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O C G S h o w D a i l y S u n d a y, Ju n e 5 , 2 0 1 6 5 4 SATISFYING SNACKS FOR THE NUTRITION-CONSCIOUS CONSUMER By Lorrie Baumann Natural foods manufacturers have been very busy this year thinking up ways to cater nutritious snacks for a generation that's making frequent snacks a regular part of their eating plan. This new gener- ation of better-for-you snacks, launched at this year's Natural Products Expo West held March 9-13 in Anaheim, California, offers clean labels, nutrition density and bright, savory flavors. Wilde Bars, for instance, is a line of Paleo-friendly meat snacks that will appeal to carnivores looking for a protein boost. Each slow-baked lean meat bar with superfruits, vegetables and ancient grains contains just 100 calories and delivers 10 grams of protein with low fat and low sodium. The bars are made with a proprietary baking process that allows the use of lean meats such as premium chicken and turkey – the bison and beef bars are made with sirloin – rather than the fatty cuts often used for other meat bars. The bars' shelf life is 12 months, and they retail for $2.49 to $2.79. Caveman offers similar Paleo- inspired meat snacks for protein-craving snackers. Three flavors of Chicken Primal Bites – Sun-dried Tomato and Kale, Toasted Sesame Ginger and Habanero Green Chile – deliver 30 grams of protein for a 2.5-ounce pouch that con- tains 2.5 servings. The bite-size snacks are made of pure chicken infused with other healthy ingredients to make a meat snack the company considers a little more accessible than jerky. Each pouch retails for $6.99, and the snacks have a 12-month shelf life. Caveman also launched a line of protein bars five months ago that's doing very well with consumers, according to Chief Marketing Officer Jim Taschetta. "It really is revolutionizing the protein bar market," he said. "You can use Paleo principles to make really delicious foods. You don't have to sacrifice." These are no-compromise protein bars with no preservatives and no added sugars. Unlike many of the protein bars on the market, the protein in these comes from chicken rather than whey or soy isolates. Chicken, which has a lower carbon foot- print and requires less water than beef or bison, also has a milder flavor that does- n't compete with spices and other ingre- dients that provide variety. The Blueberry Pepper flavor, for instance, is made from chicken, blueberries and spices, and that's all, Taschetta said. A new flavor, Honey BBQ, launches in May. "It's one of the most popular fla- vors on the mainstream market, but we've come up with really clean ingredi- ents," Taschetta said. Each bar retails for $2.89. For those who want protein without meat, GrandyOats offers a line of organ- ic snacks from its solar-powered plant in Maine. Garlic Herb Cashews and Maple Roasted Cashews are the top-selling products in their line of roasted nuts, while High Antioxidant Trail Mix is the company's best-selling trail mix. The Maple Roasted Cashews are made with locally sourced maple syrup, and the High Antioxidant Trail Mix was voted the #1 Quick Fix food by Sierra and Mother Earth News magazines. The trail mix combines goji berries, mulber- ries, jumbo raisins, cranberries, almonds, walnuts and pumpkin seeds, and a 1/4- cup serving delivers 4 grams of protein in a 150-calorie snack. GrandyOats' move into its new solar-powered facility will allow the company to dedicate a portion of its plant as a gluten-free facility, and we can expect to see a whole gluten-free line from the company soon, including all of its bulk roasted nuts and trail mixes. HempsGood offers three flavors of a snack product called HempSeed Bhang: Thai Coconut Lemongrass, Southwest Barbecue and Sweet Cinnamon. These flavored hemp seed products are pack- aged in "stickpacks," pouches about the size of a candy bar from which the crunchy mix of unshelled and shelled hemp seeds is poured. HempSeed Bhang is gluten free, vegan and low in sugar, and each 20-gram stickpack delivers 7 grams of protein as well as Omega 3, 6 and 9 oils. HempSeed Bhang is a natural source of dietary fiber and has no artifi- cial ingredients. popchips are a healthier alternative to fried potato chips. The newest vari- eties, popchips RIDGES are crinkle-cut potato chips with 55 percent less calories and 72 percent less fat than ordinary ruf- fled potato chips. The four newest flavors are Salted, Cheddar & Sour Cream, Tangy Barbeque and Chili Cheese. popchips RIDGES are packaged in two sizes: the 3-ounce bag retails for $2.99 and the .8-ounce single-serve size retails for $1.19. Natierra delivers crunch without compromise with seven flavors of Chia Crunch. These gluten-free and non-GMO disks are made from freeze-dried chia seeds and superfoods for crunchy texture and intense flavor without added sugar. They're gluten free, organic and fair trade with 90 calories and 2 grams of pro- tein in a single-serve pouch that retails for $4.99 PLANT BASED PROTEINS PROJECTED TO REMAIN POPULAR By Greg Gonzales Ask vegans where they get their protein these days, and eyes are sure to roll. Consumers, especially millennials, are adding more plant-based proteins to their diet than ever before. Their reasons vary, but tend to include health, sustainability and ethical concerns. "At the current trends of food consumption and environ- mental changes, food security and food