AUSTIN, Minn. -- Hormel Foods Corp. is discontinuing market tests of Spam Snacks, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal first reported.
The company rolled out the meat snacks—pouches of dried Spam bites in teriyaki, bacon and original flavors—in select U.S. markets in October 2015 to test the reaction to the concept.
“The decision to discontinue Spam Snacks came following post-launch review of consumer and sales metrics, which didn’t meet our initial expectations,” Hormel said in a statement obtained by the newspaper. “Spam Snacks will continue to be on shelves through the summer. Hormel Foods remains committed to product innovation and the snacking category, and will continue to look for ways to grow the portfolio to address the changing tastes of consumers.”
Hormel will continue to develop new on-the-go snack products, said the report.
The company also makes Skippy P.B. Bites and Jennie-O Turkey Breast Sticks, and Hormel closed in late May on the acquisition of Justin’s LLC, owner of the Justin’s nut butter-based snack brand. Justin’s markets four product lines: spreads, squeeze packs, peanut butter cups and snack packs.
The companies have named Michael J. Guanella as chief operating officer of Justin’s. He is currently a senior brand manager at Hormel Foods, responsible for Skippy peanut butter. He led the integration of the Skippy brand in 2013 and has been responsible for brand strategy, consumer marketing and product innovation in the U.S. retail market. Most recently, Guanella led the innovation and launch of Skippy P.B. Bites.
Hormel, based in Austin, Minn., is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products.
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