Three trends to watch in sweets and snacks

Plenty of new, exciting, and innovative candy and snack foods captured the attention of attendees at the National Confectioners Association’s 2019 Sweets & Snacks Expo. Here are three trends driving product development in the categories and some key products.

1. Plant protein-based snack foods. Snack food manufacturers are taking their products to new levels, formulating with various plant proteins to boost the protein content to make these products more appealing to health-conscious consumers. For instance, Crunchmaster Protein Snack Crackers from TH Foods is a plant-based protein snack with 5 grams of protein. Snack It Forward makes its Peatos puffed snacks with lentils and peas. And Blake’s Seed Based packs a number of plant protein ingredients in its bar products, including chickpeas, pea protein, puffed quinoa, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. Its Mango Lemon Protein Bar has 15 grams of plant protein.

2. Elevate chocolate with texture. A chocolate bar is delicious and satisfying on its own but combining it with ingredients that add textural components is a way to attract novelty-seeking consumers. Of course, there are perennial favorites such as the Nestlé Crunch bar and Mars Wrigley Snickers that incorporate ingredients to add crunchy and creamy textures in chocolate candy bars. Every year though candy makers continue to release chocolate products that incorporate various types of inclusions. Mars Wrigley, for instance, introduced a new line of Snickers called Creamy Snickers. The three candy bars in this line are filled with either almond butter, peanut butter, or maple almond butter. The company also offers M&Ms Milk Chocolate Bars that are filled with mini Peanut M&Ms, Crispy M&Ms, and Milk Chocolate M&Ms.

Joyfuls Chocolate Treats, from Halen Brands, are individually wrapped chocolate disks with inclusions that come in three varieties: cranberries, almonds, and pink Himalayan sea salt; currants, pumpkin seeds, and pink Himalayan sea salt; and coconut, almonds, and pink Himalayan sea salt. Grains are also a popular inclusion in chocolate candy. Undercover Chocolate Co. incorporates crunchy quinoa in its Undercover Quinoa Crispy Quinoa Snack.

3. New formats for jerky products. Jerky product innovation includes offerings in different shapes and on-trend flavors. AriZona Beverages USA offers its Crazy Cowboy beef steak jerky in peppered, teriyaki, maple bacon, and mango habanero varieties. Brandable offers its Super Snack Time jerky in Pizza in a Bag Pepperoni Jerky and Taco in a Bag Carne Asada-Style Jerky. DE.HI Foods makes beef jerky it says “eats like a chip.” The six varieties are chiyaki, garlic, spicy, pepper, kalua pig, and Korean barbecue pork. Caribo Producers uses Australian Wagyu beef to make its Greg Norman Signature Wagyu Beef Jerky in mesquite and teriyaki flavors. There’s even a vegan version of jerky made from a wheat protein base. Vegan Jerky Bites from Upton’s Naturals come in Smoky Original, Tarragon Ginger Lime, Tamarind Pepperoni, and Pineapple Pink Peppercorn versions.