Chinese people consume 2 trillion yuan ($289.85 billion) of snack food every year, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

This topic has gone viral among Chinese netizens, and turned into a red-hot search item on Sina Weibo, China's equivalent to Twitter.

The gross output value of the Chinese snack industry has reached 2.22 trillion yuan, according to a report released in December by the Circulation Industry Promotion Center, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Commerce.

Online e-commerce has accelerated the market penetration rate of snack food, cultivating and promoting purchasing habits of customers, the report said, adding that snacks accounted for nearly 30 percent of the total online food sales.

A total of 15 tons of mahua (fried dough twists) and 10,769 pieces of subing (crispy cookies) sold out in just four days. An 8-year-old snack company predicted its revenue would top 10 billion yuan this year. All these have shown China's snack industry is developing at an unprecedented speed.

The "good-looking economy" is highlighted through the changes in snack food over the past few years. That is to say, consumers pay more attention to exterior design, with snacks packed in gift boxes showing a high-end trend.

Meanwhile, there is growing trend toward buying healthy snacks. Data showed that natural food, whole grain, sugar-free and additive-free have become "hot tags" for snack food.

The major consumer group for snack food is young people aged 20-30 seeking tasty and healthy food. Sales results from e-commerce platforms also support this conclusion. Last year, sales of lightly baked and additive-free nuts jumped nearly 190 percent. Dried fruits and vegetables also saw a surge in sales.

Beverages, which used to focus on flavor, have also aimed to forge a connection to health. Concepts such as vegetable protein drinks, MCT, or medium-chain triglyceride, and dietary fiber were unveiled. Riding the wave of nationwide physical fitness, sales of snacks with less sugar and no sugar also showed an obvious increase.

Unique and distinctive snack food is enjoying growing popularity among young people born after 1995, who pay more attention to innovative taste, unique design and clever names.

The Chinese snack industry has entered a fast lane of development. Its gross output value is expected to grow by about 20 percent a year, hitting 3 trillion yuan by 2020, the report said.