News for professionals in the food business

Late July Adds Sweet-Savory Chip

Late July’s holiday season limited-edition Brown Sugar Vanilla Tortilla Chips blend brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon with organic sweet potato, offering a sweet-and-salty twist on traditional tortilla chips. Positioned within the brand’s Holiday Batch lineup, the product targets consumers interested in crossover snack occasions, such as pairing chips with dessert-style dips. While not positioned as a health product, the chips reflect ongoing experimentation with flavor boundaries in the savory snack aisle.

MASA Chips Surge At Sprouts

Ancient Crunch’s MASA Chips delivered a rapid sell-through following a nationwide launch at 460 Sprouts Farmers Market, selling weeks of forecasted inventory in just days at some locations, a performance that highlights strong shopper interest in premium tortilla-style chips made with simple ingredients. Sprouts-exclusive flavors, including Hatch Chile and French Onion, helped fuel early momentum. MASA is positioning itself as a fast-scaling player in the BFY savory snack space and the brand is available at over 1,500 stores, with more doors expected early next year.

Unique Snacks Refreshes Brand Look

Unique Snacks unveiled a new brand identity set to roll out in early 2026, featuring updated visuals and the tagline “Daringly Different”, aimed at better reflecting the company’s long-standing focus on premium, BFY pretzels and snacks made with simple ingredients. While the packaging changes, the recipes and baking process remain the same. The refreshed look is designed to improve shelf visibility, support portfolio expansion and attract new shoppers without alienating loyal fans.

WILDE Ties Its Protein Snacks To NASCAR

WILDE Protein Snacks is expanding its brand visibility through a new partnership with JR Motorsports for the 2026 racing season, as a primary sponsor for select races and associate partner across additional events. WILDE’s protein chips, made from chicken breast, egg whites and bone broth, offer an alternative to traditional salty snacks with higher protein content. WILDE continues to grow national distribution and is now available in over 30,000 stores.

Sorghum Snacks With A Retro Twist

Saint-Urbain and entrepreneur Jessica Davidoff launched Cob, a sorghum-based snack brand backed by tennis star Novak Djokovic. The brand reimagines 1970s kitchen aesthetics while offering a gluten-free, corn-free option for modern shoppers. Cob aims to make clean eating feel joyful rather than restrictive, using warm color palettes, hand-drawn typography and playful design cues inspired by mid-20th century cereal boxes. The choice of sorghum supports simple formulations and broad dietary needs while creating a light, naturally popped snack. By pairing nostalgic visuals with a contemporary BFY, Cob positions itself as an accessible alternative for families seeking familiar flavors without common allergens.

Kellogg’s Debuts Hot Honey Cereal

Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut is launching Hot Honey Crunchies, one of the UK’s first “swicy” cereals, available from January 2026. The limited-edition product combines honey-coated curls with mild chili heat, reflecting the growing interest in sweet-spicy flavors across meals and snacks. Positioned for breakfast or snacking, the cereal offers a non-HFSS formulation that aligns with demand for options delivering flavor without excess sugar or fat. It will be sold nationwide while supplies last.

Tooru’s BFY Strategy

Tooru plc’s Purely and Pulsin brands are both active in plant-based and functional snacking. Purely focuses on simply formulated plantain snacks sourced transparently and Pulsin spans protein bars, keto options, brownies and powders. Together they give Tooru a strong presence in high-growth BFY categories across retail, independents and D2C. Tooru continues to expand its plant-based, gluten-free and wellness-oriented portfolio with a long-term brand-building approach. Pulsin, for example, is preparing the launch of Thrive, a line aimed at gut health, brain health, and everyday wellness, reflecting rising interest in function-led snacks.

Garden Veggie Holiday Trees

Garden Veggie is releasing Holiday Trees, a limited-edition ranch-flavored puff made with colors from natural sources and no artificial preservatives. Available exclusively at Target, they offer a festive shape and a creamy, tangy seasoning profile suitable for family snacking. The product is gluten-free, Kosher and contains zero trans fat. Garden Veggie highlights the snack’s role in adding fun seasonal moments without departing from clean-label expectations. Holiday Trees are designed for lunchboxes, gatherings, or simple at-home treats during the winter months.

