Baking&Snack - May 2013 - 12

EDITORIAL STAFF
Editor

New Age for Snacks

When General Mills rolled out Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips, evil thought
No. 1 asked, “Chips in a can?” Evil thought No. 2 wondered how much sodium they contained. Actually, veggie snacks sold under such a brand is no big
deal as the $115 billion macro-snack market evolves at an exponential rate.
Today, the conventional snack categories are under siege by “all other”
snacks, which is now the third-largest segment in the salted snack market,
according to SymphonyIRI data supplied to the Snack Food Association for
its annual state-of-the-industry report.
Specifically, pellet, co-extruded, air-popped and other vegetable-based
snacks are gaining traction from consumers, shelf space from retailers and
attention from snack manufacturers like Snak King, which just installed
a production line to manufacture such “new age snacks,” according to Joe
Papiri, vice-president of sales and marketing.
“What are new age snacks? They’re like pop crisps — something that’s
versatile and new,” he said. The segment may include extruded snacks made
with atypical, nutritious ingredients such as green peas and fortified with
vegetable powders that allow for a health claim on the package.
Even within established snack categories, the landscape is rapidly changing. That’s because of category crossover. Potato, corn and tortilla chips now
battle with cracker, pretzel and popcorn crisps that compete in multiple categories and are marketed as healthful alternatives.
Totally new versions of snacks are emerging. Years ago, Snak King broke
ground by rolling out the Guacachip — guacamole-flavored tortilla chips
made with real avocados — under its El Sabroso brand. The company
more recently came out with The Whole Earth-branded nut clusters that
compete not only against candy and nuts but also in the broader poppable
snack arena. Whole new forms of snacks are now on the shelves.
Brand extensions also have given birth to new products. Last year,
ConAgra Foods took its Orville Redenbacher brand into the ready-to-eat
category. This year, in addition to its gourmet popcorn, the business introduced Pop Crunch in such flavors as a Brown Sugar Cinnamon variety that
opened popcorn consumption to a broader array of eating occasions, said
Dan Skinner, manager, public relations/social media for the brand.
“Our team has really pushed the envelope on this one where we can
take these flavors to reimagine popcorn as potentially a dessert or
something that you would eat in lieu of a granola bar or at breakfast,” he said.
Reimagining the snacking occasion has manufacturers
looking at the market in a whole new light. When asked about
Snak King’s best-selling products, Mr. Papiri didn’t mention
chips or popcorn. “The top-selling categories are natural,
organic, functional and better-for-you products,” he said.
In this new age era, it’s not a laughing matter that a brand
has gone from canned veggies to vegetable snacks. Ho, ho,
ho, Green Giant. For more trend information, check out
Snack World magazine’s in-depth report later this month.
— Dan Malovany, editor
dmalovany@sosland.com
12

/ Baking & Snack / May 2013

Executive Editor
Managing Editor
Senior Editor

Dan Malovany
dmalovany@sosland.com
Laurie Gorton
lgorton@sosland.com
Joanie Spencer
jspencer@sosland.com
Shane Whitaker
swhitaker@sosland.com

Associate Editor

Charlotte Atchley
catchley@sosland.com
Contributing Editors:
Donna Berry
donnaberry@dairy-food.com
Theresa Cogswell
bakercogs@sbcglobal.net
Jeff Dearduff
jdearduff@gmail.com
Jim Kline
jkline@theensolgroup.com
Joe Stout
joestout@cf-san.com
DESIGN STAFF
Design Services Manager Sadowna Conarroe
Designer
Ryan Cain
Manager of Advertising Design Becky White
Classified Ad Layout
Steve Piatt
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L. Joshua Sosland
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G. Michael Gude
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Chief Financial Officer
Melanie Hepperly
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Jon Hall
Advertising Manager
Nora Wages
Ad Materials Coordinator
Debbie Maniez
Digital Systems Analyst
Marj Potts
Circulation Manager
Judy Arnone
Director of Online
Advertising & Promotions Carrie Fluegge
Promotions Manager
Lon Davis

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Baking&Snack - May 2013

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