Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS APRIL 2015 www.gourmetnews.com SNACKS 1 6 BY LORRIE BAUMANN Grocers and food manufacturers have been paying particular attention to the snack food category over the past couple of years, and recent consumer research suggests that interest in snack foods is only going to con- tinue to grow, and, given the strength of the healthy eating movement, better-for-you snacks in particular occupy a niche with strong potential for growth. For instance, Progressive Grocer re- ported recently that after seeing consumer survey research and conducting some sur- veys among its employees about their snacking habits, Wegmans has made healthy snacks a company priority for 2015. There's nothing surprising about the news that Wegmans employees reported a desire for healthy snack foods. According to the Scientific Report of the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, 96 per- cent of Americans older than 2 consume at least one snack a day, and nutrition studies have found that two or three snacks per day is the usual pattern. Research by Packaged Facts reported in November 2014 finds that some 27 per- cent of adults age 18 and older "strongly agree" that they often snack between meals in 2014, up from 22.6 percent in 2004. Overall, Americans are getting about one quarter of their daily calories from snacks, which typically provide the lowest percentage of key nutrients for their calorie content. Snacks account for 42 percent of Americans' daily intake of added sugars, and the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee is urging the addi- tion of an added sugars line item to Nutri- tion Facts labels to help encourage Americans to seek out foods with less added sugar; as well as a broad range of public policies and education to encour- age Americans to improve their diets. Among those who stand to gain as Americans look for healthier snack op- tions is Navitas Naturals, which special- izes in organic superfoods from around the world. "About four years ago – we'd been traditionally an ingredients-based company – we set out on a path to incor- porate some of these organic superfoods into healthy snacks," said Navitas Natu- rals CEO and Founder Zach Adelman. "We were paying attention to the industry trends – everybody was moving towards snacking. We saw an opportunity to high- light our superfoods in ready-to-eat offer- ings that made those superfoods accessible to the average consumer.... It was a way for us to add value to tradi- tional snack foods by using inclusions of our superfoods." Navitas Naturals now makes five fla- vors of Power Snacks, which are similar to a date-based nutrition bar that's cut into smaller pieces and packaged in a stand-up pouch that gives grocers a dif- ferent merchandising option from the wrapped bar for the snacks aisle. The company's SUPERFOOD+ is a product line of cashews, almonds and pepitas en- robed in superfoods, including hemp, goji powder, maca, cacao – all the things that are top-selling ingredients, blended into accessible ready-to-eat snack foods, Adelman said. "We've also introduced coconut chips into that product lineup.... These products are unique to Navitas, and our team members worked really hard on the flavors, and we've brought really interesting flavors to snack foods," Adelman said. By virtue of Navitas Naturals' identifi- cation with "superfoods" and "organic," the company's products have penetrated primarily into the organic and natural channel, but they've begun to work their way into conventional grocers, and the company's snack foods and even its range of super- foods ingredients – prod- ucts like its Superfruit Mix smoothie blend and its Su- perfood Blend of protein powder for smoothies – are making their way into the mass market as well. "They [mainstream grocers] are definitely becoming more interested. Power Snacks have been in Safeway for the past few months. The conventional grocers are catching up with the natural channel. We're offering the ingredients, and some grocers are picking those up," Adelman said. "What we're really seeing with grocers overall is an expansion of Health and Wellness and positioning those products across the boards. They're picking up a little bit of each of the cate- gories that we have under healthy snack- ing. It's something that's been trending for a little while, and we're seeing an uptick of interest." GN Healthier Snack Food Options Way Better Snacks Debuts Sweeet Potato Ginger The new Sweeet Potato Ginger Kissed corn tortilla chips are the latest addition to Way Better's line of non-GMO, gluten- free, whole grain corn tortilla chips. Then, when you're ready to take it to the next level, Way Better Snacks has you covered with Rose- MARRY Me and Olive Oil, one of four vari- eties of Sprouted Barley Crackers. Other flavors include Beyond the Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper, Back in Black Bean and Salsa, and Mustard and Cheddar Way Better. Way Better Snacks is hinting that further new additions to the product line will be appearing in time for the winter holiday entertaining season. For more information contact Way Better Snacks at www.gowaybetter.com. Wixon Offers Comfort Flavors for Snacks Wixon, a manufacturer of spices, flavors, and technologies for the food and beverage industry, has introduced its latest blends to season snacks. The mixes, remi- niscent of familiar tastes, can add distinctive notes to new products or enliven classic recipes. The new seasonings can be adapted to a variety of industries, such as foodservice and consumer products, and include: Cheesy Blue: Ched- dar cheese, blue cheese, buttermilk, and sour cream blend with garlic, onion, and other spices for a tangy crunch. Chipotle Baby Back Rib offers a bold yet sweet taste without the mess and features molasses, Worcestershire sauce, onion, tomato, chipo- tle pepper, plus natural smoke flavor. Nutty Honey Caramel is a rich mix of brown sugar, honey, and sesame seed that creates an in- dulgent topping for "popables." Sea Salt and Lime features lime and lemon juices, sea salt, and a touch of sugar to deliver a re- freshing bite. Tomato Basil Garlic is a hearty blend of red and green bell peppers, sour cream, tomato, onion, basil, and other spices in a recipe mainstay. For more than 100 years, Wixon has been a trusted provider of flavors, seasonings, and technologies for food and beverage manufacturers. With its scientific and culinary capa- bilities combined with a pas- sion for service, Wixon drives innovation and solutions for its customers. Wixon fo- cuses on its core areas of expertise: indus- trial ingredients, including foodservice, consumer products and protein. The company's portfolio of services in- cludes research and development, custom formulation development, turnkey solu- tions and menu ideation. Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based Wixon is GFSI Certified to FSSC 22000, ISO9001 Certified, and QAI Organic Certified. For more information, visit www.wixon.com or call 414.769.3000.

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