What’s trending in snacks? Better-for-you popcorn!
Better-for-you popcorn is surging with 15.2M TikTok plays, and 74K+ monthly searches for LesserEvil popcorn.
Granularity is a platform that leverages AI to predict product trends from social media and search engines.
What’s Trending?
Better-for-you Popcorn:
Consumers are looking for more than just butter popcorn. They’re turning to options like Himalayan salt popcorn, coconut oil popcorn, and organic popcorn. Himalayan salt popcorn and coconut oil popcorn reached four year highs in searches in April 2025. TikTok videos on the topics already have over 15.2 million plays in 2025.
One brand driving this trend is LesserEvil, which has gained national momentum for its organic, oil-popped popcorn made with coconut oil and Himalayan salt. Lesser Evil popcorn has reached 74,000 searches in January after two years of near 100% growth in year-over-year searches since 2023.
Videos like this one and this are racking up thousands of views, with creators praising the brand’s clean ingredients and satisfying flavour.
Insights
- Potential acquisition by Hershey: Hershey recently announced plans to acquire LesserEvil, a move signaling the long-term potential of this category. Hershey is looking to expand its focus in multi-category, better-for-you snacks.
- Marketing campaigns around mindful snacking: LesserEvil's national marketing push (its first ever) focuses on mindful snacking and wellness messaging—two themes that resonate strongly with gen Z and millennial shoppers. (Modern Retail)
- Trending ingredients: With coconut oil, Himalayan salt, and organic certifications, this popcorn serves multiple dietary lifestyles (gluten-free, non-GMO, paleo), giving retailers flexibility to cross-merchandise or build out better-for-you snacking sets.
How can trend predictions enhance your decision-making?
- Identifying gaps in product assortment: Assess how well your product lineup captures emerging trends and identifies market gaps.
- Optimizing marketing and promotions: Tailor marketing strategies based on how consumers use products, adapting to relevant terms, locations, and interested markets.
- Validating brand pitches: Utilize data to filter through product pitches to hone into the new products that matter. Test products based on market data rather than a gut instinct.