sustainability are on a collision course," says a 2014 American Society for Nutrition study. "Policies in favor of the global adoption of plant-based diets will simultaneously optimize the food supply, health, environmental and social justice outcomes for the world's population." Whatever their reasons for incorporating more plant-based protein into their diets, plant-based alternatives are one of the biggest trends this year. According to Mintel's 2016 Global Food and Drink Trends report, the increase in novel protein sources appeals to a wider variety of consumers, and indi- cates that the "alternative" marketplace might take over the mainstream animal- based market. As early as 2013, Mintel reported that more than one-third of U.S. consumers had purchased a meat alterna- tive such as Tofurky or Beyond Meat. Seventy percent of Millennials consume meat alternatives a few times a week, with one-third of them consuming a meat alternative daily. Some of them are switching to plant-based diets, or not eating as much meat, as a health choice. Recent research from the World Health Organization and other institutions have linked processed meat and red meat consumption to colon cancer, and other forms of cancer. Meat is also rich in sat- urated fats and sodium, which is bad for heart health when it dominates the diet. According to a Harvard study, replacing these fat-rich meats with foods rich in polyunsaturated fats, like nuts or seeds, reduced heart disease risk by 19 per- cent. Another study, from Imperial College London, showed that reduced meat consumption also helps prevent obesity in the long term. In addition, a look at the nutrition facts on meat ver- sus peas or beans shows that the latter can provide more fiber, protein, vita- mins and minerals without the extra fat the former adds. Reducing meat intake and substituting vegetables provides all the daily dietary requirements. Consumers have also reduced their meat intake in the name of animal wel- fare and environment. For example, more than 8 billion chickens were slaughtered for meat in 2014, most of them living in cages too small to move around in. Some argue that this kind of pain and suffering of the animals is enough for them to make the switch, though consumers might also point to environmental factors as well. Chef and Restauranteur Dan Barber writes in his book, "The Third Plate," that "Fixtures of agribusiness such as five-thousand- acre grain monocultures and bloated animal feedlots are no more the future of farming than eighteenth-century facto- ries billowing black smoke are the future of manufacturing." Barber argues in interviews, books and Ted Talks that agriculture, cooking and nature go hand- in-hand, that foods produced along with the local ecosystem are sustainable and even taste better. Reasons for eating more plants and less meat aside, available alternatives to animal proteins run the gamut of protein sources. Quorn's patties and strips get their protein from a fungus to mimic the taste and texture of chicken, while Gardein's formulation for chicken, fish and burgers do the same using vital wheat gluten. Beyond Meat's products use a variety of sources, including pea protein, to mimic meats like chicken and beef. Vegans can still enjoy their morning eggs with Follow Your Heart's VeganEgg, a completely vegan egg prod- uct made from algae that cooks up in a pan just like the real thing. Bean burgers, mushrooms, jackfruit, tempeh, tofu, sei- tan and texturized vegetable protein are just some of the other ways consumers are pushing meat proteins further off their plates. From Paleo to vegan and gluten-free, there's something for every individual. "People need the information so they can make their choice, even in the space of non-meat proteins," said Minh Tsai, Founder and Chief Executive Officerof Hodo Soy. "Even now, there's a lot of choices. With information, both in terms of what it tastes like and what the ingre- dients are, customers will have that info and make the right choice when it comes to taste, and when it comes to health." NEW MIXES FROM RABBIT CREEK If you're looking for a sweet treat, Rabbit Creek has you covered in spades. Added to its brownie line up are two new mixes: "Knock You Naked," a brownie mix chock full of chocolate chips and toffee bits, and "Inebriated Apple," a wine brownie mix with apple nuggets. Both of these brownie mixes will definitely satisfy your sweet tooth, but if you're wanting to add a little variety, Rabbit Creek has 31 other brownie mixes to pick from in addition to cookies, sweet breads and muffins. Rabbit Creek Products' mixes are all made in house for each and every order. It might be a little bit more work, but it ensures that customers get the absolute freshest mixes. Rabbit Creek is located almost smack dab in the mid- dle of the United States, south of Kansas City. You might see horses hitched outside the local American Legion, but don't let the small town beguile you into thinking the company only has a few mixes; the fact is, it has over 200. From beer breads, artisan yeast breads, brownies, muffins, vegetable dips, fruit dips, cheeseballs, to scones, cookies or its new slushie mixes, Rabbit Creek has anything you need. On top of all of that, Rabbit Creek also does free private labeling on all of its products and only has a minimum order of one case. For more information, call 800.837.3073 or go to www.rabbit creekgourmet.com.