Baking & Snack - October 2023 - 43

TRENDS
Cookies & Crackers
little better when it comes to snacking and food and beverages,
and cookies is right there. "
While dollar sales for crackers were up 13.1% for
the 52 weeks ending July 16, unit sales dropped 4%.
Consumers are still enjoying their traditional favorites,
but healthy choices are popping up.
" When we look at some of what is winning within
crackers, there are pockets of growth, " Ms. Lyons Wyatt
said. " One of them is around health and well-being
claims. It might be gluten-free, whole grain, non-GMO.
Those have done quite well from the cracker standpoint.
... They are winning not just for the segment of the population
that needs it, but they're winning some new consumers
because the taste is quite good. "
They've got to be tasty
Consumers want their treats to be delicious, and they
are not only going for traditional flavors but seeking out
new ones as well.
" Cookies struggled for a while trying to find their
footing from a center store perspective. Perimeter cookies
were actually outpacing center store, " Ms. Lyons
Wyatt said. " But in '22, both center store cookies and
perimeter cookies are growing. Perimeter cookies are
still growing; they're just not growing as fast as center
store. When you take a look at cookies and where the
biggest winners are, they're traditional: chocolate chip,
sugar. Those that come in multipacks where you can get
a dozen, two dozen, and you can pick up a variety of different
ones, those have also seen growth. "
Most of the growth at Otis Spunkmeyer, a brand
owned by Los Angeles-based Aspire Bakeries, is being
seen in core flavors, especially chocolate, said Paul
Stippich, director of marketing for the brand.
" Cookie sales have been steadily increasing, with the
most growth still taking place within the core flavors,
especially chocolate-based flavors, " he said. " Chocolate,
most notably chocolate chip, has been and probably
always will be the flavor that consumers reach for time
and time again. "
But he added that consumers are open to innovation
as well.
" We are seeing new flavors emerging, especially as
citrus profiles have started to make their entrance into
the cookie world, " Mr. Stippich
said. " The ingredient niches
across the cookie spectrum,
vegetable-fortified and protein-fortified,
are still present,
however consumers are less inspired
by them than they are by
new and exciting flavors. "
The most common flavors
are chocolate and vanilla, and
they both are growing in terms
of the total percent of cookies
introduced in the United States,
Ms. Dornblaser said.
" A few interesting flavors
that appear in very small numbers
of products yet show significant
growth show the wide
variety of cookies out there: olive
oil, maple, purple yam, popping
candy, " she added. " There has also been an increase
in seasonal and limited-edition flavors, which are often
those that are a bit unique or different. "
Seasonal flavors are always a popular choice and are
trending at Cheryl's Cookies, Westerville, Ohio.
" We are seeing great success in our seasonal favorites
with customers already gravitating toward our fall
assortment - especially anything pumpkin-flavored, "
said Kara Jaggers, vice president of merchandising at
Cheryl's Cookies. " Cinnamon sugar and s'mores/hot
Consumers want to
meet nutritional needs
and enjoy great flavors
as well.
Nufs
" COOKIES ARE
A PART OF
THE FABRIC
OF PEOPLE'S
LIVES. THEY ARE
AN EVERYDAY
PRODUCT, A
SPECIAL TREAT
AND EVERYTHING
IN BETWEEN. "
Lynn Dornblaser, Mintel
www.bakingbusiness.com / October 2023 Baking & Snack 43
http://www.bakingbusiness.com
Baking & Snack - October 2023

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