The Food Chain · BBC World Service

Snackification: Our love affair with snacks

·26 min·2 clips

Archaeologists found 7000-year-old popcorn in South American caves, making it one of humanity's oldest snacks.

Host Ruth Alexander explores the global snack industry and its cultural shift from occasional treat to daily staple. She is joined by food historian Dr. Annie Gray, business historian Professor Janice Thiessen, former Unilever CEO Paul Polman, and Snack Food Association CEO Christine Cochran. The episode traces snacking's history, its industrial evolution, and its current trillion-dollar market scale. Dr. Annie Gray explains the word "snack" originated as a term for a shared portion and became associated with working-class, on-the-go eating by the 18th century. Archaeologists have found evidence of popcorn consumption in South American caves dating back nearly 7,000 years. Professor Janice Thiessen details how post-World War II economic growth and packaging innovations, like nitrogen-flushed bags, enabled the consolidation and global spread of chip brands. She recounts how Lay's once gave away free chips in Ontario to drive competitor Old Dutch out of the market. Paul Polman describes his childhood in the 1950s Netherlands with limited snacks, contrasting it with his later work on Pringles at Procter & Gamble, which utilized dehydrated potato waste. Jackson "Snacks" McGinnis, who runs a snack museum, highlights bizarre limited-edition products like sweet potato casserole potato chips and Flamin' Hot Mountain Dew. Market data indicates U.S. adults snack about four times daily, while children snack around five times. Christine Cochran states snacks are seen as an "affordable luxury" and that weight-loss drugs have created a new consumer segment seeking portion-controlled, functional snacks. She reveals companies conduct extreme consumer research, including taking executives to raves to observe late-night snacking behaviors. Listeners from Argentina and India describe traditional snacks like chipa and samosa, noting the tension between homemade foods and the convenience of packaged alternatives. Paul Polman estimates the global snack market is now worth $1.2 to $1.5 trillion and could nearly double by 2035. He argues healthier snack products, like RX Bar or Chobani, can be equally profitable if they taste good and meet consumer needs. The episode presents a historical and economic narrative, weaving expert analysis with personal anecdotes and global listener contributions. Its tone is educational and investigative, balancing macro-trends with human-scale stories. This episode will appeal to listeners interested in food history, business strategy, and the cultural anthropology of everyday habits. Those seeking a purely culinary or recipe-focused discussion might find the industrial and corporate focus less engaging.

As heard by us

How convenience, product design, and scale turned snacks into a vast business.

Snackification treats the snack aisle as a business story, not a lifestyle trend. It starts with a 1950s Netherlands childhood built around basic meals, milk, cheese, and soup, then moves to shelves where convenience, flavor, and novelty have turned casual eating into a huge…

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You want the business story behind the bag of crisps and other shelf snacks.

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