Have you ever wondered what approach your peers take to stocking their break rooms with corporate snacks? How are other HR and office managers thinking about snacking? What do their employees want? These are questions worth thinking about, because food has the power to change your office culture.
A 2025 ezCater survey of 1,000 American workers found that “food-related perks are the No. 1 incentive to work on-site more frequently, more popular than education benefits, commuter stipends, and generous vacation time.” Used strategically, free food also improved the workplace experience for the employees surveyed and helped them feel more connected to their coworkers.
To answer your snack trend questions, The FruitGuys surveyed almost 150 decision-makers at workplaces we serve across the country. Some of their answers were expected (the most popular drink in the workplace is…drumroll please…coffee!), but others surprised us.
Here are just three important findings:
When you dig into the numbers, there’s even more to uncover. Let’s take a closer look.
According to HR and office managers, when their employees are feeling snacky, they look for bites that tick these boxes first:
This fits the trends that The FruitGuys has seen in corporate snack delivery. An increasing number of companies are interested in fresh fruit for the office—a snack that’s naturally sweet and gluten-free. And our clients are big fans of the meat sticks and protein bars in our office snack mixes, too.
“It’s reassuring that the trends we buyers see at trade shows and in the stores are spilling over into the workplace,” said Daria Jackson, snack category manager at The FruitGuys.
“Over the last year, we’ve slowly shifted our sourcing to prioritize exactly what employees are now asking for—snacks that are high in protein, low in sugar, and truly keep them energized through the day.”
These findings also mirror larger trends in the food space. As the New York Times writes, we’re in the midst of a “protein boom”, with brands competing to pack the most protein into a single bar and popular physician influencers like Dr. Peter Attia pushing for high-protein diets to help us live longer.
Interest in sugary snacks is on the wane in the general population, too. In the summer of 2024, the International Food Information Council found that 66% of Americans were trying to limit their sugar intake.
Coffee is still king in the workplace, with 98.67% of decision-makers reporting that their employees drink it in the office. Water came in second place (97.3%) in our survey, followed by tea (89.7%), soda (77.4%), and water with flavorings or enhancements (67.1%).
For this question, The FruitGuys gave decision-makers the option to write in more of their employees’ go-to drinks in the “other” category. Of the 29 write-ins, the most popular were:
*Other respondents may have considered this part of the coffee category.
Only two respondents wrote in kombucha, showing that the kombucha craze of the 2010s is truly fading. A few of our favorite surprising write-ins: coconut water and chocolate milk!
Finally, we asked HR and office managers to share the top three things they look for when shopping for corporate snacks. Flavor was their first priority (84.8%), followed by price (77.9%) and allergy-friendly ingredients (55.9%).
This shows that decision-makers are working hard to balance the employee experience (flavor and allergy-friendly ingredients) with their internal priorities (price). Ultimately, the employee experience comes out on top—so they’re putting their workers first.
Employees choose healthy corporate snacks first, especially options that have low/no/natural sugar, are high-protein, or are gluten-free. Here are a few snacks that fit the bill:
The FruitGuys makes it easy to bring snacks like these to the office with our fresh fruit delivery boxes and healthy office snack mixes. You can schedule one-time or recurring deliveries to take the hassle of snack shopping off your plate, knowing you’re giving your team what they want.
Decision-makers told us that protein snacks were their employees’ No. 2 choice in the workplace, and protein drinks were one of the most popular write-in options in the drink portion of our survey.
To keep your team happy while protein is trending, make sure you’re stocking plenty of protein-rich options in your break room. Look for an office snack mix that includes low-sugar, high-protein bites (The FruitGuys’ Thoughtful Snack Box fits the bill).
For more protein snack ideas, check out our lists of protein-packed snacks and the best fruits for protein.
Price matters, but most decision-makers are willing to spend a bit more on their teams for a great flavor experience. That choice makes sense considering how much power good food has to bring workers into the office and keep them happy.
“We constantly hear from our clients that they’re looking for new things that inspire and delight. The fruit and snacks in our mixes rotate every week to give them that variety, and those new flavors bring staff to the break room where they can engage and connect,” said Erin Mittelstaedt, CEO of The FruitGuys. “It’s a small thing with a big impact.”
Ultimately, the corporate snacks you choose matter, so use our insights to pick wisely—or let The FruitGuys’ curated mixes of low-sugar, high-protein, fiber-rich snacks do the work for you.
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