Snack and Bakery logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Snack and Bakery logo
  • SNACK PRODUCTS
    • New Products
    • Chips
    • Crackers
    • Frozen Snacks/Appetizers
    • Nuts & Trail Mixes
    • Popcorn
    • Pretzels
    • Puffs/Extruded Snacks
    • Tortilla Chips
    • Other Snacks
  • BAKERY PRODUCTS
    • New Products
    • Bars
    • Breads
    • Breakfast Products
    • Cookies
    • Desserts
    • Pizza
    • Muffins
    • Snack Cakes
    • Sweet Goods
    • Tortillas
  • INGREDIENTS
    • New Ingredients
    • Chocolate
    • Dairy
    • Extruded
    • Flavors & Colors
    • Fruit
    • Functional
    • Grains
    • Inclusions
    • Nutritional
    • Nuts & Seeds
    • Sweeteners
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • EQUIPMENT
      • New Equipment
      • New Technology
      • Belts & Conveyors
      • Depositors, Dividers & Rounders
      • Extruders
      • Fryers
      • Laminators & Sheeters
      • Mixers
      • Inspection & Detection
      • Ovens & Proofers
      • Packaging
      • Slicing, Cutting & Portioning
    • State of the Industry
      • State of the Industry: Snacks
      • State of the Industry: Bakery
    • Bakery of the Year
    • Snack Producer of the Year
    • Top 50 Snack & Bakery Companies
      • Submit Your Company
  • TRENDS
    • Artisan Baking
    • Better-For-You
    • Cannabis Edibles
    • Clean Label
    • Flavor Trends
    • Food Safety
    • Gluten-free
    • Keto
    • Plant Efficiency
    • Sustainability
  • MORE
    • Blogs
    • Case Studies & Advertorials
    • Classifieds
    • Newsletter
    • Ingrained Insights Podcast
    • SFWB Store
    • Image Galleries
    • Submit New Products
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • DIRECTORIES
    • SFWB BUYER'S GUIDE
    • CANDY BUYER'S GUIDE
    • Get Listed!
    • Take a Tour
  • CANDY
  • SIGN UP!
    • eMagazine
    • Archive Issues
    • Advertise
    • Contact
    • SIGN UP!
Snack ProductsColumnsEditor's NoteCrackers

American snack ingenuity

By Douglas J. Peckenpaugh
American snack ingenuity
courtesy of Kellogg Co.
March 28, 2022

The history of the American food industry boasts a number of iconic snack foods. And one of the best is Cheez-It crackers, a brand currently owned by another American classic, Kellogg Co. In fact, Kellogg’s is home to a wealth of historic snack and bakery products, including Corn Flakes and Pringles, among dozens of other strong category anchor brands.

Cheez-It, the honoree for this year’s “Snack Producer of the Year,” impresses due to its singular success since its invention in 1921. It’s one of the top snack foods of all time—with a century of success already traveled, and annual sales north of $3.2 billion and climbing. Those feats merit the honor alone.

But then the Cheez-It team adds in an amazing burst of innovation on the brand over the last several years, formulating new snack formats with differentiating sensory experiences, extending the Cheez-It brand into new snacking segments, resulting in incremental growth—and a whole lot of fun. There’s a lot to love about Cheez-Its.

One of the beautiful aspects of the brand is its focus on 100% real cheese. It’s a message that sticks with us. And you can certainly taste it in the products themselves, with strong craveability built around nuanced aged and deeply savory notes. And that’s just the Original. Brand fans are ardent in their adoration of flavors of choice, each one establishing a gold standard to aspire toward (I’m partial to the Jalapeño & Cheddar Jack Duoz myself, the bright, green jalapeño chile note providing a nice contrast to the serious background of aged cheese…). There’s something for everyone. But the message and branding stays at the core throughout.

And something tells me that the Cheez-It team over at Kellogg’s still has some significant mileage left on this brand.

KEYWORDS: consumer trends innovation

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Doug 200

Douglas J. Peckenpaugh is Director of Content Strategy for Beverage Industry, Dairy Foods, Food Engineering, The National Provisioner, Packaging Strategies, Flexible Packaging, Prepared Foods, Refrigerated & Frozen Foods, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, and Candy Industry at BNP Media. For over three decades, his work has followed the food industry from farm to fork, including concentrations in agriculture, ingredient processing, packaging and processing equipment, retail grocery branding, foodservice menu development, and food product R&D and manufacturing.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • cookies stacked

    The top 50 snack and bakery companies of 2024

    The top-selling companies among baking and snack players...
    Top 50 Snack and Bakery Companies
    By: Jenni Spinner and Liz Parker Kuhn
  • IHOP new menu inspired by "IF" movie

    Most popular new products: May 2024

    Products range from a Reese’s Puffs collaboration with...
    Snack Products
    By: Liz Parker Kuhn
  • state of the industry bakery: 2024

    State of the Industry 2024: Bakers continue to show resilience and creativity

    For the past several years, the baking industry has faced...
    Special Reports
Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

Cartoon of two men driving a pink convertible car

Crumbl founders step down from company leadership

Hand holding tongs with Opopop popcorn bag over grill

Opopop aims to heat up microwave popcorn category

Sweets & Snacks Expo wins big in Las Vegas

Sweets & Snacks Expo concludes its first year in Vegas

Speaking Gen Y/Z/Alpha's Language Webinar

Events

August 20, 2025

Breaking the Mold: Fresh Perspectives on Modern Bakery Packaging Solutions

On-Demand Join us for a practical look at how bakeries can modernize packaging lines and better align with emerging retail and environmental demands. Key takeaways:

January 1, 2030

Webinar Sponsorship Information

For webinar sponsorship information, visit www.bnpevents.com/webinars or email webinars@bnpmedia.com.

View All Submit An Event

Products

Natural Food Flavors and Colorants, 2nd Edition

Natural Food Flavors and Colorants, 2nd Edition

Although many foods are appealing, and even perceived as natural, in spite of containing synthetic additives, consumer increasingly prefer food products which are fully natural.

See More Products

global top 100

Related Articles

  • PARTNERS All-American Crackers

    PARTNERS All-American snack crackers

    See More
  • Latin American snack inspirations

    Latin American snack inspirations

    See More
  • Reading Bakery Systems names North American pretzel and snack equipment sales manager

    Reading Bakery Systems names North American pretzel and snack equipment sales manager

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • sfwb cover feb 2020

    Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery February 2020 Issue

  • december 2019 sfwb

    Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery December 2019 Issue

See More Products

Related Directories

  • Snack Creations

    Snack Creations is a leading global innovator at the forefront of the healthy snacks market. We offer innovative snack pellets including micro pellets, sold ready to fry, bake or air pop and are made from a range of plant-based ingredients such as lentil, pea, chickpea, potato, corn, vegetables high protein, fiber and more. Our ranges are Kosher, allergen-free (GFCO) and non-GMO.
×

Snack on the latest trends, news, and developments!

Stay in the know with Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery, the premier source of information for snack, bakery, and confectionery professionals.

JOIN TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • Newsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2026. All Rights Reserved BNP Media, Inc. and BNP Media II, LLC.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing