...

Continuous bagger with twin sealing jaws

If you want to pack into gusseted and pillow style bags and packing speed is impor...

Continuous vertical bagger

Want a machine to pack unique bag styles such as quad-seal and Doy-pack bags at incredible speeds...

Whipping machine for soft candy

Prepare your ingredients for any whipped or aerated product component. This is a pressurized...

Slab forming machine

Turn the mixture of your ingredients, into continuous slabs for processing into bars, stands, or other s...

Strand forming machine

Form ingredient mixes into strands and slabs for further processing into bars, and other final product...

Strand forming machine for 2 masses

Form two-ingredient mixes into the shapes and layer combinations required for your fina...

Strand cutting machine

Cut continuous strands and slabs of your ingredient mix into bars, strips, and other final product sha...

High-speed strand cutting machine

Cut continuous strands and slabs of your ingredient mix into bars, strips, and other fina...

Longitudinal strand cutting machine

Cut continuous slabs of your ingredient mix into spaced strands for further processing ...

Chocolate coating machine

Coat your product with chocolate or caramel. This is a chocolate coating machine born of many year...

High capacity decorator

Enhance the appearance of your product by applying final finishing touches and designs. This is a ser...

Entry-level automatic cereal bar machine

Start up your manufacturing of cereal bars or produce smaller batches to test and ...

Nut dicer

Dicing nuts can generate a large volume of wasteful and messy powdered nut residue.

Industrial sauce pan

For the small and medium food industry, economical use of time, space and human resources is critical wh...

Industrial pressure cooker

Optimizing production processes and human resources to reduce energy consumption and save time an...

Compact industrial sauce pan

Safe, reliable cookers that operate unobtrusively are required in any kitchen where space and t...

Energy saving cabinet dryer for food

Traditional drying systems use a lot of energy and take a long time to dry the product...

Cabinet dryer for cannabis

If you need careful drying for products like pharmaceutical-grade cannabis buds then traditional ...

Cooked cereals shredder

By shredding cooked cereals, innovative breakfast and snack products ...

Pre-conditioner for breakfast cereals

Extruded breakfast cereal products are a popular and ...

Granola batch mixer

The production of granola-based recipes requires careful ingredients hand...

Convection oven for granola

For high-quality granola products, a perfect bake is required fo...

Breaker for baked granola sheets

Once baked in large sheets, granola needs to be processed i...

Laboratory scale cereal cooker

When developing new breakfast cereal products it is expensive...

Benchtop extruder for cereals and snacks

Extruded products are very popular in the breakfas...

Pilot extruder for cereals and snacks

Small batches of product using high value ingredients...

Thin-film cooker for confectionery products

Producing excellent confectionery products req...

Small scale nut grinder

Many confectionery and bakery processes rely on the uniform grinding of raw ingredients such as nuts,...

Entry level cooker for cereal bar production

The creation of high-quality, flavourful crunch bars, brittles and similar pr...

Small scale dragee coating machine

Coated dragée products such as Jordan Almonds or hard-coated candies are very popular, b...

Small sugar mill for entry level production

Sugar powder is a key ingredient in a wide range of bakery, confectionery, and...

Entry-level cereal bar making machine

Cereal and grain bars are increasingly popular, both as snack foods and as functional...

Optical sorter for dried and frozen fruits

Dried fruits, frozen fruits, frozen vegetables and nuts present a challenge for...

High-speed flow pack wrapping machine for chocolates

Foil flow pack wrapping of chocolate products is an attractive and p...

Industrial drying cabinet

The production of high-quality biltong and similar dried meat products can pose problems with main...

Industrial dehydration machine

Dried fruits are popular both as food in themselves and as ingredients. Traditional drying te...

Pilot scale freeze dryer

Freeze drying is a complex and time-consuming drying process which requires maintaining the quality ...

Industrial food freeze dryer

Nutraceuticals and dietary supplements can be highly sensitive and need to be protected against...

Automatic freeze drying system

Freeze drying can be an expensive and cumbersome process. When dealing with nutraceuticals it...

Industrial tunnel dryer for food sector

Dry foods are popular consumables and have their place on the market. In cases wher...

Industrial belt dryer for fruits and vegetables

The industrial belt dryer by Pigo is a simple yet super effective fruit an...

Industrial freeze-dryer for fruits

Freeze-drying is a complex and delicate process. If you are searching the market for a f...

Entry level bean to bar line

One of the challenges when setting up a small-scale cocoa proce...

Ultra-clean FFS machine for yoghurt in cups

Dairy products like yoghurt are very susceptible to spoilage. Yeasts and mould...

Horizontal cartoner for food products

Depending on the primary product packages, food products like confectionery (biscuits...

Pillow bag vertical packing machine

When packaging products such as seeds, cereal, snacks, candies, nuts, tea, dried fruits...

Cake ultrasonic cutter

Some cake items you may wish to cut can feature substantial amounts of cream. But that cream could sme...

Confectionery bags case packer for large scale

Mass production lines need faster and more efficient package processing to ...