Goldfish Adds Seasoned Pretzels

Goldfish is to expand its range next month with Seasoned Pretzels in Honey Mustard and Hot Buffalo flavors. These baked pretzels join a category in which Goldfish has become a top-ten player, reflecting consumer interest in familiar formats with bolder seasoning. The brand is also introducing Zesty Ranch crackers and limited-edition Toy Story shapes featuring real cheddar. For BFY snack seekers, the baked format and simple formulations provide lighter alternatives to fried salty snacks.

New Goodies Brand Targets Pre-schoolers

The Hero Group relaunched its Goodies snack range with a full rebrand from Dragon Rouge, aiming to create a healthier snacking category for pre-school children. Using feedback from three- to six-year-olds, the team developed the “Goodies Gang,” a set of ingredient-inspired characters designed to appeal to kids while reassuring parents. Goodies rolled out across the UK and some EMEA markets, with plans for North America. Early retail response is strong, and the brand’s kid-driven development process has become a key selling point.

High-Protein Kwality Muesli And Oats Debut

Pagariya Food Products expands its BFY portfolio with the launch of Kwality 25g Protein Muesli and Kwality 25g Protein Oats, positioned as high-performance breakfast options for increasingly protein-conscious Indian consumers. Each serving delivers 25g of protein, supported by a clean-label formulation featuring natural jaggery, high dietary fiber, no refined sugar and no artificial additives. Led by Managing Director Naresh Pagariya and Director Dheeraj Jain, the company aims to offer affordable, BFY choices without compromising taste, highlighted by a chocolate flavor developed for broader appeal. The products will be widely distributed across modern trade, e-commerce and quick-commerce channels. Pagariya exports products to over 40 countries, including the US and across the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Bell Unveils 2026 Micro Trends

Bell Flavors & Fragrances publishes its 2026 Micro Trends, capturing emerging behaviors in the US market influencing snacks, cereals and other food categories. These sit beneath the company’s global Macro Trends, which highlight plant-forward innovation, global flavors, wellness, playfulness and generational influence. The Micro Trends reflect immediate shifts, such as younger consumers turning to functional ingredients for energy, calm or focus, while older shoppers show renewed interest in nostalgic flavours and familiar formats. Preferences vary by region but increasingly cross generations.

Katjes Buys Graze From Unilever

Unilever is selling its healthy-snacking brand Graze to Germany’s Katjes International, bringing the business under the Candy Kittens group. Graze, acquired for £150m in 2019, struggled to grow under Unilever and recently exited DTC operations to focus on UK retail. Katjes, which owns Candy Kittens and Genius Foods, views Graze as a strong strategic fit with its portfolio of consumer brands. Under new ownership, Graze may benefit from more specialised brand-building and innovation support, particularly in BFY snacking. Reports suggest a sale valued at just £35 million, much lower than the £50-80 million mentioned by bankers earlier this year, and well below the amount Unilever paid. Since 2019, annual revenues have dropped from around £55 million to less than £36 million in 2024.

The Chemistry Of Comfort In Snacks

Food and snack brands are using nostalgia to guide the development of BFY products that still taste familiar. Consumers increasingly seek comforting flavors, which research shows are tightly linked to memory through scent and taste. Companies rely on food science to match classic profiles while reformulating products with more whole grains, plant proteins, or reduced sugar and sodium. Flavor houses and brands now use AI and neurogastronomy to map preferred taste notes and recreate familiar experiences in healthier formats. Savory favorites such as mac and cheese and pizza are being reimagined in snacks, along with growing salty-sweet combinations, helping nostalgic flavors meet today’s wellness expectations.

San Francisco Sues Food Companies Over UPFs

A first-of-its-kind lawsuit filed by San Francisco alleges deceptive marketing and harmful design of ultra-processed foods, targeting leading manufacturers of snacks, drinks and cereals. It claims that UPFs contribute to rising rates of chronic disease, especially among children, and seeks restrictions on marketing and compensation to offset local health-care costs. Industry groups argue that no unified definition of UPFs exists and warn against dismissing nutrient-rich processed foods. Companies named as defendants include Kraft Heinz, Mondelēz International, Post Holdings, the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, General Mills, Nestlé USA, Mars Inc., Conagra Brands, Kellanova and WK Kellogg.

