Snacks

FOOD FOR KIDS: Mikey’s allergen-friendly pockets balance children’s nutritional, emotional needs

06-Apr-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

The challenges of feeding healthy food to children who are notoriously picky eaters often are compounded when an allergy is added into the mix – which is why when the founder of the gluten-free baked goods brand Mikey’s introduced a line of stuffed pockets...

To survive this crisis, prioritize relationships and employee health & safety, says CEO of That's How We Roll

03-Apr-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

CEO of snacking company That's How We Roll, the parent company to national brands ParmCrisps and Thinsters cookie thins, feels cautiously optimistic about how the CPG industry will fare during and post COVID-19.

Despite coronavirus, Peeled Snacks predicts fast growth with new products, channel expansion, funds

27-Mar-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

The CEO of the organic dried fruit brand Peeled Snacks is optimistic that challenges related to the coronavirus will not slow the company’s fast growth thanks in part to a suite of new products, channel diversification plans, and an infusion of funds...

Improving post-game snack culture for kids: ‘So many kids are at games just to get their treat afterwards,’ says study author

17-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A study led by researchers at Brigham Young University (BYU) found that the energy and calories burned during youth programs is often nutritionally undermined by the types of snacks kids commonly receive as a post-game routine.

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Strategies from 34 Degrees CEO on succeeding in snacking over the long haul

28-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

According to the NPD Group’s Future of Snacking report, Americans ate more than 386 billion snacks last year, and IRI reports the category brought in a whopping $89 billion dollars by the end of 2017 with an addition $16 billion in sales predicted over...

WATCH Beanfields CEO: ‘‘There’s a lot of crunch, a lot of noise, then big bold flavor as you bite through’

28-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

With the term ‘bean chips’ now dropped from its logo, the Beanfields brand could expand into multiple areas of the snacks aisle – and even beyond – says CEO Arnulfo Ventura, who caught up with FoodNavigator-USA at last month’s Winter Fancy Food Show....

Bokksu poised for exponential growth as consumer demand for snacks, Japanese culture booms

20-Feb-2020 By Elizabeth Crawford

After growing steadily for the past four years, despite “living month to month” due to restrictions related to bootstrapping a business, the Japanese snack subscription service and ecommerce platform Bokksu is ready to go to the next level with a seven-figure...

Dang Foods rebrands as ‘Asian-American’ snack brand, posts 54% surge in revenues in 2019

18-Feb-2020 By Elaine Watson

Dang Foods – the snack brand behind the #1 selling nutrition bar in Whole Foods in 2019 – has unveiled new packaging, a new logo and marketing initiatives positioning itself as an ‘Asian-American snack brand.’

Supernola builds mainstream appeal with national distribution at Walgreens stores

13-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Emerging snack brand Supernola – soft, chewy clusters of granola combined with nutrient-dense ingredients – has entered 6,500 Walgreens convenience stores nationwide and 150 Giant Food grocery stores.

Whisps Snacks taps into Americans' love of cheese with expanding cheese crisps lineup: 'We're growing a category,' says CEO

17-Jan-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Snack trends may come and go, but few can dispute the permanence of cheese in the American diet, says Ilana Fischer, founder of the fast-growing Whisps cheese crisps brand.

PepsiCo acquires BFY Brands, the maker of PopCorners snacks, for undisclosed sum

02-Dec-2019 By Elaine Watson

PepsiCo has struck a deal to acquire BFY Brands, the maker of air popped snack brands PopCorners, Flex Protein Chips, and Flourish Veggie Crisps, from private equity firm Permira for an undisclosed sum.

Stacy’s limited-edition bags spotlight Women’s Entrepreneurship Day

19-Nov-2019 By Kristine Sherred

Stacy’s Pita Chips has released three designer bags in Kroger’s US stores in honor of the November 19 celebration and PepsiCo's broader WomanMade platform.

Millennials are ditching three square meals to graze throughout the day, says Mondelēz

11-Nov-2019 By Elaine Watson

Adults typically eat more snacks than meals on a given day, with growing numbers of younger consumers and those in developing markets grazing throughout the day, according to a new report from Mondelēz International.

VMG Partners acquires popchips to anchor new branded snacking platform

09-Oct-2019 By Elaine Watson

Private equity firm VMG Partners is betting big on the snacks category with the formation of a new division – Velocity Snack Brands (VSB) – set up to buy, incubate and grow snack brands, beginning with the acquisition of the popchips* brand from majority...

New look and new products for Peatos: ‘We’re one of the fastest growing snack brands in the market’

27-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Snack brand Peatos has unveiled a new look, a new product (crunchy onion rings), and new distribution deals with Kroger, Safeway, Sprouts and Whole Foods, taking its store count to around 6,200 stores by early 2020: a 50% increase on its current footprint.

Conagra Brands sharpens focus on snacks market with new innovation center

05-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Conagra Brands announced it will build a new 40,000-square-foot innovation center in Chicago to propel the company's snacking innovation business.

