Puffed Food Market Size and Share Outlook - Forecast Trends and Growth Analysis Report (2025-2034)

The global puffed food market is being driven by rising health consciousness. Aided by the rising demand for plant-based snacks, the market is expected to witness a further growth in the forecast period of 2025-2034, growing at a CAGR of 7.00%.

Growing Consumption of Snacks and Packaged Food Products to Drive the Growth of the Global Market for Puffed Food

Puffed rice and corns serve as a popular choice for application in breakfast cereal or snack foods. They are consumed in the preparation of popular street foods. Puffed rice is prepared by heating rice kernels under high pressure with the help of steam. The growing demand for packed puffed foods like popcorns, baked snacks, and others is significantly contributing to the growth of the segments. The demand for wheat in the preparation of puffed foods is also increasing due to the growing focus of consumers to reduce their fat intake. Wheat is a good source of copper, protein, and iron. Meanwhile, the growing awareness regarding the benefits of other grain types like sorghum, ragi, coupled with the rise in their consumption by the manufacturers to produce different formulations is expected to further aid the industry growth.

The Asia-Pacific to Provide Enhanced Growth Opportunities for the Expansion of the Puffed Food Industry

The Asia-Pacific is expected to account for a significant share in the market over the forecast period due to the changing dietary pattern of the consumers. The high consumption of puffed food products in nations like India and China owing to the growing indulgence of the young population in street foods and snacks like cheese doodles is driving the product demand in the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, as puffed food products are prepared from different grains, which provide enhanced nutrition content, it is preferred by health-conscious consumers as well. The rising disposable incomes in the region are supporting the growth of the industry.

Puffed Food: Market Segmentation

Puffed food is primarily consumed by humans and has several health benefits. Puffing of food is carried out via the expansion of seed at high temperature, pressure, or extrusion. In this process, the 'puffing' of food product is obtained after the vapour pressure has escaped the micropores of the grain structure due to high pressure or thermal gradient. Commercially, a wide range of cereals and millets are used for puffing.

Based on grain type, the market can be categorised into:

• Wheat
• Rice
• Corn
• Sorghum
• Ragi
• Others

The major product types available in the industry are:

• Fried
• Non-Fried

Based on distribution channel, the industry can be segmented into:

• Supermarkets and Hypermarkets
• Convenience Stores
• Online
• Others

The major application sectors of the product are as follows:

• Bakery
• Snacks
• Others

The regional markets for the product include:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East and Africa

Growing Health Awareness to Augment the Puffed Food Industry Growth

The rising health awareness among consumers is driving the demand for nutritious food products. Puffed food products offer several health benefits as they are a rich source of protein, fibre, magnesium, iron, and potassium, and is prepared from grains. It also has low calories and is easy to digest. Further, puffed food products are also available in non-fried variants, making it ideal for health-conscious consumers. Other factors like busy lifestyle, growing demand for ready to eat food products, thriving retail sector, increase in the number of working women around the world, and escalating consumer disposable incomes are also contributing to the industry growth. Owing to technological advancements, the manufacturers are focusing on product diversification and the use of natural ingredients such as brown rice, honey, jicama, seaweed, and others. Thus, the growing popularity of plant-based snacks with clean labels and authentic ingredients is expected to have a positive effect on the expansion of the global puffed food industry over the forecast period.

Key Industry Players in the Global Puffed Food Market

The report gives a detailed analysis of the following key players in the global puffed food market, covering their competitive landscape, capacity, and latest developments like mergers, acquisitions, and investments, expansions of capacity, and plant turnarounds:

• Kraft Heinz Company
• General Mills Inc
• Frito-Lay North America, Inc.
• Wise Foods, Inc
• Nurture Inc
• Kellogg Company
• Others

The comprehensive report provides an in-depth assessment of the market based on the Porter's five forces model along with giving a SWOT analysis.