Walkers has unveiled its first fully non-HFSS crisps range called '45% Less Salt'. The line will be available this month in three flavours: Mild Cheese & Onion, Lightly Salted and A Dash of Salt & Vinegar. Meanwhile, KP Snacks will reformulate products across its Tyrrells, Popchips, Hula Hoops Puft and Penn State brands due to UK government restrictions regarding the promotion of HFSS products. By June, Hula Hoops Puft will be available in three non-HFSS flavors: Salt, Salt & Vinegar and Beef. Its Penn State brand will release a non-HFSS Chilli flavour of its pretzels by the end of the month, followed by Sour Cream in May. Kettle Foods has taken a different approach by launching a separate non-HFSS bread snacks range. 'Bread Bites' will first roll into Morrisons by the end of the month and will be available in three flavours: Focaccia Bites with Sea Salt, Rosemary & Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Naan Bites with Spiced Onion Bhaji with Chilli & Toasted Onion; and Sourdough Bites with Parmigiano Reggiano & Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Vegan snacking brand Source of the Earth recently launched a range of non-HFSS lentil chips in three flavors: Coconut Curry, Smoked Paprika & Chilli and Sour Cream & Chive. The chips come in a fully home-compostable packet and will be available in Whole Foods, Selfridges and Daylesford. 

At the recent Expo West in Anaheim California, many companies featured simple ingredient, on-the-go snacks in innovative formats. Pickle brand Rick’s Picks introduced a snack line, which includes packs of flavored Pickle Spears and Snacking Veggies, available in Zesty Carrot or Savory Cauliflower. A new brand, CHICKEASE, has also launched with a line of snackable all-natural, cooked chickpeas in three varieties: Original, Tex-Mex, and Barbecue. gimMe has launched smaller slim packs of its premium roasted seaweed line along with adding two new flavors: Dairy-free Cheddar and Chili Lime. Seed snack maker Blake’s released Roasted Sunflower Seeds, which come in three flavors: Himalayan Salt, Hot & Spicy and Honey Roasted. This simple snack comes in single-serving packs and is marketed as a clean on-the go protein snack. Additionally, veggie chip maker Dirt Kitchen revealed a line of Pressed Bars made with vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. The bars come in four flavors: Almond + Raisin + Carrot, Tomato + Raisin + Black Pepper, Apple + Cinnamon + Carrot, and Apricot + Beet + Pumpkin Seeds. Lastly, Solely showcased its vegan Fruit Gummies, which are made of one or two ingredients and sold in three flavors: Mango, Mango & Orange and Mango & Guava. 

Natural Products Expo West at Anaheim, CA, will in early March showcase several better-for-you snacking innovations. They include a new savory line called Mighty Lil' Crunchy Corn from Seapoint Farms, adding to the current product lineup of Mighty Lil' Lentils, Dry Roasted Edamame, Edamame Pasta and Seaweed Crisps. The Crunchy Corn contains 100% whole grain non-GMO corn and is vegan, gluten-free, allergen-friendly, kosher and free of trans fat and cholesterol. Pipcorn is bringing its five top-sellers - Heirloom Popcorn, Heirloom Cheese Balls, Heirloom Corn Dippers, Heirloom Crackers, and Heirloom Crunchies. The brand says it is reinventing childhood snacks with better-for-you and sustainable options based on its heirloom corn. Whisps is showing its new Cheese & Pretzel Bites, made with 100% real cheese, pretzels and spices, and including 7-8g of protein. BodyBar Protein will display its new protein bars, with vegan and non-vegan options containing grass-fed whey, collagen peptides and plant-based protein. The snacks are based on clean ingredients, with 9-12g of protein, 8-11g of fiber, and are gluten-free, contain no added sugar, and are Certified Paleo or Paleo Friendly.