Semi-automatic case packer for chip bags

In small to medium scale production units, packing items manually can consume a lo...

Robotic case packing machine for snack bags

Automated packing with robotic suction arms can quickly pickup packaged produc...

Industrial Nut Roaster

Moisture considerably depletes the shelf life of nut products. At the same time, however, manufacturer...

Industrial guillotine machine for extruded foods

Textured vegetable proteins made from soy, wheat, and oats are extruded i...
Mpac Alisio casepacker for food

Side Load Case Packer For Packaged Food

Accuracy is a primary concern for case-packing pre-packaged foods such as milk or p...
Show more equipment

Stories about healthy snacks

Select your healthy-snacks process

Contact us

Tell us about your production challenge

When selecting production equipment for a production plant, it is important to talk to someone with experience in your field. Our industry experts have experience with various industrial applications. We’d love to help you!
Contact us

What exactly are healthy snacks?

“Healthy snacks” can be understood as a broad and ambiguous term. This term can be pretty unclear since the concept of healthy is subjective. In the healthy snack industry, healthy snacks are often recognized as snacks that are low in sugar, high in protein, no trans fats, and high in fiber. They are made of natural (possibly organic) ingredients grown without pesticides or antibiotics, with no added artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. And all of these features are often labeled as one of the followings – whole grain, fiber-rich, high protein, no fats, gluten-free, organic, no added sugar, natural or no preservatives, probiotics, antioxidant-rich, or immunity-boosting. 

The physical format of healthy snacks can be divided into three big categories – bars, chips, and mixed nuts. Bars are considered the most convenient form of healthy snacks as they are easy to take on the go. They are often made of whole grains, ancient grains, cereals, seeds, and nuts. Currently, cereal and granola bars and protein bars dominate this segment.

For the second category, there are chips. In the healthy snacks industry, chip manufacturers often attempt to produce a healthier version of conventional potato chips by replacing potatoes with multigrain, rice, corn, wheat, fruits, and vegetables. They focus on achieving low-fat, low sodium, and high nutrients in their products. The producers, hence, often use the baking method instead of frying or using all-natural non-GMO ingredients.

Lastly, there are nuts and seed mixes. They are beloved due to their portability, convenience, and variety in flavors; also, the natural attribute of being gluten-free and rich in omega contributes to their popularity. Ingredients like cashew, peanut, almonds, hazelnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds are popular in nut and seed mix products. 

New healthy snack production technologies – preserve the nutritional quality and taste of your ingredients!

Ultrasound and microwave-assisted vacuum frying technology is a new way of frying technology that can not only enhance the look of fried foods but also enhances the quality of food as it maintains the heat-sensitive and oxidation-sensitive nutrients. Also, since this technology is operated at a lower temperature than regular fryer machines, the producer utilizing this new vacuum frying technology can save more energy and earn higher yields. 

 

Another new technology is pulsed electric field (PEF) pre-processing treatments. PEF uses pulses of electricity and pierces the cell membranes to emit further fluid out of fruits or vegetables. This non-thermal technology can maintain the nutrients of raw ingredients, and it helps the end product to contain a lower amount of sugar and acrylamide. Additionally, it saves water and energy consumption for operation by 90%.

Individual Quick Freezing (IQF) is a technology used to preserve raw ingredients by freezing them individually. Here, the freezing process takes only a few minutes, and the food ingredients are frozen separately. This freezing technology is famous for its ability to preserve the sensory and physio-chemical traits of raw ingredients. Often raw ingredients consisting of multiple small pieces such as berries, peas, and corn are treated with this technology.

What is trending in healthy snacks? – personalize your snacks for different demographics and pay attention to the environmental impact!

If you are a producer of healthy snacks, it is crucial to be aware of the new trends in the healthy snacks industry. Plant-based snack is a hot topic as there is a rise in vegetarian and vegan populations, specifically in the younger generation. Plant-based snacks incorporate ingredients like turmeric, ashwagandha, folic acid, and green tea, which can increase the product’s health value by providing additional vitamins and minerals. 

Another topic is personalized snacks. Like the vegetarian or vegan trend, consumers nowadays seek snacks that can accommodate their lifestyle and dietary or health requirements. Consequently, customized nutrition became popular. Customers are less concerned about the sugar, fat, or protein content but more about how these snacks can meet the ideal lifestyle they aim to achieve. Mood-boosting, gut-friendly, and sleep-better snacks are examples of this topic.

Finally, there is a trend concerning the environment. When purchasing healthy snacks, customers would like to know if the product is trustworthy and sustainable. Hence, displaying a clear and honest explanation of the source of ingredients, manufacturing and packaging details (if they are recyclable or biodegradable), and farming and collection routes (concerning carbon footprint) became important factors for consumers. Naturally, upcycled snacks have been spotlighted as an environmentally friendly alternative that reduces waste generation.

Let's talk about your project!

Tell us about your production challenge and connect directly with leading manufacturers worldwide
All your data is kept confidential