Good Source Foods hits the market with day-part snacking concept

03-Sep-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Noting the rise in snacking throughout the day and among all generations, better-for-you snack company Good Source Foods believed there ought to be a snack brand with products intentionally developed for specific parts of the day.

Amazi Foods takes jackfruit into the snacking category: 'I like to describe it as a grownup Fruit Roll-Up'

22-Aug-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Emerging snack brand Amazi Foods is working to popularize jackfruit as snack in the US by drying the tropical fruit into chewy snack-sized pieces when it's at peak ripeness and spicing up the flavor with ginger, lime, turmeric, and chile.

FOOD FOR KIDS: Study shows how snacking may lead to overeating

24-Jul-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

The variety of snacks presented to kids leads to increased food consumption, more so than container or package size, a study out of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute suggests.

Trail mix, meat snacks and pudding part of Conagra’s snack expansion

23-Jul-2019 By Kristine Sherred

Conagra’s legion of high-selling brands – including Angie’s BOOMCHICKAPOP, Slim Jim and Snack Pack – are launching new products this year as the company cements its focus on the lucrative snacking market.

Brazi Bites extends Latin snacking platform amid frozen food renaissance

24-Jun-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Latin American entrees are gaining traction in retailers’ chilled and frozen sections, but frozen snacking represents the next untapped frontier for Latin flavors and cuisine, according to Brazi Bites, which has just launched a new line of empanadas.

Perfect Snacks sells majority stake to Mondelēz: 'This is a big play for Mondelēz, to jump into the fridge'

20-Jun-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Mondelēz has acquired a majority interest in refrigerated nutrition bar brand Perfect Snacks, known for its Original Refrigerated Protein Bar, giving the CPG giant a play in the fast-growing refrigerated snacking category.

'This product appeals to anyone watching their sugar and carbs': SimplyProtein expands US presence aiming to strike mainstream appeal

18-Jun-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Canadian snack brand SimplyProtein is expanding its reach across the US market, rolling out into 235 Target stores in April and launching into Kroger stores this fall.

Mondelēz advances mindful and sustainable snacking roadmap

14-May-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Mondelēz International is making headway against its 'mindful and sustainable snacking' goals including growing its portion control snack sales to 15% of total net revenue last year, and improving the nutritional profile of some of its legacy...

Evolve Brands works to make 'mindful snacking' a mainstream concept

08-May-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Organic snack company Evolve Brands is built around "mindful snacking," a concept which informs every business decision the founding partners make, says partner Cindy Poiesz.

Investing in the Future of Food: Biena CEO shares tips for launching a product that is new to the category vs new to the world

01-May-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Developing and launching a new product is never easy, but according to the CEO of the chickpea snack company Biena, the specific challenges entrepreneurs will face across sales, marketing and operations will vary significantly based on whether they are...

KIND challenges snack makers to better disclose sugar & sweeteners in products with an ‘X-ray’ popup

10-Apr-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

In response to the public’s growing aversion to sugar, manufacturers across categories have reformulated and launched products made with alternative sweeteners, but increasingly consumers don’t want those either – but they also can’t as easily identify...

Quevos egg white chips readies for next phase of growth with Kickstarter launch

04-Apr-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Quevos, a Chicago-area startup making egg white chips, is preparing to enter its next phase of growth through crowdfunding site Kickstarter, to build its customer base and brand awareness with further plans to enter the natural retail channel later this...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Mondelēz International invests in Chicago food incubator, The Hatchery

22-Mar-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Mondelēz International has made an investment in The Hatchery, a Chicago-based non-profit food business accelerator, as part of the CPG company's SnackFutures innovation and venture hub.

VIDEO: Mondelēz takes on explicit snack focus with new venture arm

18-Mar-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Mondelēz International is already a powerhouse in snacking (parent company to Ritz, Wheat Thins, Triscuit, and allergen-friendly brand, Enjoy Life Foods). In November 2018, however, the company decided to pour more efforts into its snack business strategy...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Trendspotting at Expo West reveals upticks in keto, MCT oil, plant-based protein and better-for-you snacks & kids’ foods

15-Mar-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

CBD far and away stole the show as the hot new ingredient at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim last week, but it wasn’t the only notable trend with promising market potential or significant recent development.

Euromonitor: E-commerce has changed the game for impulse snack purchases

11-Mar-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Consumers are making fewer unplanned, impulse snack purchases than they did five years ago, according to Euromonitor International's "Meeting the Needs of the New Age Snacker" webinar held last week.

Beanfields CEO brings about brand revival: 'Our addressable market is anybody that wants a good tasting chip'

01-Mar-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Despite being around since 2010, bean chip brand Beanfields is now experiencing the kind of growth (i.e. triple digit sales growth in January 2019) most food and beverage startups see in their first few years on the market.

