Snack World - May 2013 - (Page 48)

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY REPORT Other Salty Snacks New Age Snacks Invade Snack producers flex their innovation muscles in the all-encompassing “other salty snacks” category. During the past two years, this segment of the snack industry has seen tremendous growth. The catch-all nature of this category gives product developers room to experiment with new forms, flavors, ingredients and nutrition attributes to create healthier, more adventurous snacks. As snack companies try to entice a more knowledgeable consumer population, popped chips, extruded snacks and vegetable bases offer opportunities for product development teams to get creative. “We’re seeing a lot of demand and openness to new ideas in ‘new age snacks,’ for lack of a better term,” said Joe Papiri, vice-president, sales and marketing, Snak King, City of Industry, CA. These new age snacks are shaping the “other salty snacks” category and, to some extent, the industry. “It’s something that’s versatile and new,” he explained. For Snak King, the new age snack shapes up to be new extruded products made with unusual bases like green pea flour. “Other salty snack” producers want to reach consumers who have a growing interest in healthy alternatives. As people have become better educated about food, their demand for nutrition drives snack innovation more and more. “Healthy snacks have become more mainstream,” said Brooks Brown, national sales manager, Wyandot, Inc., Marion, OH. Wyandot’s co-packing customers have introduced vegetable-based chips and puffs as well as bean-based snacks to profit from the those ingredients’ health halo. Green Giant, a brand of Minneapolis-based General Mills, jumped from the vegetable aisle into the snack aisle with the launch of its Veggie Snack Chips line. Made with dried vegetables, these chips deliver whole grains with natural flavors. Experimenting with whole grains, Frito-Lay North America, Inc., Plano, TX, rolled out new varieties for its SunChips line: SunChips 6 Grain Medley, with 21 g whole grains per serving, and Sweet & Spicy BBQ. The company also launched a new line called Smartfood Selects, which features popped chips, popcorn and puffed corn made with all-natural ingredients. With so much room to explore and create, “other salty snacks” offers snack producers a playground to reach consumers in a whole new way. — Charlotte Atchley Top Other Salted Snack Brands Brand Dollar Sales ($ mil) Other Salted Snacks - Total SunChips General Mills Chex Mix Funyuns Private label Pirate’s Booty Munchies Chesters Sunshine Cheez-It Utz Gardetto’s SOURCE: INFOSCAN REVIEWS TOTAL US - FDMX (FOOD, DRUG,MASS,EXCLUDING WAL-MART) 52 WEEKS ENDING FEB. 24, 2013 BROUGHT TO YOU BY J.R. SHORT, HEAT AND CONTROL, MINSA, PRINTPACK, READING THERMAL, RUDOPLH FOODS, AND TNA NORTH AMERICA 48 Snack World May 2013 www.sfa.org Dollar Sales % Change 1,381.4 151.2 137.3 70.9 61.2 59.8 53.1 40.3 40.2 19.9 19.9 4.8% -11.4% -3.6% 8.3% 20.5% 26.7% 1.7% 18.5% -1.4% 0.4% -1.2% Unit Sales (mil) 448.8 45.4 60.1 43.2 26.0 17.4 18.4 29.1 13.3 6.4 8.2 Unit Sales % Change 0.3% -15.6% -4.9% -3.1% 15.8% 24.5% -0.5% 3.4% -3.2% -0.5% 0.3% Volume Sales (mil lb) Volume Sales % Change 256.6 28.4 36.8 8.3 14.0 5.5 9.6 7.5 9.2 4.4 4.4 1.0% -13.6% -2.8% 6.8% 14.8% 32.1% 2.1% 12.7% -4.6% -2.2% -1.8% http://www.sfa.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snack World - May 2013

Snack World - May 2013