Chex Mix sales rose 19% after flavor and packaging changes as General Mills pushes to expand its small share of the $32 billion salty snack market.
General Mills is finding traction in salty snacks by sharpening flavors and rethinking packaging. Chex Mix retail sales climbed 19% in the year after a product refresh, while the company’s salty snack sales grew 5.2% over the last four quarters in a category that was essentially flat.
A small share, with room to grow
The gains matter because General Mills remains a minor player in a large category. Its salty snacks account for about 1% of the $32 billion U.S. salty snacks market, compared with roughly 50% for category leader PepsiCo. In fiscal 2026, the business generated $760 million of General Mills’ $18.4 billion in sales.
Ben Irby, president of General Mills’ snacks business, said the company’s products are now in nearly 16% of U.S. households, up from about 14% a year earlier. He said the business is gaining dollar and volume share for General Mills, even as total category sales remain largely unchanged.
“All of a sudden, we can now compete with some of the big players,” Irby said. He credited an “underdog mentality” among the team and said the recent growth suggests the business has more room to expand.
Chex Mix gets a sharper identity
The company’s push began after taste tests exposed gaps between its snacks and competing products. Some brands matched rivals on flavor and packaging when General Mills needed to stand out; in other cases, its products were at parity or slightly behind where the company wanted them to be.
Chex Mix posed a particular challenge. Consumers weren’t asking for changes, but comparative testing showed the brand risked blending in with other snacks. Irby recalled that the team argued the product needed investment before it could win more shoppers.
General Mills reworked Chex Mix’s three leading varieties—original, cheesy and bold—by adding flavor-heavy “hero” pieces coated twice and distributed throughout the mix. New packaging calls attention to those pieces, and the brand added a resealable tub.
The results suggest the changes have reached shoppers: the company says Chex Mix retail sales rose 19% after the new flavors and packaging arrived on shelves a year ago. The brand is also being eaten more often in households with children, a group General Mills sees as important to its future growth.
More formats and flavors
General Mills has continued to build on the Chex Mix refresh. In 2026, it introduced a version with M&Ms in convenience stores, responding to interest in salty-sweet combinations. The company said it was the channel’s top new salty snack item in the first half of the year.
Packaging has also expanded across Chex Mix and Gardetto’s, General Mills’ other savory snack mix. Both brands now offer tubs designed for resealing and larger household portions. Gardetto’s also added a honey mustard flavor, aimed at consumer interest in the flavor and the brand’s premium positioning.
Bugles is another target for change, with new product innovations expected to reach stores in 2027. The broader plan reflects General Mills’ effort to make its snack brands more distinctive and fit different occasions, from family gatherings to eating on the go.
Taste remains the test
Irby said he watches how people respond to snacks during meetings: which ones they return to, take home or finish first. He also says the Chex Mix changes have shifted his own habits. “I didn't eat a ton of Chex Mix before this flavor renovation,” he said. “I eat a lot more of it now.”
That personal conversion isn’t the same as a market-wide verdict, but it points to the test General Mills is betting on. In a discretionary category crowded with familiar choices, the company’s progress depends on whether stronger flavors and more useful formats keep turning trial into repeat purchases.
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