The snack landscape in China is undergoing a significant transformation. While traditional Western-style snacks are seeing a growth plateau, Chinese-style snacks are rising. This category reached RMB 90.5 billion in retail value by 2022 and was projected to sustain a CAGR of 9% through 2027. This expansion reflects a fundamental shift in Chinese consumer behavior. Traditional Western-style snacks are experiencing maturity while protein-centric alternatives capture disproportionate market share.
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The market dynamics reveal a unique convergence of cultural heritage and modern consumption patterns. Traditional preservation techniques such as braising, curing, and spicing have been successfully industrialized and repositioned for contemporary lifestyles. The result is a category that bridges China’s culinary traditions with evolving consumer demands for convenience, nutrition, and premium experiences.
The immense scale and growth of spicy meat snacks in China
The market size of meat snacks in China grew continuously from RMB 27.1 billion in 2010 to RMB 73.3 billion in 2024, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 7.1%. The seafood snack market grew by 7.8%, from RMB 5.4 billion in 2010 to RMB 16.1 billion in 2024. Meanwhile, the market size of other savory snacks increased from RMB 35.5 billion in 2010 to RMB 73.4 billion in 2024, a CAGR of about 5.4%.
Spicy variants (辣味零食), as a major component of Chinese flavors, are the best-selling variants on e-commerce platforms. This performance differential reflects deep cultural preferences for complex flavor profiles combining protein density with traditional spicing techniques.
Fragmented meat snacks market in China
The market is highly fragmented, characterized by diverse regional and categorical leaders. Three distinct competitive archetypes have emerged:
Legacy market builders
The rise of guochao and cultural authentication revived the use of traditional preservation techniques, including cured meats (腊肉), Chinese-style sausages (腊肠), and braised foods (卤味) in meat snacks. Some brands successfully standardized regional taste systems (香辣, 麻辣) while achieving portability. This effectively transforms traditional dishes into accessible snack formats. They also leveraged innovation in packaging and distribution to gain the favor of consumers.
The leading meat snack category under this segment is the braised duck part segment. For instance, Zhou Hei Ya (周黑鴨) pioneered modified atmosphere packaging and vacuum sealing technologies. This enables the transformation of traditional braised duck from foodservice to retail formats.
Source: Xiaohongshu @2620273735, Other than selling meat snacks online, Juewei maintains physical stores for customized orders
Juewei (绝味), which also specializes in braised duck parts, leveraged operational scale to capture market share. The brand established 2,200+ dedicated retail locations while capturing early e-commerce market share through Tmall and JD platforms.
Health-focused disruptors
Riding on the wave of wellness trends in 2017, some local brands started offering low-fat, high-protein meat snacks. Ushape (优形) created the ready-to-eat chicken breast subcategory. The brand targets fitness enthusiasts and consumers on weight management plans.
Source: UShape, The brand’s pop-up store in universities to target young consumers who are looking for high-protein snacks
Meanwhile, Mr. Kangaroo differentiated through premium “pull-apart” beef positioning. The specialization secured the brand’s Douyin category leadership for three consecutive years. International entrants such as Tyson and Hormel also capture their market share in first-tier cities.
Category specialists
Some local meat snack brands chose a more focused strategy to compete in the fragmented market. Wang Xiaolu (王小卤) achieved market leadership through a singular focus on braised chicken claws. As such, the brand secured top Tmall and Douyin rankings during the 2023 Singles’ Day events. This approach overcomes breadth disadvantages by establishing an unassailable brand identity synonymous with the product itself and concentrated marketing and supply chain resources.
What drove the rise of meat snacks in China?
Stronger health awareness
The chase for functional nutrition in diet represents the primary growth catalyst. Product formulations of meat snacks in China increasingly incorporate targeted supplementation. For instance, DHA enhancement in fish snacks, such as seafood snacks or fish balls, for children. Easily consumable options such as meat floss and pullable beef strips for aging demographics are also more common. This positions meat snacks as nutritional solutions rather than discretionary indulgences.
Snacks as a meal replacement
Extended working hours (“996” culture) create demand for portable, satiating nutrition that requires minimal preparation time. Meat snacks deliver superior protein density compared to traditional alternatives. Technologies such as vacuum packaging that improve shelf stability have made meat snacks meet the needs of modern consumption patterns. Fitness enthusiasts also rely on high-protein/low-fat variants to achieve their daily protein intake.
Source: Xiaohongshu @94160372975, Tech giants like Bytedance provide meat snacks alongside fruits in the pantry for employees
Snacking as a self-reward
The complex textures and bold flavor profiles of meat snacks provide stress relief and reward mechanisms. Snacking on meat snacks during entertainment and leisure activities has created additional demand occasions beyond individual nutrition or satiety needs. Unlike a simple chocolate bar or potato chip, a meat snack like duck neck, chicken foot, or shredded beef requires active engagement. This demand focuses and pulls the consumers’ minds away from stressors in daily lives.
Challenges in the meat snack market
Fierce price competition
The meat snack market is highly fragmented, which creates margin pressures to secure market share and achieve economies of scale. Moreover, hard-discount retail snack channels like Lyfen and Yiming are prioritizing affordability over brand premium. Smaller manufacturers frequently replicate successful innovations with inferior quality. This undermines consumer trust and category premiumization efforts.
Furthermore, traditional meat snack products, such as braised meat, also face health perception barriers. There are legacy associations of these products with high sodium content and preservatives, which conflict with growing health consciousness. There are also documented regulatory violations, like nitrite content exceeding standards, that trigger consumer safety concerns.
Meat snacks in China: A fragmented market with diverse players
- The meat snack market is expanding rapidly, driven by a consumer shift from Western snacks to traditional Chinese flavors, especially spicy variants.
- Success comes from industrializing traditional recipes (like braised and cured meats) into convenient, modern snack formats that appeal to contemporary lifestyles.
- The market is highly competitive and split between legacy brands, health-focused disruptors, and specialists dominating a single product category.
- Growth is fueled by health trends (high-protein demand), meal replacement needs due to busy schedules, and snacking for pleasure and stress relief.
- The meat snacks industry faces intense price competition and health perception issues related to sodium and preservatives.
