5 Snack and Candy Items Named 2017 Product of the Year

NEW YORK -- Culled from a national survey of 40,000 consumers, the 2017 Product of the Year Award winners represent a variety of products across all store categories. The five winners that represent snacks and candy were released in the past year and "demonstrate innovation within their industry." There are 28 new-product winners in all, across all categories. The 2017 Product of the Year Awards were named at a gala hosted by "Saturday Night Live" alumnae Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer on Feb. 9.

"Competition is fierce among consumer brands, with thousands of new products introduced to the market each year," said Mike Nolan, CEO of Product of the Year USA. "This year's winners will have a true advantage over competitors as they are able to utilize the distinctive red Product of the Year logo on packaging and in brand advertising to show shoppers that 40,000 consumers recommend their product against the competition."

Click through to see which products were chosen for 2017 Product of the Year for the snacks and candy categories ... 

The winner in the healthy snacks category is Del Monte Fruit Refreshers. This fruit-cup snack is made exclusively for adults. It combine fruit chunks with slightly sweetened fruit water to create several flavor combinations, including Pineapple in Passion Fruit Water and Mandarin Oranges in Coconut Water. The fruit cups contain 100 calories or fewer per serving.

Inspired by Happiness Cravin' for Cookies & Cream Layered Cake won a 2017 Product of the Year award for the dessert category. Cravin' for Cookies & Cream Layered Cake has layers of cake, cubes of cookies and vanilla cream mousse made with real cream cheese. It is smothered with dark chocolate ganache and a white chocolate drizzle. The product is gluten-free.

Winning in the chocolate category, Russell Stover Pecan Delights feature "crunchy pecans, buttery caramel and sweet milk chocolate."

Available at Aldi stores, this better-for-you snack won Product of the Year in the salty-snacks category. SimplyNature Organic White Cheddar Puffs are certified gluten-free and made of baked rice and corn. They also have no added sugar.

This riff on the old standard won Product of the Year in the sugar confections category. Werther's Original Soft Caramels have the same rich, smooth taste of Werther’s Original hard candies, only they're soft, creamy caramels.

• Click here to see the complete list of Product of the Year award winners.