A versatile ingredient, nuts account for a rising share of new product launches in the ever evolving global snacks category. According to Innova Market Insights, snack nuts and seeds, like trail mixes, accounted for over 30 percent of snack launches in 2016, up from 26.5 percent five years previously. Factors driving that growth include new research on nuts’ health attributes, greater availability of various nut types, and technological advances allowing for new coatings, flavors, and packaging formats. When it comes to snack nuts, almonds fit particularly well with new consumer eating habits, changing tastes, and various trends. In fact, nearly one-quarter of global snack nut products launched in 2016 featured almonds as an ingredient, rising to over one-third in the U.S.
The range of snacks featuring almonds continues to widen beyond traditional raw or salted nuts to include smoked and caramelized variants that offer limitless potential. Thanks to almonds unique ability to blend with and carry such a wide variety of flavors, there are products in the market ranging from more traditional profiles like honey, lemon, and ginger towards exotic and spicy palates such as jalapeno and wasabi. On-trend combinations for almonds only continue to evolve the standard for taste, pushing the boundaries of sweet and savory profiles. Today even Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper, Mint Mocha, and seasonal variants such as Pumpkin Pie are hitting the mark with consumers.