Snack World - May 1, 2011 - (Page 36)

S TA T E O F T H E I N D U S T R Y R E P O R T clined slightly this past year, the previous year had shown extremely strong growth with 10.1% sales increase. Alec Sivel, vice-president, marketing, Utz Quality Foods, Hanover, PA, said that a lot of indulgent popcorn varieties can be found every day. “It is almost as if popcorn found its gourmet outlet,” she said. “It used to be that you would play with those things seasonally, but now you get it a little more every day.” One of Utz’s most popular RTE popcorn offerings, Ms. Sivel noted, is the caramel corn that it introduced about a year and a half ago. Better Made Snack Foods, Detroit, MI, launched a Signature line of gourmet kettle-popped popcorn this past year in Kettle Corn Sweet & Salty and Movie Theater Butter varieties. Earlier this year, Kernel Season’s, Elk Grove Village, IL, launched a line of all-natural, RTE popcorn Real Butter, Aged White Cheddar, Zesty Chipotle Nacho, and Sweet ’n Salty Kettle Corn. The company, which is the nation’s No. 1 brand of popcorn seasoning, said its new popcorn offerings are all kosher and a good source of whole grain, containing 9 to 16 g whole grains per serving. Its popcorn products are also made with 0 g trans fat, no artificial colors or flavors, natural sunflower oil, real cheese and clarified butter. “Consumers are looking for convenient snacks without compromising quality or taste,” said Brian Taylor, founder and president of Kernel Season’s. “Our popcorn helps fill a void for popcorn lovers looking for delicious, premium and wholesome popcorn at an affordable price point.” — Shane Whitaker Top RTE Popcorn/Caramel Corn Brands Brand (segment) / Vendor Dollar Sales ($mil) 292.5 58.9 22.1 22.0 22.0 21.6 21.3 17.5 11.1 9.6 5.9 5.0 Dollar Sales % Change (1.4) (13.5) 28.5 21.3 (4.1) 233.5 4.3 10.0 3.6 (5.3) (20.1) 11.7 Unit Sales (mil) 146.6 24.9 7.5 19.9 13.1 7.0 11.3 3.6 4.8 5.3 2.6 3.2 Unit Sales Volume Volume Sales % Change Sales % Change (mil lb) 2.7 (10.6) 28.7 35.7 1.7 233.8 (4.6) 10.8 2.9 (2.6) (20.5) 2.8 57.0 7.0 3.5 4.4 5.7 4.0 6.0 5.2 1.9 2.1 0.5 1.2 0.1 (13.5) 31.7 22.1 (3.5) 238.1 1.9 9.3 5.6 (7.0) (20.5) 9.9 Ready-To-Eat (RTE) Popcorn/Caramel Corn - total Smart Food/Frito-Lay North America, Inc. Popcorn, Indiana/Dale and Thomas Popcorn Cracker Jack/Frito-Lay North America, Inc. Crunch ’n Munch/ConAgra Foods, Inc. Orville Redenbacher’s Poppycock/ConAgra Foods, Inc. Private label Popcorn Expressions/Signature Brands LLC Jays Oke Doke/Snyder’s of Hanover Wise/Wise Foods Cheetos 100-Cal Pack/Frito-Lay North America, Inc. Utz/Utz Quality Foods Source: InfoScan Reviews Total US - Supermarkets, Drugstores and Mass Merchandisers (excluding Wal-Mart) 52 Weeks Ending Feb. 20, 2011 MICROWAVE POPCORN Convenience and Health For more than 25 years now, consumers have been able to go to their pantries, grab a prepared bag of unpopped popcorn kernels, throw it in the microwave and within minutes have a hot snack that is ready to eat. Microwave popcorn revolutionized the way people ate the snack, and 36 Snack World May 2011 www.sfa.org new innovations within this segment continue to draw consumers to these products. In March, ConAgra Foods, Inc., Omaha, NE, created a new microwave popcorn bag-to-bowl design for its Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn brand that, according to the company, was many years in the making. The Pop Up Bowl cooks the corn in a ready-to-serve, freestanding bowl. “With the Pop Up Bowl, families can enjoy a warm, delicious taste of popcorn in a standup bowl that makes it easy to share and clean up,” said Jesse Spungin, vice-president of marketing, Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn. “Plus, research showed that consumers wanted to be able to see their popcorn more easily; the Pop Up Bowl’s unique design lets them do that.” In April, Weaver Popcorn Co., Inc., Noblesville, IN, introduced Weaver Gold, the first microwave popcorn made with olive oil. By using olive oil instead of oils such as palm oil, which is featured in BROUGHT TO YOU BY HEAT AND CONTROL, MANE, PRINTPACK, INC., AND J.R. SHORT http://www.sfa.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snack World - May 1, 2011

Snack World - May 1, 2011
Contents
Letter from SFA - Progress and Advocacy
Supplier’s Corner - Onward and Upward
Government Affairs - SFA on the March
Government Affairs - Change Ahead
State of the Industry Report - Brands are Back
For More Research on Snacks
Natural Chips Reign Supreme
Top Potato Chip Brands
TORTILLA CHIPS - Tackling Hot Trends
PRETZELS - Healthy and Beyond
SNACK CRACKERS - The More Healthful Snack
Top Pretzel Brands
Top Snack Cracker Brands
COOKIES - Decadently Healthy
CORN SNACKS - The Scoop on Corn Chips
Top Corn Snack Brands
SNACK NUTS & SEEDS - Investing in Innovation
Top Nut, Seed and Corn Nut Brands
CHEESE SNACKS - Say Cheese to New Snacks
Top Cheese Snack Brands
PORK RINDS - Still on a Fast Track
Top Pork Rind Brands
MEAT SNACKS - Meating High Expectations
Top Meat Snack Brands
READY-TO-EAT POPCORN - Expanding Indulgence
Top RTE Popc orn/Caramel C orn Brands
MICROWAVE POPCORN - Convenience and Health
OTHER SALTED SNACKS - Catch-all Segment Builds With Variety
Top Microwave Popcorn Brands
Top Other Salted Snack Brands
SALSA AND DIPS - Salsa Dips, Dips Rise
Top Salsa and Dip Brands
Innovative and Educational …
Earl Wise Sr. Enters Circle of Honor
Overheard at SnaxPro
Get Ready for SNAXPO 2012: Celebrating 75 Years
New Snacks
Products & Services
Ad Index

Snack World - May 1, 2011