Sweet is one of the five basic taste sensations. While most people enjoy sweets, they are also mindful about the amount of sugar and carbs in their diet.

Perhaps as long as a decade from now, snack and bakery professionals will still be reckoning with the pandemic’s effects on consumer preferences and, subsequently, their own product development. And when they do, our current focus on wellness will continue to loom large.

The pandemic has heightened consumers' interest in health and well-being. According to the 2021 IFIC Food and Health Survey, 58 percent of respondents stated that healthfulness had an impact on their food and beverage decisions.

When I travel, or throughout the always-lively and competitive greater Chicagoland grocery industry, my home market, I revel in visits to unfamiliar grocery and convenience stores. Instantly immersed, strolling the perimeter and aisles, eyes darting to end caps and standalone displays, I'm a true omnivore awash in the thrill of the hunt for something new and delicious.

The crackers category is home to multiple iconic brands synonymous with snacking, including Cheez-It, Goldfish, and Ritz, all billion-dollar brands. As part of the foundation of the grain-based baking industry, crackers also present significant opportunities for growth through incrementally better-for-you offerings and highly innovative nutrition-forward products, as well as premium and specialized lines.

In many ways, the tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed continued growth of existing patterns across snacking. For many consumers, day-to-day snacking increased, sometimes fueled by external pressures related to disrupted work, school, and the overall societal status quo. We seek solace in comfort, and the snack industry delivered.

Since 2016, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery has annually recognized two highly innovative, newly launched products—one snack and one baked good—with all products published on SnackandBakery.com/Products during the year eligible for "Best New Snack & Bakery Product" honors.

They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. So, too, is "better-for-you," the catch-all classification that drives so many consumers these days and, as such, is driving snack and bakery development, as well.