Indian eating habits are changing in response to global factors such as the COVID pandemic, climate change, and consumer awareness about sustainability, zero waste and cleaning eating. A recent article highlighted key trends in India. It sees Indian consumers becoming more experimental as healthy snacking evolves, with one report finding around eight in 10 Indians want to replace one or more meals a day with snacks. Other studies found that healthy snacks are increasingly seen as meal alternatives as well as providing comfort and health benefits. More generally, the article expects more conscious eating to prevail, with a greater focus on local ingredients and more concern about the pros and cons of different types of food; increasing demand for superfoods, such as millets, of which India grows nearly 80 varieties; more interest in non-native foods, such as olive oil, often seen by Indians as an out-of-home aspirational flavor, but increasingly as a healthier oil for at-home food, and for different fruits and vegetables, such as broccoli, red cabbage and dragon fruits; plant-based food and beverage options, including plant-based milk; and greater awareness of sustainability and zero waste issues.

Monster in the U.K. has introduced the latest stage of the Sales Supercharged solution for convenience retailer support, with case study videos featuring three convenience retailers: one in Walsall, West Midlands; one in Emsworth, Hampshire; and one in Bootle, Merseyside. It will continue to give information and trends on key energy drink segments, as well as guidance on in-store execution. 

Snack company PeaTos has recently transitioned to an all-vegan brand. The brand specializes in making popular, nostalgic American “junk” food healthy and aims to replace corn-based snacks with its natural, pea-based ingredients, challenging dominant industry players by offering the same taste in a healthier, vegan format. PeaTos currently offers five varieties of snacks, including Onion Crunchy Rings, Fiery Onion Crunchy Rings, Crunchy Cheese Curls, Fiery Hot Crunchy Curls and Zesty Ranch Crunchy Curls. The company has also recently launched a Pizza flavor to its Crunchy Rings range. PeaTos can be found at over 4,700 retailers nationwide and online through its website, Amazon and Sams Club. 

Kettle Foods will launch ‘Bread Bites’, a range of non-HFSS bread snacks. The range will be on shelves in U.K. supermarkets from early April and will be available in three flavors: Focaccia Bites with Sea Salt, Rosemary & Extra Virgin Olive Oil; Naan Bites with Spiced Onion Bhaji with Chili & Toasted Onion; and Sourdough Bites with Parmigiano Reggiano & Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. Kettle aims to bring a different, more elevated snacking experience to customers, who can either eat the triple-baked snacks from the bag or after heating in the oven. The launch follows government HFSS regulations and large brand releases of non-HFSS crisp ranges, such as Walkers and Tyrells. 

Alpino Health Foods, a healthy breakfast food company featured on Shark Tank India, has raised an undisclosed amount through Revenue Based Financing in advance of its seed round. Alpino operates in India’s peanut butter category and also offers a wider range of nut butters and muesli. The company aims to become the go-to brand for healthy breakfast essentials while remaining affordable, tasty and high quality. Alpino is currently available on its website, 20 other e-commerce platforms and over 5000 retail stores across India. The brand has significant brand recollection and steady revenue growth within India’s growing breakfast market.  

Plant-based food company Planting Hope revealed new products at Natural Products Expo West. It will expand upon its existing Mozaics veggie chips line with three new vegan dairy flavors: Sour Cream & Onion, White Cheddar and Spicy Buffalo. It also introduced Home and Sesame Sesamilk Creamers, available in Original, Vanilla and Hazelnut. These creamers add to its Sesamilk range, which the brand claims to be more nutritious and sustainable that many other dairy alternatives. 

UK company Bio&Me recently raised €1.6 million within 72 hours in an oversubscribed funding round. Bio&Me was founded in 2019 by Jon Walsh and Gut Health Doctor Dr. Megan Rossi. It claims to be the U.K.’s first dedicated gut health food brand backed by scientific evidence. The Bio&Me range consists of porridges, granolas and prebiotic yoghurts and can be found in over 1400 stores throughout the U.K. Despite being a young company, Bio&Me has become the U.K.’s fastest-growing cereal brand, bringing in around £3 million in sales in 2021. The company plans to use these funds to fuel its growth and expand its ethos to other food and beverage categories.  

