In this article, we are going to discuss 15 easy party snacks to buy for adults. You can skip our detailed analysis of the history of the food service industry, good party foods to buy, innovations in the supermarket shopping experience, challenges faced by the grocery industry, rise of online grocery shopping, and go directly to 5 Easy Party Snacks to Buy for Adults.
Food service has developed and evolved over the centuries, with many new ways of preparing and serving food emerging in recent years. The first evidence of the food service industry can be traced back to the Sumerian period, in 3000 BC. In ancient Mohenjo-Daro, a recent excavation in Pakistan shows evidence that people ate in restaurant-type facilities that were equipped with stone ovens and stoves for quantity food preparation.
In the following centuries, the food service industry grew rapidly and became an important part of the economy. Global caloric consumption has also grown as we have been able to drastically increase food production due to agricultural mechanization. As we mentioned in our article – 20 Most Profitable Food Businesses in the World – global caloric consumption will grow from 2,789 kilocalories in 2000 per person, to 3,139 kilocalories by 2050, an increase of 12%.
Good Party Foods to Buy:
Everyone enjoys a good party but party planning, on the other hand, may be quite a hassle. One of the easiest ways to glamorize your food is to plate it aesthetically. A beautiful garnishing will make even the most ordinary food look mouth-watering. Providing your guests with proteins by serving meat or seafood meals is always a good idea.
You can find a lot of frozen food options that are easily prepared in a few minutes. Your guests would also need some flavorful crunchies to munch on, so make sure to have snacks like nuts, crackers, chips, or other salty finger foods. It’s also important to complement items from different snack categories with sauces, and other party dips and spreads.
If you’re worried about what food to serve your guests, we have mentioned some great ideas in this list of Easy Store-Bought Party Snacks for Adults.
Innovations in the Supermarket Shopping Experience:
Despite the wave of digital transformation spreading throughout the retail sector, the supermarket shopping experience has largely remained the same. In the wake of the pandemic, online grocery shopping has certainly become more popular, but the majority of the people still prefer buying groceries at physical stores.
Shopping carts are an essential part of the grocery shopping experience. Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) announced in 2022 that it was launching its smart grocery carts at a Whole Foods store in Massachusetts. The Dash Cart, introduced in 2020, tracks and tallies up items as shoppers place them in the cart, enabling them to skip the checkout line.
Voice-based ordering is another trend that the supermarkets are catching up on, by offering consumers the ability to order goods through their voice-assistants and pick them up in-store. For example, Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) partnered with Google before the pandemic to offer customers the ability to order groceries through Google’s voice assistant.
The Just Walk Out technology by Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) was perhaps the biggest leap in the supermarket shopping experience in recent years. The technology allows shoppers to identify themselves upon entering a store by scanning a QR code or their palms on a scanner. After that, they shop as usual and instead of checking out at a counter, they can simply walk out of the store. Their Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) accounts are billed automatically and they receive a digital receipt online
Challenges Faced by the Grocery Industry:
The grocery industry continues to face a number of challenges, such as rising supply chain costs, labor and raw material shortages, geopolitical conflicts, changes in consumer behavior and expectations, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. Food prices are at an all-time high due to global inflation, with consumers reducing their overall spending. Grocery retailers today need to transform in order to navigate these challenges and meet consumer demands.
Two of the largest supermarket chains in the U.S. hope to join forces as inflation pushes food prices higher. Grocery giant The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) announced plans last year to acquire Idaho-based Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) in a $24.6 billion deal. If it is approved by officials, the deal could reshape the U.S. supermarket landscape and create a corporate behemoth that collectively generates $209 billion in yearly revenue and operates nearly 5,000 stores. The acquisition, aimed, in part, to take on Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT), will allow the grocers to save millions in operating costs and have stronger bargaining power with suppliers. The complex deal would pay all shareholders of Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) $34.1 a share.
