Atkinson Candy Co. plans to unveil an updated version of the classic Chick-O-Stick during Sweets & Snacks Expo, set for May 21-23 in Chicago. 

 

The updated Chick-O-Stick will be made with simple ingredients and without artificial colors or flavors, maintaining the taste and crunch consumers love. The new Chick-O-Stick will also feature refreshed branding to introduce the candy to the next generation of consumers. 

 

Since their inception in the early 1940s, Chick-O-Sticks have featured fresh roasted peanut butter and toasted coconut made daily onsite at Atkinson’s factory in Lufkin, Texas, but artificial red and blue coloring will be removed in favor of natural turmeric and vegetable juice concentrate-derived colors. The formulation contains no hydrogenated oils or artificial preservatives. 

 

“We want to make candies that consumers can feel good about,” says President Eric Atkinson. “This isn’t a radical change in formulation, but a small tweak that will resonate with today’s ingredient-conscious consumers.”

 

The packaging and logo is undergoing a makeover that is intended to speak to the simplicity, wholesomeness and heritage of the product. 

 

“There are brand elements that are essential to the Chick-O-Stick, and those won’t be going away, but we are making some changes to bring a younger demographic along,” says John Leipold, vice president, sales and marketing.