Oser Communications Group

1 2 SNACKING NEWS February 2019 Sweet, Meet Savory: Snackers Love the Combination BY ROBIN MATHER First, there was salted caramel nearly everything. Now, there is a whole range of snacks that hit both sweet and savory notes to attract customers. The trend has been on point for several years, says Sally Lyons Wyatt, Executive Vice President at IRI, a market research firm based in Chicago. "Consumers often find they want something that is both sweet and savory, and there are now a number of options that fit that desire," she says. Chocolate-covered salty snacks – in- cluding items like Genesee Candy Land's chocolate-covered bacon and Hershey's Take 5 Bars, with pretzels, caramel, peanuts and chocolate – may lead the way. The sweet-salty combination may be allur- ing to consumers whose palates have be- Mozaics has launched a new line of or- ganic popped vegetable and potato chips. They're tiled with peas, black beans, potatoes and rice that consumers can see and taste in a crunchy triangular chip. Mozaics chips are popped, then lightly misted with organic extra-virgin olive oil. All chips are gluten free, U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified or- ganic, kosher, Non-GMO Project certi- fied and free of peanuts and tree nuts. Each chip contains 40 percent real veg- etables, including 30 percent peas and 10 percent beans. There are 110 calories and 23 chips per 1-ounce serving, Mozaics chips will debut in five distinct flavors: Sea Salt, seasoned with fresh sea salt; BBQ, crafted with a blend of tangy spices; Cheddar; Sour Cream and Onion and Salsa, which is similar to an authentic medium salsa. The Sea Salt, BBQ and Salsa flavors are vegan-friendly, and Cheddar and Sour Cream and Onion are vegetarian- friendly. "Consumers are always look- ing to cram more vegetables into their diet; Mozaics chips are a convenient, on-the-go nutritional snacks for time- starved consumers looking for real nu- trition," said Julia Stamberger, Chief Executive Officer and co-Founder of Spinning Wheel Brands, Mozaics' par- ent company. "From road trips, get-to- gethers to backyard parties, Mozaics chips are reshaping the way consumers snack. Each chip is fewer calories and fat and higher in dietary fiber and pro- tein than other salty chip brands. The wholesome chips also offer a satisfying texture and crunch consumers love." Mozaics chips are made with no arti- ficial ingredients or preservatives and offer a simple ingredient deck. The chips are also manufactured in a facility free of peanuts and tree nuts. The new chips have a suggested retail price of $3.99 for a 3.5-ounce bag or $29.99 for an eight-pack. For more information, visit www.mozaicschips.com. n Allergy-Friendly Food Leader Expands Innovation with Protein-Rich Product Line The Safe + Fair Food Company's latest al- lergy-friendly product line is Pea Protein Chips. These gluten-free, protein-packed chips are free from five of the top eight al- lergens and are made with pea protein and lentil flour. The new plant-based Pea Protein Chips boast 9 to 10 grams of protein per serving and come in three tasty flavors: Hickory BBQ, Sea Salt and Sweet Jalapeño. Additionally, the new product line is certified gluten free, non-GMO, kosher, cholesterol free and vegetarian. The chips are not fried and are also free from artificial ingredients, preserva- tives, high fructose corn syrup, MSG and trans fat. "Consumers are showing greater in- terest in plant-based food and are ac- tively seeking protein-rich snack options in this category," said Will Holsworth, Chief Executive Officer of The Safe + Fair Food Company. "Our goal is to create products that cater to this growing consumer demand, while meeting the needs of the food allergy community." The new chips join Safe + Fair's existing offerings of popcorn quinoa chips, cookies, granola, grahams, mac- aroni and cheese and cake mix. Safe + Fair donates three percent of proceeds to the Sean N. Parker Center for Al- lergy and Asthma Re- search at Stanford University to help find treatments and develop cures for people with food allergies. The Safe + Fair Food Com- pany was founded by friends Dave Leyrer and Pete Najar- ian. The two found them- selves frustrated by the lack of safe foods for their kids, Abby and Remy, who both happened to have nut aller- gies. The new Pea Protein Chips are sold in a 3.5-ounce bag for $3.49. Visit www.safeandfair.com for more information. n come more sophisticated, she says. Wyatt notes that chocolate-covered salty snacks showed an 11.3 percent rise in sales in 2016. Colleen McClellan, Director of Client Solutions for Datassential, a market re- search firm in Chicago, credits consumer concern about sugar as one reason. But, she says, "consumers are just exploring a more diverse flavor palate. We can see it in the rise of bitter flavors, sour flavors, brines and some items with vinegar as well." As examples, she cites ginger-basil beverages, "drinking vinegars" such as Up Mountain Switchel's Original Swizzle, and Grainful's Steel Cut Meals, which are steel cut oatmeal bowls with flavors such as Tuscan bean and kale, Thai curry and cheddar broccoli. Sweet-hot is another aspect of the blend- ing of sweet-savory in snacks. KIND's sweet & spicy bars offer 10 grams of plant-based protein in flavors such as roasted jalapeno, thai sweet chili, and sweet cayenne bbq. Wise has intro- duced Hot & Honey Puffed Cheez Doo- dles, and Werner offers Sweet Hot Crunch Mix, a snack mix of peanuts, sesame sticks and sesame seeds. Chip maker Utz has added Southern Sweet Heat BBQ to its po- tato chip line. Sweet-hot flavor profiles are also showing up in meat snacks. Jack Link's and Dick Stevens both offer Sweet & Hot flavor in their beef jerky lines. Frito-Lay's Baken-Ets Chicharrones has a Sweet Southern Heat BBQ, while Southern Recipe Small Batch pork rinds and pork cracklins has added Pineapple Ancho Chile, Honey Chipo- tle and Blackberry Habanero flavors to its line. Some sweet-savory snacks are like music mash-ups. You Love Veggies's green leather is made with spinach and kale, but also gains sweetness from kiwi, pineapple, banana and mango. Millennials, in large part, have driven this flavor trend, says Jeff Fromm of Forbes' CMO Network. "Millennials' quest for adventurous flavors is much higher than with previous generations. They place taste and enjoyment as more important than health. They forego rou- tine and seek out what is new and differ- ent, preferring bold and spicy flavors and culturally diverse options," Fromm says. n Mozaics Debuts Organic Popper Veggie and Potato Chips

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