According to ResearchAndMarkets’ ‘Middle East and North Africa Extruded Snack Food Market: Industry Trends, Share, Size, Growth, Opportunity and Forecast 2018-2023’ report, the MENA extruded snack food market reached almost USD 2 billion in 2017.  Looking forward, the market value is projected to reach USD 2.5 billion by 2023, expanding at a CAGR of more than four percent during 2018-2023.

Extrusion cooking is one of the most popular processes to prepare snacks and ready-to-eat foods by using a variety of ingredients such as corn, tapioca, oats, potatoes, wheat, etc. After extrusion, these snacks are processed and converted into semi-cooked or pre-cooked food products. This helps in the elimination of toxins and micro-organisms produced naturally while making these snacks healthier as well as safer for consumption. In recent years, extruded snack foods have witnessed strong growth in the MENA region.

In the MENA region, rapid industrialization and urbanization have resulted in a significant shift towards western food cultures. This remains one of the primary forces catalyzing the growth of the market. In addition, the region represents one of the fastest growing populations across the globe. This coupled by low median age groups and rising disposable incomes have positively influenced the growth of this market.