Uncle Tobys introduced Uncle Tobys Plus Immune Support, a new cereal designed to support a healthy immune system. The cereal includes pepitas, mango, and coconut and is a source of fibre from whole grains. It is rich in vitamin C, D, B6 and zinc and avoids artificial colours or flavours. A spokesperson points out that nutrition plays a key role in supporting immune health.  Uncle Tobys Plus Immune Support is now available at a RRP of $8.20 at Woolworths and select IGA supermarkets. 

U.K. snack brand Graze has introduced an on-the-go version of its Marmite-flavoured Crunch snack launched last year. The 28g product is non-HFSS and vegan and sold through convenience stores.

Chicago private equity firm Wind Point Partners has acquired Mexico-based Palmex S. de R.L. de C.V., which manufactures better-for-you and Hispanic snack pellets for salty snacks. Palmex produces products based on wheat, corn and potatoes, with the pellets sold to consumer-packaged goods companies, regional producers, distributors as well mom-and-pop stores in the U.S. and Latin America. The deal will provide the opportunity to build the platform by investing in capacity and further acquisitions. It will also prioritize market leadership and growth in core markets. Other Wind Point food and beverage investments include good2grow, Tropicale Foods, Stir Foods, Gehl Food & Beverage, Nonnis, FoodScience, Hearthside Food Solutions and Evans Food Group.

Snac A’tac in India has introduced a new flavor, Cornado Rosemary Garlic, to its Cornado line of snacks. It’s made with ingredients that are free of trans fats and gluten-free, and that include naturally sourced Rock Salt, calcium, 5 grams of protein and no cholesterol. Shrenik Chaudhary, Director of Snac A’tac, says that consumers today have a much more developed taste expectation from exposure to global flavours, but with local flavors woven in. 

Health-conscious snacking brand Kind Snacks is urging US consumers to choose fresh food options rather than packaged foods, including its own bars. Supporting the National Nutrition Month campaign, Russell Stokes, CEO at Kind, says that “there’s a time and place for eating a Kind bar, but we believe it should never replace eating the whole, fresh foods that are essential to staying healthy.” To help launch the initiative, Kind will not sell its snacks online during the first two days of March but encourages shoppers to buy its new limited-time Kind Whole Fruit and Nut Box. 

New research from Nestlé Cereals finds that only half (51%) of U.K. consumers believe they consume enough fiber in their diet. Fiber is an essential part of a balanced diet and has various health benefits such as reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes. Fiber can easily be increased through eating food high in whole grain, yet the vast majority of British consumers (85%) have little or no knowledge of whole grain and its nutritional value. Additionally, a third (34%) of U.K. consumers are unaware of what products contain whole grains. Nestlé Cereals hopes to address this issue through its green banner on packs that signifies the product has whole grain as its main ingredient.  The company has also added 106 million more 16g servings of whole grain to its cereals in 2020 versus 2010. 

Australian breakfast brand Farmer Jo has secured a distribution deal with Walmart under which its products will be sold in Sam’s Club stores across the U.S. Farmer Jo’s products are expected to be available in Sam’s Club by May. Farmer Jo was founded in 2009 as a premium, nutritious granola and museli brand. The company now offers 15 flavors of museli and granola sold across Australia, Japan and other Asian countries. 

Banana-based snack company Barnana has recently introduced its Organic Crunchy Plantain Nuggets. The nuggets are crispy, small cubes of plantains cooked in coconut oil and will be available in April in four flavors: Pink Salt, Barbecue, Chili Lime and Ranch. The nuggets are Barnana’s fourth savory launch, following its Plantain Chips, Crisps and Tortilla Chips products. However, the nuggets’ single serving, grab-and-go positioning represents a new category for the company. Barnana’s mission is to innovate the banana in a socially and environmentally responsible way. 

