Ingredients and Formats adapts for Healthier, Portable Candy and Snacks
Snacking is popular among consumers, but with increased health awareness and wellness education, snack companies are now changing their format to adapt to the needs of shoppers. Brands are focused on clean-label snacks, organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO products to meet these new requirements.
Emphasis For Healthy Snacks
With the rise of health-conscious consumers, it is no wonder why snack companies are clamoring to fill this new niche. For instance, aside from using clean labels, companies are designing snacks made from fewer natural ingredients without the use of artificial coloring and flavors.
Consumers are now following different diet restrictions. People who suffer from celiac disease, for example, can now find snacks that are made without the presence of gluten. Other companies have specialized in making healthy snacks without the use of genetically modified ingredients.
Why Focus on Candy Bars and Snacks?
So why are companies focused on making healthy candies and snacks? The smaller serving size is perfect for people who are always on the go. According to Millennial, a US-based research company, consumers are looking for bite-sized snacks that are not only easy to consume but that offer portion control in a re-sealable format. This format is being adopted by food brands like Snickers, Milky Way, and Twix by producing 100 calorie sticks.
Aside from the portion sizes, the packaging of candies and snacks is changing. The change in the packaging is aimed at improving the shopping experience for consumers. Candy companies are also focused on changing the ingredient list. For instance, the infamous Mars bar uses gluten-free ingredients such as whole nuts, fruits, and dark chocolate for those who have gluten restrictions.
Better Opportunities for Snacking Companies
The strategies implemented by snack companies have resulted in a huge revenue of $13.7 billion this year, which is a 2.4% increase compared to the previous year. The increase provides real motivation to snack companies when it comes to innovating their products.
Most consumers are actively shopping for healthier food items, so the merchandising of healthy snacks often involve placing the snacks near the produce section. This is to give the consumers the idea that the snacks are healthy. On the other hand, the store that receives a high amount of traffic can also place their snack products on visual shipper displays to provide appealing storage.
The thing is that the snacking industry will be big given a few years’ time as more people demand products that contain healthier ingredients. With the steady increase in revenue as well as popularity, the category of healthy snacks will continue to grow.
