It starts in the SNACKS Field... New better-for-you ingredients like sweet potatoes create a permissable indulgence. Campbell Snacks snacks showed 4.7% dollar growth in the 52-weeks ending June 16, 2019, and ended the year with more than $19.2 billion in sales. Ms. Lyons Wyatt recommended that snack companies balance price with quality and wellness attributes to capitalize on growing interest during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. She also advised leveraging targeted media to reach consumers in their homes and develop online strategies to attract and retain snack consumers. Learning from the past One of the best ways to predict the future is to look at the past. While nothing quite compares to COVID-19, there are clues that can be gleaned from previous periods of economic hardship. Ms. Lyons Wyatt noted that data recorded during and after the 2008 recession can provide context for today. IRI's "State of the Snack Industry" report in 2009 emphasized that value was key, and that snack companies needed to reach consumers at home. Back then, the advice was to align strategies with new consumer rituals. "These are relevant again, so deepen your connections with consumers now," she said. 44 Baking & Snack May 2020 / www.bakingbusiness.com