Who’s really eating all these snails?

Written By Brian Manning

Read by Ozi Manning, Co-Founder

Alright, here’s a fun one.

Let’s talk about snails. Not as metaphors. As food.

Rabbit with snails and grated black truffle by GBC Kitchen

The kind people will drive across town for. Allegedly—pack in carry-on. Debate about at family gatherings like it’s politics or heat level.

And more importantly: let’s talk about who’s eating them.

Because despite what the menus in Midtown might imply, snail consumption is not fringe. It’s not just a French thing. And it’s definitely not small.

Globally, hundreds of millions of people eat snails regularly—across West Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America. And when you zoom in on Texas or the U.S.?

Yeah, it’s a lot more common than most people realize.

Start with Texas: second-largest state for African immigrants in the U.S. Over 60,000 Nigerian Texans alone, and that’s conservative. Add in Ghanaians, Cameroonians, Congolese—people who don’t just eat snails, they celebrate them.

Vietnamese snail dishes (Source: Collected)

Then there’s the Vietnamese population: 140,000+ in Texas, where snails (ốc) are a street food staple. Vietnamese markets regularly sell live snails for home cooking, no bougie branding necessary.

Now add Haitian and Dominican communities across the South. Add Salvadorans and Mexicans who cook sea snails in caldo and ceviche. Add everyone who grew up slow-cooking, waste-nothing-ing, and seasoning like life depended on it.

Escargot isn’t bougie. It’s global.

And no, I’m not talking hypotheticals. The U.S. imports between 300 and 400 metric tons of snails annually—most of it canned or frozen. Not counting the stuff we buy under-the-table from local farms or import in coolers after family trips.

Meanwhile, the global snail market is expected to hit $1.2 billion by 2031. That’s not a typo. Billion—with a B. And it’s growing at over 5.5% CAGR.

In France alone, the average person eats about 500 grams of escargot a year. If even 10% of U.S. immigrant communities hit that benchmark? You’re talking tens of thousands of metric tons in demand. And current supply chains? Not exactly a picture of transparency or sustainability.

And that’s just the food.

Let’s not forget snail mucin. That slick stuff that’s been used in African, Korean, and French healing traditions for centuries? Now it’s:

  • A top-selling ingredient in Korean skincare

  • Found in serums by COSRX, Mizon, and Dr. Dennis Gross

  • Trending on TikTok like it just got discovered yesterday

The U.S. skincare market? North of $20 billion. And snail mucin is climbing the ladder faster than half the stuff dermatologists recommend.

So snails aren’t just crawling under garden pots anymore. They’re on faces. In labs. In compost. In dinner bowls. In circular systems.

Which brings us to why this matters at Helical Healing Habitat.

We’re not introducing snail culture to the U.S.; we’re building infrastructure that recognizes its presence, demand, and untapped potential. Across immigrant households, culinary traditions, and wellness markets, the appetite is already here.

What’s missing are the tools.

That’s where we come in: designing dignified, modular systems that don’t rely on frozen imports or opaque supply chains. Tools that turn waste into regenerative value; locally, visibly, and with full community ownership.

It’s circular infrastructure at the scale of real life. If you’re funding food sovereignty, this belongs in your portfolio.

Fact Check

1. Nigerian Population in Texas

"Over 60,000 Nigerian Texans alone, and that’s conservative."

  • Source: Migration Policy Institute.
    Texas - State Immigration Data Profiles

    Nigerian immigrants are the largest African-born group in Texas, with estimates ranging from 60,000 to 80,000+ depending on the source.

2. Vietnamese Population in Texas

"140,000+ in Texas"

  • Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020
    Data.census.gov - Vietnamese in Texas

    Over 147,000 Vietnamese Americans live in Texas, mostly in the Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Austin areas.

3. U.S. Snail Import Volume

"The U.S. imports between 300 and 400 metric tons of snails annually..."

  • Source: UN Comtrade Database (HS Code: 030760 – snails, not sea snails)
    https://comtradeplus.un.org/

    Historical annual snail imports range from 300–400 MT, largely from France, Italy, and Indonesia.

4. Global Snail Market Forecast

"Expected to hit $1.2 billion by 2031..."

5. Escargot Consumption in France

"The average person eats about 500 grams per year."

6. Snail Mucin in Skincare

"Top-selling ingredient in Korean skincare... COSRX, Mizon, Dr. Dennis Gross..."

7. U.S. Skincare Market Value

"$20 billion+"

8. Circular Infrastructure & Food Sovereignty

"Circular infrastructure at the scale of real life..."

Brian Manning

Co-Founder and Director of Science at Helical Healing Habitat.

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