Melissa Kvidahl Reilly

Through the years, an overall shift toward clean eating has generally benefited the snack and granola bars market, encouraging consumers to reach for bars instead of candy, cake, cookies, and other snacks.

It's safe to say COVID-19 has made its mark on the food industry. People are cooking more at home than they used to.

Whether consumers are looking to eat breakfast on the go, refuel after a workout, or indulge in a tasty but nutritious treat, there are more choices than ever when it comes to bars.

Snack mixes and nuts are holding steady in the market. IRI, Chicago, reports sales of snack nuts grew 1.4 percent to $4.8 billion, and sales of nutritional snacks/trail mixes grew 2.3 percent to $1.2 billion for the 52 weeks ending December 29, 2019.

According to Technomic's 2018 Pizza Consumer Trend Report, 83 percent of U.S. consumers eat pizza at least once per month, with 43 percent opting for pizza every week.

Depending on who you ask, either taste or convenience is king. Luckily, manufacturers of snack, nutrition, granola and other bar products delivering on both counts more often than not these days.

By all accounts, the private label sectors of the snack and bakery markets are doing quite well. Overall, across all food and beverage categories, store brands accounted for about half of all sales growth recorded in major U.S. retail channels

There's a reason why better-for-you is trending and "perfect-for-you" isn't. According to the August 2018 "U.S. Better for You Eating Trends" market report from Mintel, just 7 percent of consumers say they're strict with themselves to make sure their diet is as healthy as possible, and just three in 10 say they maintain a healthy diet most of the time.

According to the "Top 10 Trend Predictions for 2019" from SPINS, Chicago, internationally inspired innovation in nuts and seeds is gaining ground. SPINS says that nuts and seeds are watch-worthy because they're not only protein-rich and easy to eat, but they deliver antioxidants and long-lasting energy.

Potato chips are a staple snack and meal accompaniment, a natural pairing with burgers and hot dogs on the grill, or with a sandwich at lunch. And sales are on the rise.