Heading into the fall and winter seasons, consumers are snacking more than ever according to market research company IRI. This is good news for walnut lovers, as this ingredient is poised to fit nicely into four key snack food trends.
Sally Lyons Wyatt, IRI executive vice president of client insights, told the recent SNAXPO crowd at the end of August that the snack category will grow 3% to 4% in 2021, which she said was “likely a very conservative estimate.” Key takeaways from her talk included:
1. Convenience: Consumers are definitely still working from home, but they’re also heading back into the office, leading to a demand for better convenience and grab-and-go packaging.
Nature’s Garden Trail Mix Snack Packs, which all include walnuts, are a versatile three-pack of Heart Healthy Mix, Omega-3 Deluxe Mix and Cranberry Health Mix. With 24 individual servings of 1.2-ounce bags in each pack, consumers can enjoy a variety of their favorite made-with-walnut mixes.
On-the-go is so important to PROBAR that the messaging is right there on the packaging. Take a trip down nostalgia lane with their Banana Nut Bread Meal Bar, the perfect solution to breakfast replacement. There are nine grams of protein in each gluten-free bar.
2. Better-for-you snacking: Lyons Wyatt said that suburban consumers are still seeking better-for-you options in their snacking occasions. A growing opportunity in better-for-you snacking is the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids. At 2.5 grams per ounce, walnuts are the only nut with an excellent source of omega-3 alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), the plant-based fatty acid. Further, there are four grams of protein and two grams of fiber in each walnut serving. Various products on the market today make no secret that omega-3 ingredients are within the packaging.
GourmetNut POWER UP Premium Trail Mix Mega Omega variety is a powerhouse of walnuts, dried mango and cranberries. The blend results in three grams of protein per serving and two grams of dietary fiber.
Paradise Valley Mega Omega-3 Mix contains seven, 1-ounce pouches per bag, which satisfies the need not only for omega-3s but for convenience outlined in the first trend.
3. Sustainability: “Messaging around sustainable business practices is a good way to draw the interest of younger snackers,” Lyons Wyatt noted. A trend report from Innova Market Insights also named transparency as the No. 1 Top Ten Trend for 2021, with brands “upping their game to meet evolving ethical, environmental and clean label consumer demands.” ADM Investor Services also named transparency as a Top Five Global Trend That Will Shape the Food Industry in 2021. Walnuts deliver a plant-based, clean label ingredient in a wide range of products. Further, more than 99% of the walnuts grown in the U.S. are grown in California’s Central Valley, a plus for ingredient transparency.
Ingredient transparency is literally on the forefront of Sahale Snacks’ Glazed Mix, as the package art points directly to the ingredients, walnuts being one.
Bubba’s Fine Foods Sweet Keto Glazed Nut Mix also makes a note about ingredients on its site: “We’ve all grown up and need to move past the snacks we used to love that were full of hard-to-pronounce ingredients and sugars packaged in bright colors and fun shapes.” The Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough variety of this nut mix reveals the inside of the clusters, making the walnuts, dark chocolate chips, vanilla extract and coconut seem even more delectable.
4. True indulgence: Finally, Lyons Wyatt touched on the fact that permissible indulgence was “winning” prior to the pandemic. But indulgent snacks are making a comeback. “True indulgence has gained yet again and is now sitting at 33% share. It was at roughly 28% back in 2019.” Walnuts are one of the few ingredients that play a role in both healthful and indulgent products.
Abdallah’s Vanilla Nut Caramels are a snacker’s dream. Walnuts add crunch and flavor to this deliciously sweet snack. Blue Moose Sweet Shoppe provides snackers who love chocolate with two made-with-walnut varieties: Maple Walnut Fudge and Belgian Chocolate Walnut Fudge.
Interested in making walnuts a cornerstone of your next snack product launch? Email kseiz@walnuts.org for more information.
