Snac World - May 2017 - 15

Tantalizing
Tastes and Textures
T
he potato chip segment remains the biggest
seller in salty snacks. Traditional salted and
core flavors remain the most popular. Potato
chips earned more than $5.7 billion for the 52 weeks
ending February 19, 2017, according to IRI data.
"Potato Chip sales represent the largest segment
of the snack food category," said Kevin Brick, senior
vice-president, marketing, Utz Quality Foods, Hanover,
PA. "Consumers seek traditional textures such as flat,
kettle and ridged potato chips."
North American products are leading the growth in
this category primarily because of unique flavor offerings and the growing demand for on-the-go snacks,
according to a recent Mordor Intelligence report.
Flavors like salty, sour, sweet, spicy, ketchup and lightly
salted represent some of the product differentiation.
Ironically, more than 50% of American households
prefer plain potato chips over the flavored, according
to the Mordor report.
"Shearer's Homestyle chips stay true to the indulgent
snacking core by offering plain, classic chips," said Kelly
McGolrick, vice-president, category management and
customer marketing, Shearer's Snacks, Massillon, OH.
Potato chips have not grown substantially due to
shifts in consumption patterns, price of raw ingredients
and intense competition from alternative snack options.
To continue to compete, manufacturers must innovate
core products to meet consumer demand, especially
the development of interesting flavors and seasonings
that satisfy taste preferences, according to a market
trends forecast by Transparency Market Research (TMR).
Herr Foods, Nottingham, PA, added new Creamy
Ranch & Habanero potato chips as well as Roasted
Garlic & Dill to its flavor profiles last year. Frito-Lay North
America, Plano, TX, upgraded the flavor of its barbeque
potato chips, a long-standing consumer favorite.
"We improved the flavor experience, and feedback
has been extremely positive," said Chris Kuechenmeister, vice-president, communications, Frito-Lay
North America.
Consumer shifts toward healthier snacks like fruit
and whole grain crackers could be seen as a threat to
potato chips. Manufacturers are responding by innovating with a premium range of healthier potato chips,
like the low-fat and low-sodium varieties, according to
the TMR report.

"We've expanded our Lay's Lightly Salted offering
to now include Barbeque Lay's Lightly Salted," Mr.
Kuechenmeister said. "This provides a unique offering
to consumers who love the taste of Lay's Barbeque,
which has been a big hit."
To compete, companies are using cleaner, natural
ingredients, experimenting with new cooking methods and redesigning packaging to improve visibility.
"Cooking oils used to produce potato chips are
playing an ever-growing role in our consumers' choices as we see an increase in olive, avocado and other
cooking oils," said Kevin Brick, senior vice-president of
marketing, Utz Quality Foods, Inc.
Shearer's savory chips deliver premium cooking
methods, gourmet flavors and 50% less fat to appeal
to health-conscious consumers. "Offering a Steak &
Onion or Maple Bacon Bourbon flavored chip delivers
the flavor in an indulgent way using a convenient,
less costly vehicle, without the added calories of consuming an entire meal," Ms. McGolrick said.
Inventure Foods, Phoenix, participates in the kettle
chip, popcorn and the other snacks categories. Steven Sklar, senior vice-president and general manager,
snack division, said the Boulder Canyon brand has
always been based on clean ingredients, non-GMO,
gluten-free and kosher ingredients. "We are working
to both improve ingredients and to create healthier
options while also providing a tasty snack indulgence
that consumers will enjoy," Mr. Sklar said.
Inventure Foods launched a number of new items
in 2016 including Olive Oil Boulder Canyon kettle
chips, Sweet Vinegar and Red Chili chips. The line's
Coconut Oil Kettle Chips feature a mesquite barbeque flavor, and the rice bran oil kettle chips are now

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