Rise of Online Grocery Shopping:
Over the past few years, e-commerce in the American grocery industry has continued to mature and scale, mainly accelerated because of the restrictions placed during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to a study by Verified Market Research, the U.S. online grocery market size was valued at $29.4 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $59.94 billion by 2030, with a solid CAGR of 9.31% from 2024 to 2030.
The main drivers of e-commerce growth during the pandemic were convenience and safety, but research indicates that consumers also value the channel’s unique features, such as product comparisons, assortment, personalized promotions, and a growing preference for comfort.
Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) was the big winner in 2022 as more and more people shifted to online grocery shopping, looking for ways to save a buck. Consumers were driven by what the researchers term ‘flight to value’, where they buy products via an ‘everyday low price’ pricing model employed at Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT).
With that said, let's head over to the list of the Easiest Party Snacks to Buy for Adults.
15 Easy Party Snacks to Buy for Adults
Pixabay/Public Domain
Methodology:
To collect data for this article, we have referred to several sources, such as Dwell & Dine, Real Simple, Greatist etc., looking for easy party snack ideas for adults. In the end, we picked Easy Party Snacks to Buy that were mentioned recurrently in these sources, and are easily available at supermarkets like Walmart, Costco, Whole Foods and Target.
If you’re also seeking to invest in the food industry, please refer to our article 10 Cheap Food Stocks to Buy.
15. Whole Foods Potato and Pea Samosas
Available at Whole Foods for: $2.69
A pack of 8 flavorful, frozen samosas that are filled with a savory combination of potatoes and peas that have been slow-roasted in fragrant herbs and spices, like cumin, garam masala, coriander, and turmeric, can be a delicious snack choice. Like any good samosas, these are a tad spicy and are deliciously paired with a cooling green chutney, like one made from coriander or mint. These vegan-friendly Indian delights can be prepared in only 12-14 minutes in an oven or a deep-fryer, and are a tasty treat for your guests to relish.
14. Taste of the South Triple Cheddar Pimento Cheese
Available at Walmart for: $4.32
Having some delicious dips and sauces is an essential in any list of easy party snacks to buy for adults. Great on sandwiches, burgers or as a scoop on a blue plate special, this dip comes in a 10 oz container and blends together three types of cheddar, pimento peppers and Taste of the South’s signature southern seasoning blend. You’ll also love this classic southern dip recipe with some crackers, pita chips, crunchy carrots, and celery sticks, to make an easy no-cook finger food for parties. Taste of the South Dips provides a variety of great-tasting, premium, ready-to-eat dips, that are now available at over 3,000 locations of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT).
According to Fortune Business Insights, the global dips and spreads market size was valued at $85.6 billion in 2021, and is projected to grow to $132.2 billion by 2029, with a CAGR of 5.43% during the forecast period.
13. Mama Geraldine’s Chipotle Cheddar Cheese Straws
Available at Walmart for: $3.96
Oven baked to crunchy perfection, these are traditional southern cheese straws with a spicy kick. Mama Geraldine’s snacking cheese straws are made with 12-month aged premium Wisconsin Cheddar and are a perfect addition to your next charcuterie board, paired with your favorite wine, or also just enjoyed right out of the bag. These low calorie, sugar free crunchies are a healthy last minute party snack to buy.
Cathy Cunningham, the CEO and founder of Mama Geraldine’s Bodacious Food Company, came up with the idea while snacking on some expensive cheese bites one night and believed that they were not nearly as good as the ones her mother, Geraldine Cunningham, used to make. She then decided to make a business out of her mom’s recipe.
12. Kirkland Signature Shrimp Cocktail
Available at Costco for: $13.99
The Kirkland Signature shrimp tray with cocktail sauce and lemon is the best party snack to buy at Costco and worth every penny. The fully cooked, peeled shrimps come with a zesty cocktail sauce and lemon wedges. Each package of this super easy and classic appetizer is about 1.5 pounds and will be the first thing your guests beeline towards.
The Kirkland Signature brands brought in close to $60 billion in 2021 for Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST), about 25% of total revenue of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST). The goal of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) is to make Kirkland’s products ‘equal or better quality than national brands’ while striving for comparative savings of at least 20%.
11. Archer Farms Sweet Cajun Trail Mix
Available at Target for: $4.49
Made with butter toffee peanuts, spicy seasoned peanuts, Cajun sesame sticks, roasted salted corn kernels and honey roasted sesame sticks, this mix offers sweet pops of flavor amidst a heap of crunch. The resealable stand-up bag makes it easy to store and keep the mix fresh, while the 11-ounce size makes it an inexpensive snack for large groups, providing enough mix for your guests to munch on, while they enjoy their drinks.
Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) has confirmed that it is phasing out Archer Farms and slowly replacing it with its new store brand Good and Gather, which has been around since 2019.
10. Whole Foods Spanakopita
Available at Whole Foods for: $7.69
Next up on our list of Easy Party Snacks to Buy for Adults is the Greek-inspired combo of spinach, flaky phyllo dough and cheese. There are three cheeses – feta, cream cheese and ricotta – that work their magic inside these pillows of hors d’oeuvre deliciousness.
These Mediterranean treats can be prepared easily in a conventional oven in 20-25 minutes, and are a great snack for a party at home.
9. Hormel Gatherings Supreme Party Tray
Available at Walmart for: $19.42
Hormel Gatherings Supreme Party Trays are your entertaining go-to for any get-together, big or small. This 39.7 oz tray comes with crowd-favorite deli meats, Genoa and hard salami, paired with pepper jack and Havarti cheeses, pitted Peloponnese olives and crackers. The party tray is a good snack food for a party, as it requires no serving platter and no prep, so you can serve without fuss.
Shares of Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL) inched 0.9% higher to $40.22 on June 30th, short $11.47 of its 52-week high of $51.69, which the company achieved on August 26th 2022.
8. Marketside Jalapeño Artichoke Dip
Available at Walmart for: $5.54
Vegetables with dips are usually the cheapest food to serve at a party and this jalapeño artichoke dip is the perfect crowd pleaser. Made with cream cheese, parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, jalapeño peppers, artichoke hearts and sour cream, this flavorful dip is ideal for veggies, game-day appetizers, or for parties of any kind. Marketside is a private brand owned by Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT).
7. Hebrew National Beef Franks in a Puff Pastry Blanket
Available at Walmart for: $18.33
Making pigs in a blanket from scratch may be quite tedious, but with these frozen beef franks in puff pastry, all you have to do is bake them in the oven until the puff pastry is golden brown. If you really want to get fancy, you can even put a toothpick in each one. Each beef frank is made with premium cuts of 100% kosher beef and you get 33 of them in this box of 18.4 oz, which coupled with a charcuterie board, a couple of dips, and a few other snacks, is even enough to feed a party of 12.
It was reported in 2021 that America’s largest beef producer, Brazil’s JBS S.A. was in talks with Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE:CAG) to acquire Hebrew National, but nothing appeared to have come of it.
6. SuperPretzel Frozen Pretzel Bites with Jalapeño Cheese
Available at Target for: $5.49
Pretzels are obviously among the top 10 party snacks in our list of party snack ideas for adults. Serving full-size soft pretzels may not be the best idea because they’ll likely be on the table with lots of other goodies, and they can be pretty filling. So opting for a bite-sized option is a great way to bring pretzels on the menu, and these even come with 2 jalapeño cheese dip packets.
SuperPretzel is owned and marketed by the New Jersey-based J&J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF). It was revealed last year that J&J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) also closed the acquisition of flash frozen ice cream beads manufacturer Dippin’ Dots for $222 million. Some other brands owned by J&J Snack Foods Corp. (NASDAQ:JJSF) include Mary B’s biscuits and dumplings, and Icee and Slush Puppie frozen drinks.
