Articles Tagged with ''healthy snacks''

As students of all ages head back to school, parents find themselves searching anew for the latest, better-for-you, healthy school snacks that their children can pack into their lunchboxes and backpacks—snacks that feed their mind, as well as their belly.

A few weeks ago, I was able to travel to Bellingham, Washington, for the Raspberry Harvest Tour, which was sponsored by the National Processed Raspberry Council.

At its core, eating quality seals the deal on the repeat purchase of a snack. Those of us in the industry might rank a snack’s hedonistic level—the level of pleasure consumption delivers. Snacks can also face organoleptic scrutiny, determining its positive (or negative) interactions with our senses.

Manufacturers of tortilla and tostada chips continue to expand the boundaries of their offerings, in terms of both more imaginative flavors and attempts to address consumer concerns about the healthfulness of a category traditionally known for corn, salt and carbs.

Once a simple snack aisle staple, the humble pretzel is experiencing a resurgence, as restaurant menus tap into the classic flavors of this ubiquitous snack. According to Mintel, Chicago, there has been significant growth in the number of pretzel buns on menus recently, to the tune of 97 percent more items on menus than in previous years.

Crackers remain one of the most- important segments in snacks, valued at $7.4 billion. And current innovations related to ingredients, formats and flavor profiles could drive more growth over the coming year.

Trends, highlights and new ingredients, equipment and technology from IFT17.

The concept of “better-for-you” products continues to grip the food industry, and the snack and bakery market is no exception.

Two weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending the "Almonds in the Rockies" trip in Boulder and Denver, Colorado, which was sponsored by the Almond Board of California.