The 15 Most Popular Snack Brands in the World

The 15 most popular snack brands in the world are a guilty (or not) pleasure for billions of people around the world, many of whom indulge in them frequently. These snack brands are at the forefront of a $400 billion industry, one that is rapidly growing in developed countries.

According to the Nielsen Global Snacking Survey, snacking tastes vary quite dramatically by region, which affects the popularity of snack brands around the world. In North America, chips dominate the snacking industry, with the most popular chip brands in America being PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP)’s Lays, with more than double the sales of Ruffles, the second-best selling brand of chips (also owned by Frito-Lay/Pepsi) in the U.S during the 52-week period ended June 11, 2017. Doritos dominates the U.S tortilla-style chip market, with an even bigger lead over Tostitos.

Even favorite chip flavors vary greatly within North America. According to Statista, the most popular chip flavors in the U.S are Plain, Barbeque, Sour Cream & Onion, and Salt & Vinegar. All Dressed and Ketchup, which are hugely popular in Canada, are nowhere to be seen, and in fact Ruffles only recently started selling its All Dressed flavor in the U.S.

If you checked out our recent article on the 11 Most Popular Snacks In The World, you would have seen that chocolate ranked as the most popular snack globally, with 64% of people surveyed having eaten chocolate in the past 30 days. Given that, it’s not surprising that chocolate-related brands are the most well represented on our list of the 15 most popular snack brands in the world, with five chocolate brands and one chocolate cookie brand being among the 15. What’s more surprising is the inclusion of five gum/mint/candy-related brands, which didn’t fare nearly as well on the Snack Attack report, at just 33%.

With many snack categories overflowing with entrenched options, snack food companies have begun trying to steal the thunder of food companies by pushing snack bars, which have become increasingly popular among millenials as a quick meal replacement. Of the top 5 new snack products released in the U.S during the 2011-2016 period, snack bars were the overwhelming leader, with nearly twice as many new products launched in that category than in any other. Nuts, fruit snacks, corn-based snacks, and potato snacks rounded out the top 5.

If you’re ready to discover the 15 most popular snack brands in the world, head to the next page to begin the countdown. We’ve based their popularity on the number of likes that each brand has on Facebook.

15. Toblerone – 4.75 million Facebook likes

The list of the 15 most popular snack brands in the world kicks off with Toblerone, which is owned by Mondelez International Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ). Mondelez was criticized late last year for changing Toblerone’s distinctive shape, further spacing the chocolate peaks out from each other to reduce the overall amount of chocolate in each bar. The company is also caught up in a trademark dispute now, after British retailer Poundland decided to create its own Toblerone-style bar with twin rows of peaks, claiming that Toblerone’s trademark regarding its shape was no longer valid because of its recent change.

14. 5 Gum – 6.06 million Facebook likes

The first gum to make the list is 5 gum, which is made by gum masters Wrigley’s, which is owned by private company Mars, Incorporated. 5 gum has rapidly gained in popularity, considering it was only released ten years ago. 5’s slick packaging design and creative flavors are credited with the gum’s growth in sales.

13. Lay’s – 6.77 million Facebook likes

Despite dominating regular chip sales in the U.S, PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP)‘s Lay’s brand only lands in 13th place on our list of the 15 most popular snack brands in the world. Lay’s pulled in $2.18 billion in U.S sales during the 52-week period ended June 11, though its sales were nearly flat year-over-year. Lay’s has run a number of crowdsourcing campaigns to come up with new flavors, with past winners including Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger and Jalapeño Mac n’ Cheese.

12. Twix – 7.54 million Facebook likes

Mars’ Twix ranks as one of the most popular chocolate bar brands, with 7.54 million likes on Facebook. The brand’s distinctive look and effective advertising campaigns have been credited with its success. Twix has expanded on its brand recently, releasing a Nutella-like chocolate spread that has early tasters loving it.

11. Hershey’s – 9.64 million Facebook likes

Hershey Co (NYSE:HSY) ranks 11th, actually trailing one of its most popular sub-brands, Reese’s. In addition to those glorious Peanut Butter Cups, Hershey’s also makes York Peppermint Patties, Skor bars, Rolo bars, Jolly Rancher and Bubble Yum, among numerous chocolate and non-chocolate products. Rumors claim that Hershey’s will release a new candy bar in December, made from caramelized creme, peanuts, and pretzels.

10. Starburst – 10.98 million Facebook likes

Cracking the top 10 on our list of the 15 most popular snack brands in the world is Mars’ Starburst, the mouth-watering fruit-flavored soft candies. While Starburst is made to vegan standards in the UK, that’s not the case in the U.S, where the candies are still made using the animal product gelatin. The Starburst brand has also graced jellybeans, gummies, gum, and other varieties of candy.

9. Reese’s – 12.13 million Facebook likes

Hershey Co (NYSE:HSY)’s Reese’s ranks 9th with over 12 million likes, driven by the intense love for the brand’s Peanut Butter Cups. Reese’s has experimented with a variety of different chocolate cups, including one with hazelnut cream and one with banana creme, as well as different cup sizes and kinds of chocolate in combination with peanut butter. Those Peanut Butter Cups also spawned the popular Reese’s Puffs cereal.

8. Mentos – 13.32 million Facebook likes

Mentos is produced by Perfetti Van Melle, an Italian company which also makes AirHeads. Mentos is nearly as well known for its reaction when dropped into some coke (it turns it into a raging volcano of fizzy suds) as it is for its intended purpose of freshening one’s breath.

7. Trident – 14.64 million Facebook likes

Mondelez International Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ)’s Trident is the most popular gum on our list, with nearly 15 million likes on Facebook. Trident has created a number of different gum options over the years, including the teeth-whitening Trident White, and Trident Splash, which contains a flavored liquid inside the outer gum layer.

6. Tic Tac – 15.86 million Facebook likes

Ferrero SpA, best-known for its Ferrero Rocher chocolate, is also the owner of Tic Tac, the popular breath mints. Although predominantly made of sugar, the mints’ calorie count is so low that they’re a relatively harmless treat in moderation and a veritable life saver for those with chronic bad breath.

5. Doritos – 16.80 million Facebook likes

Doritos ranks 5th among the 15 most popular snack brands in the world. The PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) brand is yet another hugely successful chip brand made by subsidiary Frito-Lay, with $2.09 billion in sales in the one-year period ended June 11. Frito-Lay recently released organic Doritos, which is seen as an important move to ensure Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) will continue to stock them at Whole Foods.

4. Ferrero Rocher – 20.63 million Facebook likes

Ferrero Rocher is the most popular chocolate brand in the world, with over 20 million Facebook likes. Ferrero Rocher received the wrong kind of publicity last month when an American woman found her treats were loaded with small maggots, with every treat in the box being affected. The company claimed it was likely the result of improper storage and that it would investigate fully.

3. Skittles – 23.53 million Facebook likes

Mars, which has more brands on this list than any other company, also owns the third-most popular brand, Skittles. The colorful fruit-flavored candies became a symbolic rallying cry against racial profiling following the Trayvon Martin shooting, as they were being carried by the victim. Skittles is the most popular chewy candy in the U.S in 2017 according to Statista.

2. Pringles – 24.77 million Facebook likes

Despite not being nearly as popular as some other chip brands in the U.S, Kellogg Company (NYSE:K)‘s Pringles is the most popular chip brand in the world on social media. Pringles, which comes piled up in distinctive tube packaging, did $713 million in sales in the U.S during the one-year period ended June 11, less than half of Lay’s sales. Pringles was sold to Kellogg by Procter & Gamble Co (NYSE:PG) in 2012.

1. Oreo – 42.93 million Facebook likes

Mondelez International Inc. (NASDAQ:MDLZ) tops the list of the 15 most popular snack brands in the world with its beloved Oreo cookies. Oreo has been the best selling cookie in the U.S for an incredible 105 years, since its introduction in 1912, and does about three-times more in annual sales than the next-most popular cookie. Oreo sales have more than doubled in the past decade, to over $3 billion.

Were there any surprises on our list? Any glaring omissions? Share your favorite snacks with our readers in the comments.

Disclosure: None