Think of your favorite snack. It could be pretzels or potato chips or crackers. Now think of the fun add-ons that you’ve developed to make a one-of-a-kind snack for yourself. Maybe you dip your pretzels in peanut butter, or make your own cinnamon sugar crackers. Snacks can be the perfect blank canvas for flavor development, giving us a springboard to create something new and exciting.
Think of your favorite snack. It could be pretzels or potato chips or crackers. Now think of the fun add-ons that you’ve developed to make a one-of-a-kind snack for yourself. Maybe you dip your pretzels in peanut butter, or make your own cinnamon sugar crackers. Snacks can be the perfect blank canvas for flavor development, giving us a springboard to create something new and exciting.
In 2012, Frito-Lay brought this idea to life with its Do Us a Flavor contest. Customers from all over the country submitted ideas for what they believed would be the next best Lay’s chip flavor. The first winner was Cheesy Garlic Bread, submitted by a Wisconsin librarian. Other winners and finalists have included Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger, Southern Biscuits and Gravy, Bacon Grilled Cheese and Korean Fried Chicken, to name a few. These submissions are more than just whacky ideas for potato chips; they are representations of culture and taste.
To me, the snack market has been fascinating to watch develop over the last few years. Trends that we’ve identified continue to evolve in new and unexpected ways, like spicy-plus or botanicals or tropicals. Every time I walk down the snack aisle, I see something new that catches my eye. Just this past weekend I was introduced to Trader Joe’s Deli Sandwich Style Potato Chips, which somehow taste exactly like a turkey club. Who comes up with these ideas, and how do they taste so good?
There are so many factors that come into play when someone decides which things to buy at the grocery store, but there is only one at the top of the list: taste. Yes, nutrition and functional benefits are nice, but it has to be delicious. And I think the snack market is successfully leveraging interesting flavors with enhanced nutritional value to create a completely new experience for the consumer.
And, of course, we can’t ignore the impact of global flavors on the snack market, an area where social media has been key. Consumers can learn about all kinds of flavor combinations through TikTok and Instagram and bring them to their own circles. Spate’s research showed that searches for guava have been on the rise as US consumers learn about a popular guava candy in China. OSF Flavors just developed an angel hair chocolate flavor inspired by the Middle Eastern dessert. The snack market is becoming a true melting pot of global influences and flavors.
Snacks are where we tend to experiment when it comes to flavor, and I hope flavor companies and product developers continue to do the same.