Jaipur-based Eat Better Ventures has raised Rs 5.5 crore seed funding, led by Java Capital and Mumbai Angels and involved several other investment firms and entrepreneurs. Co-founder Shaurya Kanoria wants to challenge the association of packaged foods with chemicals, artificial flavours and preservatives. Instead, Eat Better aims to “build a large and enduring food and beverage brand that offers customers delicious and healthy foods at the click of a button.” The brand says its snacks are 100 percent natural.

Filipino food manufacturers and trade agencies have launched the Cookie Jar Project, a four-month campaign to promote Philippine-made snacks in Australia. The effort is being led by the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Sydney, the Export Marketing Bureau and firms under the Department of Trade and Industry's snack food cluster. The organizations are planning to promote Filipino snack products through a social media campaign as well as promotions in selected Filipino-Asian supermarkets and mainstream retailers. Major players looking to enter mainstream retailers are Monde Nissin Corp., Universal Robina Corp., Liwayway Marketing Corp., Leslie Corp., and Brand Exports Philippines. New players that have yet to enter the Australian market are actively looking for importers and distributors. Philippine exports of biscuits and confectionery products amounted to $140.4 million last year, $5.39 million of which was purchased by Australia.

Mondelēz Intetnational has chosen 10 American snack startups to join the company’s second CoLab class lasting 12 weeks. Each will receive a $20,000 grant, mentorship and expert collaboration. The initiative is run by the company’s SnackFutures innovation and venture hub. The participants will be: Bunny James Boxes, a vending machine business that helps office workers meets diverse dietary needs; Every Body Eat®, which offers clean snacks free of the top 14 allergens, as well as corn and sugar; GoNanas allergen-friendly banana bread mix; Moonshot, which uses organic ingredients for carbon neutral crackers; Nunbelievable, a cookie company that matches each purchase with a donation to charities that fight hunger; Oat Haus, which offers an oat-based spread; Pan’s mushroom jerky; Popcorn for the People, a non-profit employing over 50 people with special needs; Wonder Monday’s low-carb, gluten-free cheesecakes; and Yolélé’s West African sharing food using an underused grain, fonio. 

Latin-inspired better-for-you brand Brazi Bites announced the launch of its new Pizza Bites line. The snack is positioned as a cleaner, healthier take on the familiar snack and will be available in three varieties: Four Cheese, Pepperoni and Supreme. Pizza Bites will be in the freezer section and are gluten-free, high in protein and made without artificial ingredients. The bites are made with the same dough Brazi Bites uses for its Brazilian Cheese Bread. The brand also sells Empanadas and Breakfast Sandwiches. Its products are sold online on its website and Amazon or in conventional stores including Whole Foods, Target, and Costco.

UK based foodie entrepreneur Nati Azar has recently launched Airsnax, a line of healthy, filling chickpea-based puffed snacks available in four flavors: Salted, Salt and Vinegar, Black Pepper and Sweet Chilli. The puffed snack is made with chickpeas, green peas and yellow peas and are vegan, gluten-free, and high in fiber and protein. Airsnax products are marketed towards Gen Z and millennials looking for a healthy yet satisfying snack between meals. The snacks are currently available on the company website and will be sold in health food shops and retailers from April. 

At Expo West, vegan snack brand Outstanding Foods introduced Outstanding Cheese Balls – a line of dairy-free cheese ball puffs. The brand claims the snack to be the first vegan cheese balls to come to market. Outstanding Cheese Balls are marketed as a healthy, nutritious alternative to cheese balls, with 4 grams of protein and 20 vitamins and minerals in each serving. The products will be available for purchase online from April 18 in four flavors: Chedda, Bacon Chedda, Jalapeno Chedda, and Garlic Parmesan. Outstanding Foods’ new line will join its other offerings, including PigOut Pigless Pork Rinds, Outstanding Puffs, and Pigless Bacon Seasonings. The company aims to make enjoyable yet healthy vegan snacks to aid the transition to a more plant-based diet. In 2021, the company raised $10 million in Series A funding to expand its retail presence, improve marketing and produce innovative products. 

