Microsalt’s Low-Salt Chips Will Be Sold In Large N.A. Supermarket Chain

The so far unnamed chain will market SaltMe! potato chips, developed by the U.S. subsidiary of U.K. investment firm Tekcapital’s portfolio company Salarius. The chips will be available in more than 800 of the chain’s stores in 2022. In September 2020, the company hired food distributor Gehring-Montgomery Inc. to assist in the sale of Microsalt products in the U.S. The distinguishing feature of MicroSalt is its small salt particles – one hundred times smaller than table salt – that use a large surface area-to-volume ratio to generate a salty taste with less salt. Microsalt expects SaltMe! to become “a national brand” in the low-sodium snack category. The company is hoping other food manufacturers will use MicroSalt in their products.

"Tekcapital hails MicroSalt’s North American roll-out", Vox Newswires, October 08, 2021

Perkier Raises $1.4M In Crowdfunding Round

The British healthy snack bar company, which raised the cash on Seedrs with backing from 345 investors, plans to spend the cash on a marketing campaign to boost brand awareness, investment in NPD, staff, and in-store activation. Perkier's range of snack bars are available online and in more than 5,000 stores in the U.K., including Sainsbury's, Morrisons, and Asda. The company, which says its snacks contain 60 percent less sugar and 100 percent more fiber than competitors, also makes protein balls and porridge pots. Retail sales increased 16 percent last year and have accelerated in 2021, growing 86 percent in the latest quarter.

"Perkier closes £1m funding round", thegrocer.co.uk, October 08, 2021

Conagra Brands Spotlights Snacking At C-Store Confab

The Chicago-based branded food company returned to the National Association of Convenience Stores' 2021 NACS Show with an assortment of familiar snacks that did not claim any better-for-you benefit. The company’s $2.7 billion snacking portfolio includes Andy Capp's Hot Beer Battered Onion Rings, the 3 oz. Slim Jim Savage meat snack, ACT II microwave popcorn, and BiGS Sunflower Seeds. ACT II is entering the ready-to-eat popcorn category with 1.7 oz. bags of ACT II Butter Lovers popcorn. The company also showcased its collection of merchandising racks and displays for convenience stores to enable optimal assortment, better placement, and improved product visibility.

"Conagra Brands Debuts Snacking Innovation at 2021 NACS Show", Conagra Brands, October 05, 2021

Insect Snacks Debut In Japanese Vending Machines

Snacks made with fried and dried insects – house crickets, locusts, silkworm chrysalises, caterpillars, beetles, etc. – are now being sold in more than 20 vending machines in Japan. A machine installed recently in a shop in the province of Gifu dispenses cookies laced with cricket powder, salted fried locusts, red-legged grasshoppers, and two-spotted crickets. The bottled bugs are sold for about $9 a jar, and the menu changes depending on the time of year. The insects are supplied by Hamaru Foods, which imports frozen bugs – both farmed and captured – from Thailand and cooks them at its factory. The process is eco-friendly because insect farming purportedly requires much less water and grain than livestock farming, and the growing period is shorter.

"Vending machine selling fried insect snacks debuts in central Japan's Gifu Pref.", Mainichi Japan, October 12, 2021

BFY Foods, Ingredients Shine At Food Expo

Better-for-you ingredients grabbed the spotlight at the recent food and beverage trade fair Anuga 2021 (Cologne, Germany). The emerging high protein soy alternative sacha inchi from Green Mind Solutions (GMS)  for example, offers a range of applications. The sacha inchi seed, grown in Colombia and Peru, is eaten like almonds or sunflower seeds, and can be incorporated into other foods and drinks. It is high in omegas 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, and contains vegan proteins with all nine essential amino acids. The company has made a range of sacha inchi-based snacks, beverages, and flours for baked treats, sharing its product concepts with Amazon, Nestlé, and Purina. Other hot trends showcased at Anuga included probiotic-enriched meat alternatives, keto chips made from pomegranates, whole meals in a bottle, and prebiotic cereal. India’s Fit & Flex is planning to launch a line of savory prebiotic cereals, including lemon-mint-chili, tangy tomato, and cheese flavors.

"Functional first: Nutritionally elevated snacking, breakfast & plant-based NPD spotlighted at Anuga 2021", Food Ingredients First, October 11, 2021

Namdhari Group Branches Out Into Healthy Snacks

The Indian conglomerate has launched a snack division (Namdhari Agro Fresh – Think Snack) whose mission is to sell “safe-to-consume yet guilt-free foods.” Its products include low-fat vegetable and fruit chips, brown rice chips, popcorn, and makhana (lotus seeds) that are baked, air-fried, or vacuum fried, and also gluten-free, non-GMO, and artificial- and preservative-free. The snacks will be sold online and in Namdhari’s Fresh stores in Bengaluru city, and Simpli Namdharis. 

"Seed and agricultural company Namdhari ventures into healthy snacks segment", Agro & Food Processing, October 11, 2021

Jackson’s Snack Brand Is Poised For Major Growth

The sweet potato snack brand, developed by the parents of Jackson Reamer, diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disorder, is expanding its product line with new flavors. Bolstered by a state-of-the-art production facility, new packaging and branding, and a new website, Jackson's chips are non-GMO Project Verified, vegan, gluten-free, paleo, nut-free and kosher, and available in redesigned 1.5oz and 5oz bags. Flavors include the original Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips with Coconut Oil; Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Oil; Spicy Tomatillo Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Oil; and Carolina BBQ Sweet Potato Chips with Avocado Oil. The company says a $1.25 million investment from Shark Tank's Rohan Oza helped the brand find a “passionate community of super fans.” The chips are sold at Whole Foods Market and Natural Markets as well as local co-ops.

"Up-and-Coming Snack Brand Upgrades Packaging and Production", Packaging Digest, October 07, 2021

Australian Scientists See Lupin Bean As Next Superfood

Largely unknown in the U.S., lupin beans are a natural nutritional powerhouse, according to researchers at Edith Cowan University (Perth, Western Australia), who see lupin's "huge potential" as the next superfood. Packed with more protein than any other legume, lupins “can combat heart disease, reduce blood glucose levels, and reduce inflammation in the body," says researcher Arineh Tahmasian, who helped identify more than 2,500 different lupin proteins. In Canada, they are labeled “lupini beans,” and offered as a bar snack “in a bowl, salted." Unfortunately, to get to that stage, they need to be washed, soaked in brine, and boiled for a long time to get rid of the bitter alkaloids and render them edible.

"Could the unassuming lupin bean become the next superfood?", The National Post (Canada), October 08, 2021