The price of 1 jin of sunflower seeds is more expensive than pork. The high-end roasted snack prices have surged to 200 yuan per jin.

“Snacks are now scarier than stocks” “Is this Xueji Jewelry Store or a snack shop?” As the 2026 Spring Festival approaches, many netizens are complaining about high-end snacks on social media.

On January 28, a reporter from the 21st Century Business Herald visited Xueji Snacks and found that basic freshly made snacks like sunflower seeds and peanuts are sold at 23.8 yuan per jin, while nut products such as pistachios, freshly roasted cashews, and open-shell pine nuts are close to 100 yuan per jin, with hand-peeled pine nuts reaching as high as 218 yuan per jin. As of now, the average price of pork is around 10 yuan per jin.

Xueji Snacks original flavor freshly made sunflower seeds sold at 23.8 yuan per jin

A jin of sunflower seeds costs more than pork, high-end nuts break through 200 yuan per jin. From street stalls to upscale shopping malls, why are snacks selling at such high prices?

High-end nuts approaching 200 yuan per jin

Xueji Snacks becomes the “Snack Assassin”

Consumers’ perceptions of snacks are constantly being refreshed: products like nuts, dried fruits, and candied fruits often sell for dozens to hundreds of yuan per jin, and trendy brands’ prices are even higher.

On social media, Xueji Snacks is nicknamed by netizens as “Xueji Jewelry Store,” “Hermès of Snacks,” “Snack Assassin,” due to its pricing. As of January 28, on Xiaohongshu alone, the “Xueji Jewelry” topic has over 30 million views.

Netizens share their receipts

A reporter from the 21st Century Business Herald conducted an on-site visit and found that the prices of Xueji Snacks are indeed high, with many fruit and vegetable snacks exceeding 100 yuan per jin, and many shell-off nuts approaching 200 yuan per jin. On social media, some consumers complain that they bought three slices of pork jerky for 50 yuan.

Xueji Snacks freeze-dried strawberries at 138 yuan per jin; freshly roasted pine nut kernels at 198 yuan per jin

On social media, consumers post photos of three slices of Xueji Snacks pork jerky priced at 50 yuan

Not only Xueji Snacks, but Qiwang Peanuts, which is often opened in shopping mall kiosks, also prices its products similarly, with nut prices nearly exceeding 100 yuan per jin.

What is the reason behind the frequent appearance of luxury prices for high-end snacks?

First, it’s due to consumption upgrades—after high-end snack brands enter malls, costs like rent and decoration are passed on to the prices. Second, it’s due to upgrades in raw materials and craftsmanship—for example, Xueji Snacks claims to strictly control the number of sunflower seeds to 2000 per jin. There’s also the Spring Festival supply and demand factor—sunflower seeds, as a New Year necessity, see a short-term surge in demand.

The reactions of ordinary consumers are quite interesting: some say sunflower seeds have become “luxury goods,” lamenting that they are more expensive than meat. But at the same time, there is consumer segmentation—some buy high-end sunflower seeds for novelty at 23 yuan. On the afternoon of January 28, when a reporter visited Xueji Snacks’ offline stores, they found many young people queuing to buy.

Consumers queue up to buy Xueji Snacks

Over-the-top nut gift boxes become the top trend for Spring Festival consumption

From classic sunflower seeds and peanuts to increasingly popular pistachios, almonds, and macadamia nuts, these have become essential items for Spring Festival gifts, with nut gift boxes firmly holding the “King of New Year Gifts” throne.

According to the International Nut and Dried Fruit Organization, Chinese people consume 8 million tons of nut kernels annually, accounting for 15% of the world’s nut production.

The iMedia Research report “Development Status and Consumer Trends of China’s Nut and Snack Market 2025–2026” shows that in 2024, nut snacks ranked first among consumer choices for Spring Festival gift boxes, accounting for 42.3% of the market share, far surpassing traditional categories like candies and pastries. This means that for every two consumers buying New Year gift boxes, one chooses a nut gift box.

Fenggua data also shows that in 2025, nut gift boxes/gift sets ranked first in the popularity of snack categories. From 2023 to 2025, December through January of the following year, nut snacks are in peak sales. As the 2026 Spring Festival approaches, the popularity of nut gift boxes continues to soar. Since the launch of the New Year’s Festival on December 29, 2025, Nut gift box sales under Hema have increased by 168% year-on-year.

The popularity of snacks is no longer limited to short-term spikes during the Spring Festival. Snacks like sunflower seeds and nuts, once only purchased during the New Year, are now gradually penetrating various daily consumption scenarios, becoming a core choice for casual snacks.

iMedia Research data shows that over 80% of consumers spend between 20 and 100 yuan per month on nut snacks, with the highest proportion of consumers purchasing at least once a month.

In 2024, China’s nut snack market size exceeded 300 billion yuan, and is expected to further rise to 428.3 billion yuan by 2029, creating a market increase of over 100 billion yuan in five years.

Snack gift boxes become the main target of consumer complaints

In the A-share market, foodies have “eaten” three listed companies mainly engaged in nuts and snacks: Qiaqia Food, Ganyuan Food, and Three Squirrels. In the first three quarters of 2025, these three companies together generated revenue of over 13.7 billion yuan.

The industry’s continuous growth has led to a differentiated brand landscape. Currently, the mainstream snack brands on the market can be divided into two categories: one represented by Qiaqia Food and Three Squirrels, which are pre-packaged snack brands; the other represented by Xueji Snacks, Qiwang Peanuts, and similar brands that focus on freshly made snacks. As of January 28, data from Narrow Gate Restaurant shows that Xueji Snacks has 1,144 stores, and Qiwang Peanuts has 513 stores.

Freshly made snacks attract young consumers mainly for two reasons: first, the freshness brought by made-to-order snacks, precisely targeting young people’s taste buds. Freshly fried snacks better meet consumers’ core demand for food freshness in terms of color, aroma, and taste; second, the social attribute is maximized. Most freshly made snack stores are located near malls and office buildings, with minimalist and exquisite decor, creating a light-luxury snack shop atmosphere, becoming a new spot for young people to check in and consume.

However, as the snack market continues to soar, problems behind the industry are gradually emerging. On one hand, product homogenization is worsening. Mainstream snack brands tend to have highly similar flavors, with many brands launching similar products at close times; on the other hand, brand premium pricing and flashy snack gift boxes have become major sources of consumer complaints.

On January 26, according to Daily Economic News, some netizens found that a “Bai Cao Wei Nut Gift Box” sold on an online shopping platform claimed to weigh 958 grams, but 660 grams of that were beverages, with only 33 grams of actual walnuts.

Searching for the same product on Bai Cao Wei’s official flagship store, the product images show nuts like cashews, macadamia nuts, and walnuts. The product has multiple weight options such as 958 grams and 1366 grams. When viewing the detailed images, the specific contents of the gift box are visible, but neither the product name nor the main image shows beverages.

Such behavior not only infringes on consumers’ right to information and fair trade but also deepens the public’s impression that “snacks are expensive.” The snacks during Spring Festival carry not only the taste of the New Year but also the public’s consumption expectations. The snack industry can only maintain quality, innovate products, and adhere to fair and transparent pricing to sell at good prices, retain consumers, and ensure that the festive flavor doesn’t turn into “expensive taste.”

(Article source: 21st Century Business Herald)