Vegan snack start-up Eat the Change revealed its second product at Expo West, Organic Cosmic Carrot Chews. Carrots are cooked, marinated in fruit juice then dehydrated to create a clean, healthy alternative to fruit snacks. Cosmic Carrot Chews are available in three varieties: Sour Cherry Berry Blast Off, Orange Mango Moonbeam and Apple Cinnamon Asteroid. Eat the Change hopes to disrupt the growing $5 billion fruit snack market by introducing the ‘first-to-market’ vegetable snack for kids. 

U.K.-based artisan chip brand Fairfields Farm has relaunched its Cheese & Onion flavor chips with a vegan recipe. This signifies the brand’s transition to being entirely dairy-free, meat-free and gluten-free. Fairfields Farm’s full range includes Lightly Sea Salted, Sea Salt & Aspall Cyder Vinegar, Bacon & Tomato, Rib of Beef, Sweet Chilli and Sea Salt & Black Pepper. Its new flavor will be available from the end of the month on its website as well as the East of England Co-op and independent retailers nationwide.  

KP Snacks will reformulate its Tyrrells, Popchips, Hula Hoops Puft and Penn State brands due to UK government restrictions regarding the promotion of HFSS products. By June, Hula Hoops Puft will be available in three non-HFSS flavors: Salt, Salt & Vinegar and Beef. Additionally, the entire Popchips range will be reformulated and relaunched in a phased rollout before the end of the year. Meanwhile, Tyrrells' bestselling Lightly Salted flavor will be reformulated and available in multiple pack sizes from May. This reformulation follows Tyrells’ January launch of non-HFSS flavor Mediterranean Herb. By the enactment of the new legislation in October, KP claims it will have one of the largest non-HFSS ranges within the crisps, nuts and snacks category. While KP Snacks recognizes the importance of providing healthier options for consumers, it will continue to offer its popular HFSS items, such as the core range of McCoy's and Hula Hoops. 

Utz Brands-owned Boulder Canyon and Good Health brands have introduced new snacks at Natural Products Expo West. Boulder Canyon introduced a Jalapeno flavor to its line of Thin & Crispy Potato Chips cooked in avocado oil. Good Health launched gluten-free White Cheddar ABC bites marketed towards kids. 

Popcorn snacking brand Pipcorn is showcasing new Spicy Cheddar Popcorn and Spicy Cheddar Cheese Balls at Expo West, partnering with the TABASCO® brand. Both are baked rather than fried, contain 25-30 percent less fat than its competitors and are non-GMO, and will be on sale nationwide at retailers including Whole Foods Market from May. In 2022, the brand expects to double the 10 million heirloom popcorn kernels it used last year. Its heirloom seeds are hand-selected, grown sustainably and is “crunchier and more flavorful than commercially grown hybrids”, according to Pipcorn.

Jordans’ new range of low-sugar granola is available in Australia. Supported by chicory root fibre, it contains less than 5 percent sugar. The brand acknowledges that the sugar provides the crunch but aims to omit sugar completely from its products. There are three flavors: cherry and almond, almond and hazelnut and blueberry and coconut. 

The pandemic changed the lifestyles and priorities of many, including Lisa Matar, who had only just launched a line of single-serve oatmeals called Health Bear when the pandemic hit. The circumstances led her to look at the product’s packaging to reduce waste and provide the consumer with more flexibility. The result is new multi-serve format that will be available in California stores later this year. The oatmeal also contains chia, hemp seeds, flax and pea protein powder. Mother of two children, she said the pandemic has made her “live my brand, which is fun, fit food." 

