Snac World - May 2017 - 13

"Consumers want to snack better, so we're giving
them better snacks, whether they're looking for
healthier options, a variety of flavors and textures,
or their favorite indulgent snack made with the
highest-quality ingredients," said Rod Troni, chief
marketing and innovation officer, Snyder's-Lance,
Charlotte, NC.
What about great taste? Larger snack segments
like potato chips and tortilla chips have invested in
flavor trends. Other elements of product creation
such as oils, sourcing, free-from claims and sodium allow these larger segments to innovate core
products.
"The most important thing in the evolution of
snack foods continues to be taste. Snack foods
have to taste good and have zero taste tradeoff as
producers work to re-brand core products," said Matt
Colford, director of marketing and strategic selling for
North America, Old Dutch Foods, Roseville, MN.
There is still a gap between truly nutritious snacks
that don't taste good and ones that deliver on both
nutrition and good taste.
"That's where SuperSeedz and other niche brands
have hit the bullseye. In our case, we have found that
consumers really appreciate good nutrition without
the taste sacrifice," said Joe Lupica, vice-president
of marketing, SuperSeedz Gourmet Pumpkin Seeds,
North Haven, CT.
Snack manufacturers might take caution to put
too much of an emphasis on healthy snacking that
still makes up only a small percentage of the overall
market, according to Mordor Intelligence's "Potato
Chips Market - Growth, Trends and Forecasts (2017 2022)" report.
"Salty snacks provide a balanced food choice and a
person can grab a handful or small bag of chips, even
without healthy additions, without guilt," said Kelly
McGolrick, vice-president of category management
and customer marketing, Shearer's Snacks, Massillon,
OH. "A small indulgence is acceptable, but it won't
wreck the entire day of healthy eating like maybe a
dessert or piece of cake."
Saratoga Chips boasts America's first kettle chip,
but they understand consumer interest in clean eat-

"The days of snacks
just being used to tide
someone over are gone, and
consumers want more from
the snacks they eat,"
Chris Kuechenmeister, Frito-Lay North America
ing. Organic, non-GMO and gluten-free are becoming
the standard of its healthier snack line.
"We are making the healthiest kettle chip we can,
but in the end, it is potatoes, fried in sunflower oil,
and salted with Himalayan Salt," said Danny Jameson,
vice-president operations, Saratoga Chips, Saratoga
Springs, NY. "Chips will always have a place in the
snack world, but we say everything in moderation.
Our opinion is to make the best tasting, better-foryou chip we can."
Last year, the industry was flooded with pulsebased snacks, and this year is no different. Alternative
vegetable-based snacks were the largest driver of
sales growth in 2016, particularly for salty snacks,
according to a new Packaged Facts report, "Snack
Food Nutrition Trends: Pulses, Vegetables, and Grains
in Salty Snacks and Crackers."
"The days of snacks just being used to tide someone over are gone, and consumers want more from
the snacks they eat," Mr. Kuechenmeister said.
Utz Quality Food, Hanover, PA, is innovating with
its Good Health brands like Snikiddy and Eat Your
Vegetables. These two better-for-you brands appeal
to modern consumers' broad palette for snacks with
varying levels of indulgence.
"These are not positioned to be a 'kale chip,' but
they offer the choice of 'let's eat this, not that,' " said
Kevin Brick, senior vice-president, marketing at Utz.
"Mom can feel a little better about including these
snacks as a part of a weekday lunch or school snack.
We use our packaging to highlight nutrition, and
we've cleaned up the back panel."

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