In the realm of snacks, triumph can frequently be gauged by innovation as much as revenue expansion. During a December Emerge CPG seminar, David Walsh, Director of member relations and outreach for SNAC Global, conveyed that several top snack segments are diving into current consumer fads and seeking fresh avenues for transformation.

Consider tortilla chips. Even though they witnessed a mere 1.5% surge in 2021, this $5.3 billion segment is awaiting a novel approach. Being the runner-up snack type just behind potato chips, tortilla chips serve as a readily available choice for social events, effortlessly replicating a dining-out feel.

"A while back, we noticed the movement of tortilla chip makers embedding the dining ambiance inside the packaging by crafting more genuine chip variations," Walsh remarked.

Tortilla chip producers are further venturing with health-conscious ingredients like germinated grains and substitute flours derived from cassava or garbanzo beans. Plus, nutritious add-ins such as chia and flax are becoming more prevalent.

Names such as Doritos are spearheading this trend with taste variants like Blaze and Flamin’ Hot. Tostitos unveiled a habanero variant, and a fusion of chili with lime is also gracing the aisles.

"Heat is truly insatiable in this division," Walsh emphasized.

Pretzels, another classical category, are metamorphosing through innovation. This segment too saw a peak amidst the pandemic but has now reverted to robust, albeit modest, growth of 5.41%. By balancing health and indulgence, pretzels are maintaining their pace while also presenting a revamped take on a staple product.

Unique Snacks presents entirely organic germinated wheat pretzel items ticking multiple consumer checkboxes. And recently, Snyder’s Lance introduced gluten-free pretzels and flavored pretzel variants.

Moreover, Quinn Snacks boasts "time-honored snacks reenvisioned." With offerings like Maple Almond Butter-filled Pretzel Bites, they're capitalizing on on-the-go snacks while satiating the appetite for rich flavors.

Post-pandemic, consumer tendencies and taste inclinations have transitioned, compelling staple snack categories to evolve.

"We're distinctly witnessing a fusion in those conventional salty snack sectors," Walsh said.

Being the primary global association for snack stakeholders, with over 400 snack makers and suppliers globally, SNAC Global is a component of the Emerge CPG consortium designed to mentor budding CPG labels. Emerge CPG conducts periodic seminars for its members.

Bakery China will continue to share more industry professional content with you, so please stay tuned!

Bakery China, organized by China Association of Bakery and Confectionery Industry (CABCI) and Bakery China Exhibitions Co., Ltd. was launched since 1997. Bakery China is the Asia Pacific‘s leading event serving the entire value chain for the bakery and confectionery market. The event presents all range of ingredient, equipment, packaging and services, and enables global leading professionals and buyer delegates to meet and share the latest innovations and thinking on manufacturing & distribution, R&D, applications and related services for bakery industry.

The 26th Bakery China will be held on May 21-24,2024 at National Exhibition and Convention Center (NECC), Shanghai, covering 320,000 sqm show space. Over 2,200 exhibitors and 400,000 visits are expected.（source:commercial baking）