Eat the Change, a Bethesda, MD-based start-up, launched Cosmic Carrot Chews, a vegetable snack for kids. Cosmic Carrot Chews are made with gently cooked and marinated carrots that are then dehydrated to create a chewy texture that is more nutrient dense than raw carrots. The snack comes in three varieties: Sour Cherry Berry Blast Off, Orange Mango Moonbeam and Apple Cinnamon Asteroid. Cosmic Carrot Chews are made with four ingredients and avoid the top eight allergens, milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy. They are available nationwide, including at Whole Foods Mid-Atlantic and Hy-Vee at a SRP of $4.49. Eat the Change was setup by Seth Goldman, who co-founded Honest Tea and Spike Mendelsohn co-founder of PLNT Burger.

Launched in 2020, PeaTos expects to sales to reach almost $30 million this year, and has announced a new brand image, featuring the face of the PeaTos kid-friendly character DJ_P, as well as a move to go all in with plant-based snacks by replacing the traditional corn base with peas and all-natural, non-GMO ingredients. The brand claims each serving has twice the protein and three times the fiber of leading salty snacks like Cheetos and Funyuns, but with fewer calories and less fat and sodium, and no dairy. PeaTos flavors are Classic Cheese Curls, Fiery Hot Curls, Classic Onion Rings, and new Crunchy Pizza Rings, which will debut in March 2022. PeaTos can be found at some 4,700 retailers nationwide, including Kroger and Sprouts, and online at Peatos.com, SamsClub.com and Amazon.com. In 2021, the company closed a Series B funding round led by Post Holdings, Inc. that also included the former head of global R&D at PepsiCo, Carlos Barroso, and Apu Mody, former president at Mars Food.

Following surgery to remove her stomach to avoid developing cancer, Stacy Martin had to rely on small, high-protein meals and snacks for nutrition. The result is Seahorse Snacks – seahorses do not have stomachs - a brand that is based around nuts. Stacy founded the company last year and started selling her products a farmers’ market last March. She offers two flavors: Chili Turmrific, based on almonds, cashews and pistachios; and pecan-based Maple Chaitastic. She is now focused on expanding distribution at high-end and boutique retailers in the southeast of the U.S. 

Once Again Nut Butter is using its nut and seed butters in its newest launch, 100% gluten-free graham cracker sandwiches, and showcasing them at Natural Products Expo West. There are two flavors: peanut butter and sunflower seed butter. Once Again says that the convenient, single-serve snacks are the only sandwich crackers certified both organic and gluten-free, and they are vegan, kosher and non-GMO Project Verified. The crackers are available nationwide at retailers, including Whole Foods Market, as well as online on Amazon and the brand's website.

Using green plantains as the base ingredient, Mr. Favourite chips from Canada are to be introduced to the U.S. in the coming months. They are free of added sugar, 100 percent vegan, free of trans fats and gluten-free. The company is showcasing the chips at ECRM’s March 2022 “Weight Management, Nutrition, and Vitamin Program”, which will include buyers from Walgreens, CVS Health, GNC, and Amazon. Plantains are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, including potassium, vitamins A and C, and Magnesium. The products come in three flavors – original plantain, sour cream and onion, and garlic.

Debuting in its Northern Ireland stores, SPAR is adding new products to its private label snacks range. There are two new flavors - Hoisin Duck and Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar – for the SPAR Handcooked Crisps line; Hot & Spicy Bites and Ready Salted Sticks flavors will join the sharing and impulse ranges; and Brazil Nuts and Apricots are two additions to the healthy snacking nuts range. SPAR has also refreshed its own-label nuts collection to give it more presence on shelf. Glen Howe from the Henderson Group said: “We have added these new and improved SKUs in response to customers looking for innovation, value, healthier options, limited edition and premium lines in the category.”

In a move that reflects the fast-growing interest in the metaverse, OffLimits is launching 2,500 custom cereal box non-fungible tokens (NFT). NFT owners will be able to help design a one-of-a-kind cereal box. Cereal List-ers get exclusive access to mint a branded NFT at a cost of 0.11ETH, which includes a placeholder character NFT. On a private Discord channel, the Cereal List-ers design a box cover and the result is a collage of the NFTs. All verified NFT owners get four physical boxes of the final NFT.