Novel Flavors In the Snack Category
One would think that consumers’ healthy and environmentally friendly trends could threaten the snack industry. However, brands are quick to switch gears away from junk food and provide more healthy alternatives such as crackers and biscuits in innovative and novel flavors.
Better for You Than the Original
While a cookie or cracker is considered an indulgence, consumers are looking for a more nutritious option. Branding cookies with four or five times less sugar than traditional mainstays in the market positively influence today’s choices. Cookies that are gluten-free or made with almond flour and coconut oil appear healthier even if the calorie count is the same.
More brands are committing to natural ingredients with whole grains as a source of fiber and vitamin B6. Vegan and ketogenic products advertise health benefits and promote a lack of junk. Purer cookies or crackers made with organic and superfood ingredients are the antithesis of junk food, and consumers appreciate the new choices.
Entertaining New Flavors
Consumers will never tire of innovative flavor combinations, and brands are stepping up to offer items impossible to pass up. What consumers won’t feel sophisticated when reaching for salted caramel and fennel cookies or pineapple and Thai basil flavored crackers?
New flavors are popping up in the cookie and cracker market as consumers become more comfortable with ethnic cooking, their appreciation of more exotic spices increases. Adding spices such as fennel, turmeric, cumin, and cayenne to crackers and cookies will encourage consumers to reach for the experience.
Limited Editions
Consumers won’t want to miss out if brands offer a new variation of a product as a limited edition. They will find a unique and novel flavor introduced and only available for the spring, fall, or a special event. A new Game Day snack could entice interest and extra purchases for Super Bowl Sunday parties. Simply adding the words limited edition to the packaging implies that the consumer is in on something special.
Sustainability
Sustainability continues to remain on the consumer’s radar. Reducing plastic in the packaging by adding more sustainable materials will complement the cookies and crackers’ natural brand. Housing the products in cardboard and sustainable bioplastics packaging pairs well with its organic and healthy branding. Some companies are exploring products made with the by-products of other products, such as unused corn flour. For consumers concerned about air pollution, another company makes their products with 100 percent renewable energy.
Win-Win for All
As consumers’ healthy choices and respect for the environment continues to grow, they find that brands are listening to them and providing innovative alternatives to the empty calories of yesterday’s junk food. It is a win-win for everyone.