People love protein, and meat snacks certainly have an abundance of it. Today’s meat snacks are not just for meat lovers but consumers who want another high-protein, low-carb option.
“Meat snacks are ideally positioned for the keto, paleo and other high-protein, low-carb lifestyles that are dominating the diet scene,” says Anne-Marie Roerink, principal and founder, 210 Analytics, based in San Antonio. “Protein has been a popular ingredient for more than five years and appears to have staying power. Whether protein-enhanced snacks or snacks that inherently have a high protein content such as meat snacks, growth has been far above average.”
Meat snacks such as beef jerky, meat sticks and beef bars have more than held their own during the pandemic. “Now a $4.5 billion market, meat snacks grew 21.8% over the 52 weeks ending November 28, 2021, according to data insights firm IRI,” says Roerink. “Compared to the pre-pandemic normal of 2019, this is up 33 percent.”