Severe Nut Allergy Leads To Creation Of Seed-Based Snacks

An acute reaction to eating nuts that landed Nicole Ledoux’s future husband in the ER led her to develop safe-to-eat allergen-free seed bar snacks. The eventual result was the launch of Allston, Mass.-based 88 Acres, which originally marketed a line of snack bars made with pumpkin, sunflower, and flax seeds. They later added dense seed butters – pumpkin, vanilla spice sunflower, and dark chocolate sunflower. The company now has two new lines: Seed' Nola, like granola, but made instead with abundant clusters of seeds and gluten-free oats in flavors such as Triple Berry Blend, Ginger Apple, and Double Chocolate Sea Salt. The products are available at Whole Foods Market locations and at 88acres.com.

"88 Acres makes allergy safe snacks and dressings", bostonglobe.com, May 04, 2021

Mindful Snacker’s First Roasted Crisps To Hit U.K. Store Shelves In June

The British company, which earlier this year debuted an innovative cooking process that makes a potato chip with significantly lower fat and salt, said its new Simply Roasted crisps lineup will arrive on U.K. store shelves in June. The better-for-you crisps are roasted rather than fried, delivering half the fat, significantly less salt, and 99 calories per serving. The brand is launching with Sea Salt, Mature Cheddar & Red Onion, Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar and Black Truffle flavors, with more – Korean BBQ, Katsu Curry, Thai Green Curry, and “Naked” – to follow. Grab and go and share bags will be available on Amazon and the Simply Roasted website. Impulse bags are priced at £1.19 ($1.66), while share bags are £2.29 ($3.19).

"Healthy snacking start-up, Mindful Snacker, debuts range of ‘better for you’ crisps", RetailTimes.co.uk, May 04, 2021

Taking A Cue From Beverages, Botanicals Appear More And More In Snacks

The use of botanical extracts in beverages continues to grow, whether in sparkling drinks or bottled water. But botanicals have begun to extend beyond beverages into functional snacks, thanks in part to the growing 'food as medicine' consumer notion, according to TeaSquares (Chicago, Ill.) founder Jordan Buckner. One company, B.T.R. Bars, makes a line of functional bars using ingredients like ashwagandha and other adaptogens. But snack brands at this stage should put less emphasis in their marketing on functional claims, and instead use broad language such as “recharge,” “focus,” and “energize.” Or, they should focus on botanical flavor cues, as bar company Humming Hemp does, highlighting botanical flavors such as lavender, pistachio, and blueberry in its products. But as the category grows, consumer curiosity will grow. Shoppers will wonder, for example, just what exactly are the efficacious doses of botanical ingredients in snacks?

"Botanicals and snacks: In conversation with TeaSquares founder", FoodNavigator-USA.com, April 29, 2021

NPD Group: Sadness, Depression Solidly Linked To Snacking Surge

The Chicago-based industry researcher’s new report on snacking describes the close relationship between mood and the surge in snacking during the pandemic. The average U.S. consumer ate 37 percent more snack foods and treats while feeling sad or depressed during the pandemic than they did in 2019. Being bored followed closely, increasing snacking by 33 percent. In addition, consumers tended to eat more snack foods and treats when they were cranky, stressed, anxious, calm, and relaxed. Snack food consumption declined when consumers were feeling rushed, happy, good, tired, and just normal or neutral, said NPD, which suggested that the snack food and sweets industries need to keep a keen eye on the mental state of consumers during changing times.

"Mood Matters When It Comes to Snacking and Treating Ourselves", NPD News Release, April 28, 2021

Whisps Snacks: A Leader In The New Baked Cheese Snack Category

The idea for a 100 percent cheese-based snack crisp took root within the food innovation team at Schuman Cheese, a New York importer of Italian cheeses. And now, according to Forbes magazine, Whisps Snacks are “one of the most popular snacks on grocery shelves and the leader in a new category that they helped create.” The secret to the brand’s success, says CEO Ilana Fischer, is not just the quality cheeses and the fairly simple cooking process – basically baked parmesan or cheddar – but the passionate flavor development and aggressive marketing/distribution program. The keto-friendly, gluten-free, low carb, high-protein snacks are available at most grocery retailers and online in nine flavors. The two-ounce bags come in several variety and multi-pack formats. Four-packs are available on Amazon for about $15.00; discounted subscriptions are also an option.

