Baking&Snack - June 2014 - 26

CATEGORY CROSSOVER

FIT as can be
Ready-to-eat (RTE) popcorn sales rose more than 20% last
year, making it one of the fastest-growing categories in
the snack industry. It's easy to see why.
Think Sea Salt, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Parmesan and Herb,
Onion Dijon, Real Butter, and then go even more adventurous.
During the past few years, companies such as Popcorn,
Indiana have introduced light versions of ready-to-eat
popcorn with only a couple dozen calories per cup, and
the products come in bold flavors.
"Our FIT sea salt multipack is a perfect example of
a product that meets the demand for high-quality portable snacks on-the-go, said Jeff Dworzanski, director of
"
marketing for the Englewood, NJ-based company. "Those
with a more adventurous palate will be blown away by the
new savory flavors like Sriracha, Jalapeño and Hatch Chile
Cheese. We've added different sizes for different channels
and occasions as demand has continued to grow.
"
In addition to being low in calories, RTE popcorn complements the healthy eating trend because it also is low in
fat, contains simple yet all-natural ingredients and is a
good source of fiber and whole grain. Introduced last year,
Popcorn, Indiana's FIT popcorn has 40 or less Cal per cup.
a 6.0. That may not seem like
much, but it's huge when consumption gets to that level," he
said.
Despite his comparisons to natural destruction, Mr. Howe stressed
that the nouveau snack movement
is anything but a disaster for the
salted snack industry. Rather, it's
an opportunity that manufacturers and marketers need to seize in
order to grow their base. They need
to get out and surf that huge wave
of change.

Much larger snack world
Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive
and general manager, client insights, for IRI, a Chicago-based
market research firm, noted
that in 2010, 7% of consumers described themselves as
early morning snackers, but today this host has grown
to 14% - a definite increase. Other snack-time shifts
are occurring. While snack sales in every day part are
on the rise, evening snacking skyrocketed from 44% in
2010 to 62% now, and late evening from 24% to 46%.
Ms. Wyatt reported these findings during her State of

26 Baking & Snack June 2014 / www.bakingandsnack.com

the Industry presentation at SNAXPO, an annual trade
show sponsored by the Snack Food Association.
According to IRI data, the Top Five morning snacks
are yogurt, preferred by 32% of consumers; bakery
snacks by 28%; snack bars by 21%; dairy/yogurt-based
beverages by 18%; and fruit-based smoothies by 17%.
On the other hand, the Top Five evening snacks are
salty snacks, 56%; ice cream, 49%; chocolate candy, 48%;
cookies, 46%; and snack nuts, 41%.
Mr. Papiri noted Ms. Wyatt's presentation provides
a much different perspective on how consumers are
snacking. "Her presentation forces you to look at the
broader macro-snack eating occasion and how much
competition is coming from other foods such as yogurt
and cheese," he said. "The good news is that people are
eating fewer regular meals and smaller mini meals, and
these are providing salted snack manufacturers with
a lot more eating occasions during the day, even with
breakfast and our [snack] products."
Many snacks now cater to the burgeoning nation of
foodies. That trend prompted Snak King to rethink how
it positions The Whole Earth brand. "When we first
started working with The Whole Earth, we looked at ingredients as the driving force - the all-natural and organic positioning of the brand. However, it turned into
more of a culinary brand right now," he explained.
"We updated the logo to reflect the new positioning
to market it as more of a specialty food," Mr. Papiri said.
"We are marketing the flavor of the product to appeal
to a foodie and not just looking at the ingredients. The
Whole Earth brand is now about the flavors of the world.
We're trying to push different flavor boundaries and give
a slightly different focus to the brand's positioning."
The culinary influence is reflected in how Inventure
Foods, Phoenix, developed unconventional snacks that
mimic menu concepts under the T.G.I. Friday's brand.
Most recently, it rolled out Baked Extreme Heat Fry
and Jalapeño Poppers Snack Sticks, which deliver a
zesty cheddar taste. Steve Sklar, Inventure's senior vicepresident of marketing, noted T.G.I. Friday's customers
are looking for hearty products that taste great and fill
them up. "On the flavor side, hot and spicy continues to
grow," he said. "We have focused additional resources to
develop, market and sell these types of products."
With its Boulder Canyon brand, Inventure offers
snacks that incorporate the latest in natural food attributes. "Our core consumers for Boulder Canyon are
people who tend to be outdoorsy, more active folks who
are looking for a great-tasting product that is better for
you than a traditional snack," Mr. Sklar said. "Where applicable, our products are certified gluten-free, kosher,
non-GMO and Non-GMO Project Verified."
The culinary influence also can be seen in several new

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