The U.S. population continues to adapt to life after COVID’s arrival.

An expert from the extruder solutions provider outlines challenges and opportunities.

Clean-label meat snacks are taking off. Charqui Jerky Co., Country Archer Provisions, and Cattaneo Bros. discuss their company histories and most popular meat snack offerings.

The company advises consumers are on the hunt for foods that provide unique international flavors and clean-label formulation.

Better-for-you sprouted nut brand expands its lineup.

Inclusions such as fruits, vegetables, and chocolate can add another dimension of visual appeal, flavor, and texture to snacks and baked goods.

Not all potato chips are created equal. And competition among up-and-coming chip brands is fierce in this highly mature retail snack segment valued at $8.9 billion, per IRI, Chicago. In chips, a select few companies and longstanding legacy brands dominate annual sales and market share.

We are poised at a significant point in time in the American snack industry. Over the past few years, at various points and to different degrees of intensity, we fortified ourselves with the necessities: sanitizer, toilet paper, and—yes—snacks. We are a nation of snackers, and we continually demonstrate our brand loyalty at the checkout counter—or internet shopping cart.

Despite snack mixes and nuts being known for having many “on-the-go” options, during the pandemic—when consumers have been staying home more—they have still been flocking to the category.

The puffed and extruded category mostly experienced growth from 2021 to 2022. Consumers are also searching for better-for-you flavors, and the category aimed to accommodate.