"How Whisps Created A New Snacking Category", Forbes.com, May 04, 2021

Brekki Overnight Oats Expands Distribution Network

The Carlsbad, Calif.-based maker of dairy-free, ready-to-eat Overnight Oats, has expanded distribution to 430 Kroger stores, BJ's Wholesale Clubs nationally, and 236 Stop & Shop locations, a total of more than 3,500 stores. The brand, which was acquired by executives of Cedar’s Foods (Haverhill, Mass.) a year ago, includes ready-to-eat Overnight Oats with Ancient Grains & Fruit Down Under in five flavors; Apples & Cinnamon, Acai Berries, Bananas & Maple Brown Sugar, Blueberries, Strawberries, made with ancient grains, almonds, oats, almond milk, and organic coconut nectar and sold in 5.3 oz, microwavable cups. All are dairy free, soy-free, gluten-free, non-GMO, plant-based, and vegan.

"brekki Overnight Oats Expands Distribution", Business Wire , April 28, 2021

Nature's Heart Debuts Nut Cluster Snacks In U.S.

The Torrance, Calif.-based nut bar snack brand developed by three Ecuadorean brothers said its Nature's Heart Crunch line has arrived in the U.S. Available in six flavors at select grocery stores and on Amazon, each no-sugar-added four-ounce bag contains protein-rich nuts and beans, spices and superfoods, all slow-baked in a sugar-free glaze. One of the flavors, Golden Chai Pecan Crunch, contains pecans, cashews, toasted coconut, turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and vanilla. Other flavors contain cacao bites, pepitas, cinnamon, and Mayan sea salt, blueberries, lemons, chia seeds, walnuts, slivered almonds, Himalayan Pink Salt, sunflower seeds, sesame and hemp seeds, onion and garlic, kosher salt, carraway, poppyseeds, chives, coconut aminos, shiitake mushrooms, or roasted nori. All varieties are non-GMO and certified keto, vegan, and gluten-free. Each 200-calorie, four-ounce resealable bag has four servings for $5.99.

"Nature's Heart Launches First Snack Line in the U.S.", PR Newswire, May 04, 2021

Wonderful Pistachios Launches Ad Campaign For Two New Flavors

The Los Angeles, Calif.-based producer of shelled and no-shell pistachio snacks has launched a digital and social platform ad campaign to promote its new No Shells BBQ and Sea Salt & Vinegar flavors. Begun in May and running through the summer in the U.S. and Canada, the campaign features creative optimized for different media, including the Twitch esport gaming platform, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook, and is supported by public relations and a national free-standing insert (FSI) dropping the week before Memorial Day. Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez, who follows a plant-forward diet, is the brand’s celebrity spokesperson. The two new flavors are available on Amazon in various sizes, including two-ounce bags (8-packs, $25.56) and 22-ounce bags for about $16.

"New Wonderful Pistachios campaign driving demand among snackers", The Produce News, May 03, 2021

Perfect Snacks Unveils Perfect Bar Snack Size Line In Two Flavors

The refrigerated snack brand’s new line will be available at U.S. retailers this month in Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Peanut flavors. The San Diego, Calif., company says the 120-130 calorie snack bars are made with organic peanut butter, organic honey, more than 20 organic “superfoods,” and contain six grams of protein. They are also Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten free, and low-GI. All Perfect Snacks products can be found in the refrigerated sections of retailers nationwide, including Whole Foods Market, Target, Costco, Trader Joe's, Starbucks, Safeway, and Kroger, as well as online, at an SRP of $6.99 for an eight-bar box. 

"Perfect Snacks Announces Brand Expansion with New Fresh-Snacking Line: Perfect Bar Snack Size", PR Newswire, April 29, 2021

Kerry: Consumers Looking For New Flavors In “Snackification” Trend

The Ireland-based food ingredients specialist says interesting snack flavors are emerging from the “snackification” trend as consumers in North America, Latin America, Europe, and EMEA seek variations and elaborations on basic sweet and savory offerings. Europeans, for example, often seek out Asian favorites wasabi and sriracha, while Americans explore flavors such as Irish cream and Korean BBQ. The pandemic has increased consumer interest in “flavors with a healthy halo association:” ginger, mint, kombucha, hemp, ginseng, reishi, maca, goji berry and basil. Kerry identified five emerging flavor trends: seasonality, enticing eats, taste exploration, novel flavors, and acceptable sweetness, “each a completely separate concept yet intertwined.”

"Kerry identifies the top 7 taste trends post-COVID", Bakery and Snacks, May 04, 2021