Kashi taps Gen Z to launch new super food snack bites: 'A twist on your average granola bar'

21-Feb-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Kashi has expanded its 'Kashi by Kids' line -- which launched with three kids' cereals last summer -- with soft baked snack bites made with a base combination of coconut flour, chickpeas, acai, and sweet potato.

PECKISH egg snacks hit California specialty store shelves ahead of national launch

06-Dec-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

PECKISH, a brand created by California-based Sonoma Brands, has entered an exclusive distribution agreement with specialty natural foods retailer, Erewhon, hitting shelves at its four store locations in the Los Angeles area.

Paving the way for more buckwheat: BuckWHAT! snacks plan to take retail by storm in 2019

05-Dec-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

BuckWHAT! buckwheat ‘noshes’ have gone from a farmer's market favorite to vying for shelf space at 500 stores in 2019 (currently in 80 locations).

Investing in the Future of Food

Investing in the Future of Food: Rind Snacks seizes potential to disrupt the sleepy dried fruit segment

28-Nov-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

For startups, balancing inventory to meet supply while minimizing waste is a make-or-break challenge that could prompt some entrepreneurs to project conservatively, but the founder of dried fruit startup Rind Snacks cautions this strategy could back fire...

10 key snack trends to watch

26-Nov-2018 By Gill Hyslop

There is no doubt that healthy snacking is trending, with emphasis on clean label, protein and vegan launches. According to Innova Market Insights, as snacks become healthier, more wholesome and satisfying, they are increasingly fulfilling the role of...

FOOD FOR KIDS panelist preview: Bitsy’s organic kids' snacks grows its business by putting kids first

19-Oct-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Bitsy’s is aiming to change the way the industry and consumers look at kids snacks, a still underdeveloped category with much potential for collaboration between the food industry and parents, according to co-founder Maggie Patton.

The rise of the 'super snacker...' Highlights from the FoodNavigator-USA snacking trends webinar

03-Oct-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

What’s new in the snacking world and how are consumers fitting snacks into their day? Is the trend of ‘fresh snacking’ the future, or are pantry items still the bread and butter of the category?

One Click Retail: Healthy, tasty, and affordable school snacks reign on Amazon

02-Oct-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Sales of kid-friendly school snacks on Amazon grew 40% year-over-year to $350m in the first half of 2018, driven by the e-commerce giant’s heavy online promotion as well as consumers’ growing familiarity and comfort with shopping online for snacks, One...

Nora seaweed chips expect to compete against potato chips in salty snacks aisle

11-Sep-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

After achieving dynamite success in Thailand where it competes with Lay’s potato chips, Thai entrepreneur Itthipat “Tob” Peeradechapan wanted to bring his seaweed snack chips to the US market and enlisted the help of Tim Minges whom he had met during...

Mintel on salty snacking: Consumers are embracing flavor innovation in popcorn

31-Aug-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Ready-to-eat (RTE) popcorn has experienced strong sales growth in years past due to its ‘better-for-you’ snack image, but now flavor innovation is driving the category, research from Mintel showed.

Growth in Smucker Co’s coffee & snack business ‘validates’ winning strategy, according to CEO

29-Aug-2018 By Elizabeth Crawford

Peanut butter and jelly maker JM Smucker Co.’s decision to realign its portfolio to focus on coffee, snacking and pet food is paying off with a “strong first quarter performance,” including increased net sales and profits, according to company executives....

Wilde Chicken Chips believes it can crack into breakfast time

23-Aug-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Wilde Chicken Chips – thinly-sliced premium cuts of chicken tossed in tapioca flour, fried in coconut oil, and seasoned in various spices – reached nationwide availability at Whole Foods and Sprouts stores last month and will be debuting a new flavor...

Where next in snacking? Food industry experts weigh in

17-Aug-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

What’s the motivation behind consumers’ snacking habits? According to Mintel research, 50% of US consumers said the top reason they snack is to treat themselves, and 28% agree that taste is more important than health when choosing a snack.

The rise of fresh snacking: Are consumers ditching the pantry for the fridge?

06-Aug-2018 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Freshness of food has become the top purchase driver for millennials (aged 23-40) and Gen Z (aged 11-22) reflected by a declining conventional snacking category and a rise in fresh perimeter-of-the-store sales.

What is a snack, and how are snacking habits evolving? Hartman Group, SnackNation, weigh in…

27-Jun-2018 By Elaine Watson

If roughly half of the eating occasions in the US are now snacks, are snacks still ‘treats’ or have they become something else?

Snacking Innovation Summit trend-watching: Mini-meals, tapas-style eating, and hero SKUs

17-Feb-2017 By Elaine Watson

The trend towards continuous grazing throughout the day will create new ‘multi-temperature’ snacking opportunities for manufacturers as a ‘tapas-style’ approach to eating gains momentum, predicted panelists at the FoodNavigator-USA/BakeryandSnacks snacking...