Honest Farmer Targets Vietnam

The Honest Farmer Co. is expanding into Vietnam with its Black Barley Brown Rice Chips, made from Korean-grown grains and processed without additives. Each chip carries around 32 kcal, appealing to those on diets, as well as families and older consumers seeking simple, low-calorie snacks. Vietnam’s growing interest in natural, health-focused products, especially among young urban shoppers, creates strong potential for clean-label rice- and grain-based snacks.

KLAW Expands With Three Bold Flavours

Blue Tribe’s extended brand KLAW is bringing three new Supergrain Puff flavors to market. Rowdy Rasam, Scream & Onion and Masala Memory will help the brand accelerate its rapid expansion in India’s healthy-snacking space, building on the success of Spicy Guava, Sweet Chilli and Pudina Blast. The puffs are baked and deliver 9g of protein per 50g pack and use a nutrient-dense blend of jowar, moong dal, red rice, quinoa, chickpeas and plant proteins, cooked with rice bran and olive oil. Supported by a digital-first Gen Z campaign, the range is available across major quick-commerce platforms and modern trade retailers.

Five Trends Shaping Snack Production

BFY snacking is reshaping how manufacturers design and operate production lines. Demand for high-protein, high-fiber and low-sugar snacks is driving the use of new ingredients such as pulses, seeds and fruit-based components, which require more flexible frying, seasoning and packaging systems. Plant-based bases introduce wide variability in moisture and texture, increasing the need for adaptable equipment. Producers are also adopting technologies that help control acrylamide and reduce trans fats, including pulsed electric field treatment and vacuum frying. Sustainability goals push lines toward energy recovery, water reuse and recyclable packaging. At the same time, bold and globally inspired flavors require precise seasoning systems to deliver consistent taste and texture across health-forward formats.

Upcycled Fish Crisps Find Fans

Taiwan’s Penghu Uncle is turning fish skin and bones into savory crisps, modernizing a traditional snack format for regional and ASEAN markets. While the products use upcycled ingredients, the brand emphasizes taste over health claims, positioning the crisps as indulgent rather than functional snacks. Flavors such as salted egg, mala and wasabi are designed to appeal to consumers seeking bold, familiar tastes. Higher-quality fish helps improve texture and reduce strong fish notes. Although sustainability is not the main selling point, using parts typically discarded adds value and reduces waste.

Snack Trends Shape Global Innovation

The global snack market continues to evolve as consumers look for BFY options that still deliver flavor, texture and convenience. Calbee America sees strong growth in snacks made with real ingredients, global and Asian flavors, and formats designed for on-the-go eating. Industry data show savory snacks remain the largest segment, with snacking now accounting for one-fifth of global food and beverage sales. Research firms note that health-linked attributes such as protein, fiber, reduced sugar and functional benefits increasingly influence choices, even in indulgent categories. While brands experiment with new ingredients and formats, flavor extensions are the most reliable way to drive trial and repeat purchases.

GHOST Launches Protein Cinnamon Cereal

GHOST enters the breakfast aisle with a protein-fortified cinnamon cereal designed to deliver significantly more protein than traditional options. With 17g of protein per serving, the cereal targets fitness-minded consumers as well as shoppers seeking more filling breakfast or snack choices and combines a familiar cinnamon flavor with functional nutrition. GHOST’s move builds on its strong presence in sports nutrition and energy products, extending the brand into everyday eating occasions.

Broader Breakfast Choices Pressure Cereal Sales

UK cereal volumes fell again in 2025 as younger shoppers diversify their breakfast routines. Eggs, pastries, porridge pots and on-the-go formats increasingly compete with traditional boxed cereal. Smaller, health-focused brands are gaining share by emphasizing protein, fiber and functional benefits, putting pressure on established players. Protein-rich cereals and porridge pots from brands like Fuel10k, Weetabix and Quaker are among the strongest performers. At the same time, simple ingredient lists are resonating with shoppers concerned about ultra-processed foods, as seen with M&S’s single-ingredient corn flakes.

