Healthy Drinks and Snacks On the Go: Growing Demand for Quick, Healthy, and Tasty Beverages and Desserts

The trend of consuming healthy snacks and drinks outside of home continues to grow as they are quickly ordered at bars or enjoyed while walking down the street.

The reason is simple.

In the frenzy of daily life, people seek small moments of pleasure by choosing options that fit a lifestyle characterized by speed without sacrificing opportunities for tasty and healthy consumption. In perfect healthy style.

In this article, we will see what the main beverages and snacks on the go are that satisfy today’s consumption trends.

In recent times, the Ho.Re.Ca channel has had to adapt its menu offerings to new tastes and lifestyles of consumers by proposing tasty yet “ready-to-go” solutions, even though they are handcrafted.

Today’s demand for out-of-home consumption is becoming increasingly demanding and attentive.

Choices no longer fall only on good quality products, but also on healthy “on-the-go” beverages and snacks that offer indulgent consumption experiences capable of awakening cognitive well-being, satisfying both body and mind simultaneously.

As a result, menus in bars, cafes, ice cream parlors, and bistros are enriched with nutritious yet super tasty food and beverage options, becoming ideal solutions for a delicious break “on the go,” perfect at any time during the day.

Balanced nutrition, fresh and natural ingredients (often plant-based), reduced fat content, sugar-free options, low alcohol, energizing probiotics, and beneficial superfoods that promote health are the must-haves preferred by Millennials and Gen Z.

Because well-being today begins with the choice of quality food and drinks.

Thus, healthy and sustainable products made with functional ingredients represent a super cool choice even for on-the-go snacks and beverages.

In a market dominated by experimentation, personalized offerings, and the search for increasingly unusual and cool consumption experiences, grab-and-go snacks and beverages are gaining popularity. These are available in countless variations and combinations.

Let’s consider the world of ice cream and the boom in ice cream stick snacks, soft serve, cold creams, and frozen desserts. These offerings fall halfway between single portions and finger food, crafted with strictly healthy ingredients:

• Made from fresh seasonal fruit or plant-based components
• Low in sugar
• Rich in nutrients and vitamins

These solutions are delightful, practical, and convenient, designed for on-the-go consumption. They can be enjoyed with a spoon as a quick takeaway meal or a light and nutritious snack.

Among the on-the-go beverages, we cannot forget the global success of Aguas Frescas, especially in the US market, and Bubble Tea—the coolest snack drink of the moment—which has become a true food trend on the international scene. Even in its light version, prepared with fermented tea, naturally sweetened with honey, or using agave syrup and coconut water instead of milk, or fresh fruit instead of tapioca pearls.

Additionally, there are countless proposals for milkshakes, fresh fruit juices, energy drinks, granitas, super vitamin smoothies, and low-calorie spoon desserts in single servings. These either reimagine classic favorites or present innovative gourmet creations—all worth trying.

Take, for example, this Mango and Passion Fruit Smoothie, a healthy, delicious, and refreshing summer beverage that combines the bold flavor of passion fruit with the tropical sweetness of mango. It’s a delightful sweet-and-tangy combo with energizing power.

The frontier of artisanal beverages and snacks on the go knows no limits and is destined to grow, aiming to capture a clientele that seeks increasingly unique, healthy, and high-quality consumption experiences.

The concept of conscious food and drink consumption is gaining more and more popularity.

Today, people are looking for natural, healthy, and tasty alternatives to satisfy their consumption needs while embracing a healthy lifestyle philosophy. This philosophy combines the pleasure of quick out-of-home eating with overall well-being for both body and mind.

From breakfast to brunch, through coffee breaks and snacks, every occasion is an opportunity to relax—whether alone or in company—by opting for thirst-quenching drinks rich in nutrients.

In perfect wellness mixology style, these healthy tasting experiences favor high-quality natural ingredients such as fruit and vegetable extracts, spices, aromatic herbs, or probiotic-rich ferments like kefir—a superfood with beneficial properties that promotes health.

Beverages and snacks on the go, such as stick ice creams, frozen desserts, single servings, milkshakes, smoothies, slushes, juices, or cold drinks, represent genuine artisanal and waste-reducing solutions that:

• Can be prepared quickly
• Are ideal for any consumption occasion
• Satisfy every taste preference
• Are not seasonal
• Serve perfectly as takeaway products

For professional operators in the Ho.Re.Ca. channel, it is essential to choose state-of-the-art multifunctional equipment that is user-friendly, efficient, reliable, and ensures perfect product dispensing—whether it’s a beverage, cold cream, ice cream, or frozen drink.

If you’re also looking for professional machinery to experiment with new quality creations, SPM Drink Systems could be the solution you’re seeking.

Thanks to our innovative range of machines for soft ice cream, cold creams, frozen desserts, and frozen yogurt, as well as pre-mix cold drink dispensers and slush machines, we can offer the ideal equipment—in terms of size, functionality, practicality, and design—to meet any need and elevate your menus to a higher level.

Discover our complete range of equipment and choose the product that best suits you.

Whether you’re an experienced professional or a bartender just starting out, looking for new ideas and inspirations, you can find all the assistance you need regarding recipes and product usage guidance. Leverage all the potential of your machine, prepare specialties that won’t go unnoticed, and enrich your menu with delicious recipes and new successful offerings. Try it to believe it!