Highlights From the NACS Show Floor in Snacks, Candy Categories

Retailers looking for fresh takes on snack and candy products could find anything from a Kit Kat Duos Mint and Dark Chocolate to Slim Jim Fire Fries on the 2019 NACS Show Floor in Atlanta.

Click through to see what’s new in the snack and candy categories …   

Hershey is releasing its Kit Kat Duos Mint and Dark Chocolate bars in December. The candy features a mashup of mint creme on the top and dark chocolate on the bottom, surrounding crispy wafers. The Kit Kat will be available in a standard 1.5-ounce bar (SRP 99 cents) and in a king size 3-ounce bar (SRP $1.69).

Mars Wrigley’s Twix Cookies and Creme is the newest Twix flavor and will launch in January. The bar features chocolate cookie bars and a soft creme center packed with crunchy cookie bites, all covered in milk chocolate. The candy will be available in a 1.4-ounce single size, a 2.87-ounce share size and an 8.7-ounce sharing size stand-up pouch.

Jack Link’s is adding new flavors and protein to its meat bar selection.

Sweet Habanero and Blackberry Barbecue will be available in January in beef meat bars. Jack Link’s is also introducing 100% chicken bars in Rotisserie Chicken and Spicy Chicken flavors, also available in January.

Conagra Brands Slim Jim Fire Fries are potato-based fries with a crunchy texture. The product comes in bold, spicy flavors with a taste of Slim Jim, including Inferno and Buffalo Style Fury.

Slim Jim is also launching its largest meat stick yet in its original flavor. Slim Jim Savage is a 3-ounce meat stick with 18 grams of protein per stick. It features iconic wrestler Randy “Macho Man” Savage on its packaging and displays.

Ferrara Candy Co.’s Trolli Sour Crunchy Crawlers feature a dual texture spin on Trolli’s classic sour gummy. A thick, crunchy shell covers a chewy, fruity center. The product comes in watermelon/strawberry, orange/raspberry and cherry/lime flavor combinations.

The gummies will be available in December in a 3.8-ounce peg bag (SRP $1), a 4.25-ounce peg bag ($1.79) and a 6.3-ounce peg bag (SRP $2.29).

Perfetti Van Melle’s new Airheads Paradise Blends come in mini bars (2.75-ounce packs and 12-ounce lay-down bags), bites (2-ounce and 6-ounce bags) and gum (14-stick wallet pack). The bars and bites come in Raspberry Lemonade, Citrus Rush, Cherry Pineapple Blast, Blue Hawaiian and White Mystery flavors. The gum comes in Raspberry Lemonade.

Sun-Maid has introduced three new varieties of its chocolate raisin mashups: Chocolate n’ Peanut Butter Covered Raisins, Dark Cocoa Dusted Chocolate Covered Raisins and Milk Chocolate n’ Almond Crunch Covered Raisins.

The products started shipping in the fall, and they come in 2-ounce single-serve tubes, 3.5-ounce movie boxes for concession operators and resealable stand-up bags with SRPs ranging from $1.99 to $5.79.

The American Licorice Co. is launching a new look for its Sour Punch brand, as well as Sour Patch Bites in Cherry, Lime and Cola flavors. The soda-inspired variety will ship this fall. The bites are sold in 9-ounce stand-up bags for an SRP range of $2.99 to $3.49 and 5-ounce hanging bags for $1.39 to $1.69.

Haribo’s Watermelon gummy candy has a new flavor in its lineup of sweets. The gummies have three layers and feature traditional and foam gummies, which gives each watermelon wedge a soft chew, according to the company.

The gummies come in three sizes: 3.1-ounce (SRP $1), 4.1-ounce (SRP $1.29) and 6.3-ounce (SRP $1.89).

Ferrero’s Tic Tac X-Freeze sugar-free mints are 50% larger than the original Tic Tac mint. The mints are sugar-free and designed to deliver intense and long-lasting refreshment, according to the company. Strong Mint and Wintergreen flavors are available nationwide in 65- and 30-piece packs.

Albanese Confectionery Group’s new Ultimate gummy bears come in eight flavors: Queen Pineapple, Alphonso Mango, Fuji Apple, Asian Pear, Blood Orange, Black Currant, Amity Raspberry and Crimson Cranberry.

The gummies, made with natural flavors and coloring from fruits and vegetables, come in 2.5-ounce, 5-ounce, 7.75-ounce and 25-ounce packages. The three larger sizes will be shipped in display-ready cases, and a shipper will also be available.

Loacker’s Duality Chocolate Bar has two layers of chocolate—white caramel and 38% milk cocoa—covering wafer crispies. The bar has chocolate, hazelnut and caramel flavors and an SRP of $1.50 to $1.99.

Premier Protein’s Creamy Layered Bars come in four flavors: Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chocolate Caramel and Vanilla Almond. The bars, which are made of nut butter and include 20 grams of protein, have 230 calories and 1 gram of sugar.

Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Treats Dunk’d are classic crispy marshmallow squares covered with a creamy coating. The 7.5-inch-long bars (SRP $1.99) come in Chocolatey and Cookies ‘N’ Creme flavors.

Hostess Brands’ new Triple Chocolate Brownies are made with real chocolate in the brownie, chocolate chips and frosting. Each brownie is made with no artificial flavors, colors or high fructose corn syrup. The treats come in boxes of eight individually wrapped brownies for an SRP of $1.99 and will be available in December.