What’s Popping in Snacks?

Consumers have left freshly-popped popcorn for the movie theatre and placed value on packaged popcorn since the pandemic began, vying to enjoy the movie theater experience at home. Packaged popcorn of sweet and salty varieties was a hit at the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago this year.

Fifty-eight percent of all shoppers said they snack on popcorn, and the only other categories that topped popcorn were potato chips (69%), fruits (67%), cheeses (67%) and crackers (67%), according to a survey from 84.51˚, a retail data science, insights and media company based in Cincinnati.

When accounting for what consumers value while snacking, 72% consider taste and flavor to be the most important, while others prefer it to fulfill a craving (62%), curb appetite (48%) and be convenient (44%).

This year at the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago, CSP saw popcorn covered in candy, drizzled with chocolate and more.

Click ahead to see some of this year’s innovations. ...

Hershey, Pennsylvania-based Hershey's new Reese’s Popcorn is drizzled with peanut butter and chocolate, balancing salty and sweet flavors. The snack is available in a 2.25-ounce and 5.25-ounce bag.

Peanut Butter Caramel Coated PopCrunch from Big Dipper Food Co., Youngstown, Ohio, won the Most Innovative New Product Award from NCA for the salty snack category.

The popcorn is covered in a crunchy, peanut butter caramel coating.

The Most Innovative New Product Awards program showcases the most innovative ideas, concepts and products, chosen from more than 200 snacks ad candy products. The judging panel includes top retailers and wholesalers across multiple retail channels, and the buying power of the retailers and wholesalers represented on the panel accounts for nearly 85% of candy and snack buying sales in the United States, according to NCA.

Orlando, Florida-based Snax-Sational, which makes Cookie Pop and Candy Pop popcorn, launched a new brand, Cereal Pop, to its portfolio. New flavors include Cocoa Pebbles Cereal Pop and Fruity Pebbles Cereal Pop.

The brand’s cookie and candy popcorn flavors include Cookie Pop Oreo, Cookie Pop Chips Ahoy!, Candy Pop M&M’s Minis, Candy Pop Twix, Candy Pop Snickers, Candy Pop Sour Patch Kids and its latest flavor, Cookie Pop made with Nutter Butter cookie pieces.

The better-for-you-snack is made with non-GMO corn, is low in sodium and is 150 calories per serving.

Drizzilicious, a drizzled popcorn brand made by Snack Innovations Inc., based in Piscataway, New Jersey, is launching two new flavors, Cookies & Cream and Chocolate Chip.

The Cookies & Cream popcorn features a cookie dough dusting and Nestle white chocolate drizzle. The Chocolate Chip flavored popcorn has cookie crumbles and a Nestle Toll House chocolate drizzle.

The brand also offers Cocoa Drizzled Popcorn, Birthday Cake Drizzled Popcorn and Peppermint Drizzled Popcorn.

SkinnyPop Cheddar Jalapeño combines cheese and a jalapeno kick. It’s non-GMO, gluten-free and made with no artificial flavors. The snack from Hershey snack available in 1-ounce, 4.4-ounce and 6.7-ounce bags. SkinnyPop is a Hershey brand based in Austin, Texas.

General Mills also recently introduced Funfetti Popcorn, a Funfetti covered morsel of crunch, according to the Minneapolis-based company. 

It comes in a 2.25-ounce bag and has a suggested retail price of $2.29.

Popped corn snacks PopCorners from PepsiCo, Purchase, New York, are never fried and have no artificial flavor nor colors. They come in sea salt, cinnamon crunch, white cheddar, kettle corn, spicy queso, sweet chili, and sour cream and onion.