Rice and popcorn cake sales jumped 319.9% in dollars and 354.4% in units in convenience stores for the 52-week period ending May 17, according to market research firm Circana. The figure signals a broader shift: shoppers are trading longtime snack staples for functional ingredients and bolder flavors, and retailers and vendors are responding.

Snack bars, granola bars and clusters grew 10.3% in dollar sales and 3.6% in units over the same period, Circana reported. Jerky posted a 4.8% dollar increase on a slim 0.2% gain in units. The rice cake spike likely also reflects a drop in price per unit, the data showed.

Not every salty snack shared in the growth. Tortilla and tostade chips, other corn snacks, cheese snacks and pretzels all increased in unit sales. Potato chips fell 3.1% in units, and other salted snacks excluding nuts dropped 13.7%. Ready-to-eat popcorn and caramel corn, along with pork rinds, also posted unit declines.

Sweet snacks softened too. Cookies dropped 2.2% in units, and fruit snacks followed with a 2.1% decline.

FriendShip Stores, which operates 31 locations in Ohio, sees the health trend hitting its shelves directly. "The trends we are seeing are items that have protein and fiber listed on packaging. Customers are looking for products with less ingredients and cleaner ingredients. Another trend is items bringing a nostalgic feeling back to customers," said Natalie Goldsmith, category manager for FriendShip.

Label-claim data backs her up. Consumer insights company Brightfield Group found that high fiber increased as a label claim c-store shoppers look for in food and beverage by 5% from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026. Low sugar climbed 5.8%, and protein interest rose 2.7%.

Roadtrac, a Texas-based chain with 25 stores and five more under construction to open within the next year, has watched customers prioritize protein-based snacks. Beef jerky, protein bars, trail mix and protein chips have grown in popularity there. The retailer responded by expanding inventory of protein bars, beef jerky and meat sticks.

"And there's so many new players to the game now, so that's a new thing that these consumers are really wanting to target, especially being health conscious nowadays," said Zain Sunesara, partner at Roadtrac Stores.

Both chains point to another force behind functional snacking: GLP-1 users. These customers want items high in protein and fiber, Goldsmith noted. She expects protein-heavy items to keep landing on shelves because customer demand won't slow any time soon.

Brightfield Group data further shows that year-over-year purchases of items such as individually wrapped snacking cheese and crackers in the convenience channel outpaced the general population. Energy snacks grew 2% for the period, and caffeinated snack bars lifted 1.1%.

Indulgence still sells, though. The same Brightfield Group data found purchases of regular packaged cookies and packaged snack cakes in the convenience channel also outpacing the general population. For c-store operators, the takeaway from Goldsmith is straightforward: protein demand will keep shaping assortment decisions into the year ahead.