Honest Farmer’s K-Snacks Target Vietnam Online

South Korea’s Honest Farmer is preparing to enter Vietnam through major e-commerce platforms with its Black Barley and Brown Rice Chips. Product messaging highlights ingredient transparency, low-calorie positioning and certified manufacturing standards. Honest Farmer is also considering localized flavors to better match regional preferences. By starting online, the company aims to test demand and build awareness before expansion.

Hero Integrates Deliciously Ella

Hero UK&I will integrate Deliciously Ella into its portfolio in January, expanding its presence in healthier snacks and breakfast options. Deliciously Ella offers a range of natural, plant-based snacks and cereals that complement Hero’s Organix and Goodies lines for younger consumers. By aligning the brands, Hero aims to serve families through all life stages with consistent clean-label standards. With over 150 million products sold and a strong digital presence, Deliciously Ella strengthens Hero’s ability to meet rising demand for minimally processed, plant-forward snacking.

Chiquita Plantain Chips Launch

SNAX-Sational Brands and Chiquita are launching Chiquita Plantain Chips, a line of simple-ingredient snacks made within 24 hours of harvest. They come in five flavors and use just three to four simple and well-known ingredients for each. Naturally gluten-free and vegan-friendly, the products offer a clean-label option that aligns with rising interest in plantain-based snacks for their texture, versatility and global flavor. Available nationally beginning January 2026, the line reflects growing demand for minimally processed snacks that balance bold seasoning with simple ingredient lists.

Five Trends Driving Snack Production

New analysis from TNA Solutions highlights five trends reshaping savoury snack production as consumer expectations shift to healthier, plant-forward and more sustainable options. Rising demand for functional claims and plant-based ingredients requires equipment that can handle varied moisture levels, shapes and protein-rich formulas. Manufacturers are also investing in technologies that reduce acrylamide and trans fats, including low-temperature frying and pulsed electric field treatment. Sustainability goals are making energy, water, and packaging efficiency essential, along with improved digital traceability. At the same time, bold flavours remain key to category appeal, prompting greater precision in seasoning systems and gentler conveying. More focus on bolder and globally inspired flavors shows that “delight” remains a key factor in consumer choice.

Spain Sets Healthier Vending Standards

Spain’s Ministry of Consumer Affairs will require vending machines in hospitals and care facilities to stock at least 80% healthy items, reducing the visibility of ultra-processed snacks and sugary drinks. The policy prioritizes fruit, nuts, whole-grain options and sugar-free yogurts, and mandates unsweetened coffee as the default. Additional measures will include restricting unhealthy children’s menus in hospitals and tightening advertising rules for foods high in sugar, salt or fat.

Nopal Chips Bring BFY Crunch

Cactus Crunch introduces a festive, BFY tortilla chip made from nopal cactus, a nutrient-dense, drought-resistant pad of the prickly pear plant used in Latin cuisine and now trending in US wellness circles. Naturally green and blended with spinach, corn and flaxseed, the chips deliver a sturdy crunch suited for dips while offering a lighter nutritional profile, including 2g of fiber per serving. Vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO, they come in Sea Salt and Jalapeño varieties. They can be bought in over 30 Southern California stores and online.

GLP-1 Use Drives Smaller Packs

Rising use of GLP-1 medications is gradually influencing how consumers buy food, especially pack sizes. While adoption remains far from universal, users are more likely to trade down to smaller packs across categories, including cereal, granola and snacks. Analysts note this shift reflects broader interest in portion control and calorie reduction, not just price sensitivity. Importantly, volume declines are not limited to indulgent foods; even BFY categories feel the impact as consumers eat less overall. For brands, smaller and more affordable pack sizes are becoming a long-term expectation, but there’s no universal one-size-fits-all and “brands need to understand how GLP-1 usage intersects with their own consumer base”, according to one commentator.

Nuts And Mixes Hold Steady

Nuts and snack mixes continue to attract health-conscious shoppers seeking convenient, filling snacks with protein and fiber. US sales edged up in 2025, supported by strong performance from private label and select branded players. Pistachios, almonds and macadamias are standouts, with brands highlighting protein content and heart-healthy fats on packs. Producers are pairing nutrition with indulgent cues through dessert-inspired, sweet-and-spicy and globally influenced flavors. Portion control packaging and resealable pouches also support mindful snacking. While price sensitivity endures, especially amid inflation, demand for BFY mixes appears resilient.

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