Global snack food trade routes illustrated on a world map with cargo ships and airplanes
Something unusual is happening in the global snack aisle. A product that, just five years ago, was largely confined to Chinese convenience stores and schoolyard snack counters is now showing up in specialty grocers in London, TikTok viral compilations in Los Angeles, and supermarket shelves across Southeast Asia. That product is latiao — and its overseas trajectory is only the most visible sign of a much broader shift in how the world snacks.
The Numbers Behind the Trend
The global snack market surpassed USD 1.2 trillion in 2025 and is on track to reach USD 1.3 trillion in 2026, according to industry estimates. Within that figure, imported snacks are growing at 8–10% annually — roughly twice the pace of domestic snack categories, which expand at 4–5%. The message is clear: consumers are actively seeking out snacks from elsewhere, and retailers are rewarding that curiosity with shelf space.
China's leisure snack exports grew 17% in the first half of 2026 alone. The latiao segment has been a standout performer. Chinese Ministry of Commerce data shows a 35% surge in latiao exports for the 2025–2026 fiscal year. The category is now shipped to more than 160 countries. Hong Kong-listed Weilong, China's largest latiao producer, reported overseas revenue of 117 million yuan (approximately EUR 15 million) in 2025 — a nearly 50% increase over 2024. On TikTok, the hashtag #latiao has accumulated over 4.1 billion views, turning a niche ingredient into a social-media-driven discovery engine.
The broader spicy sticks market was valued at USD 1.25 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 2.01 billion by 2032, a 7.0% CAGR. Europe currently accounts for USD 62.5 million of that market — a small base but one with significant headroom as awareness builds.
Konjac: The Quiet Plant-Based Growth Story
If latiao is the loud, viral success story, konjac is the quieter, structurally driven one. The global konjac market stood at USD 1.38 billion in 2025 and is forecast to grow at a 6.9% CAGR, reaching USD 2.06 billion by 2031, according to TechSci Research published by Research and Markets. The konjac snacks sub-segment is growing even faster, at an 8.25% CAGR, projected to hit USD 2.7 billion by 2032.
Europe is central to this story. The region represents approximately 22% of the global konjac market, with Germany as the largest single European market (4.48% global share), followed by France (3.03%), the UK (2.70%), and Italy (2.28%). European food manufacturers are increasingly using konjac-derived hydrocolloids to meet clean-label and nutrition reformulation targets, while EFSA's continued approval of glucomannan for weight-management applications — when labeling standards are met — supports consumer confidence.
What SIAL Paris 2026 Tells Us About the Direction of Travel
The trends converging at SIAL Paris this year confirm that spicy and plant-based are not passing fads. SIAL's 2026 Insights White Paper identifies health, pleasure, and sustainability as the three forces reshaping the food sector. Within "pleasure," the exhibition's analysis records a 22.8% rise in products highlighting spicy flavor profiles and a 28% global increase in products promoting taste intensity on pack. The "swicy" (sweet + spicy) flavor hybrid has been flagged by multiple food industry analysts as a breakout direction for 2026, driven by consumers seeking novelty without abandoning familiarity.
For exporters like LAKEXIXI, the implication is straightforward. The market conditions — consumer curiosity, social-media visibility, regulatory clarity, and a growing plant-based aisle — have aligned in a way that makes this the right moment to establish a presence in Europe. The companies that succeed will be those that pair authentic flavor with certified production, flexible packaging, and the willingness to adapt to local retail norms.
Sources: Mordor Intelligence, TechSci Research / Research and Markets, PW Consulting, SIAL Paris 2026 Insights, France 24, Chinese Ministry of Commerce, TikTok Creative Center.