As a Senior Food & Drink Analyst, Honorata delivers actionable insight on food and drink trends and innovation, with a particular interest in health and wellness.
As almost half of consumers in the UK report snacking in between meals on a regular basis due to the COVID-19 outbreak, comfort foods – such as popcorn – have an untapped potential for innovation.
Not only is popcorn a popular snack option, but it’s also a trending ingredient/flavour note across global food launches, particularly in snacks other than just popcorn and chocolate/sugar confectionery.
Blurring category lines by adding popcorn to snack bars is a strategy worth exploring to engage with adventurous consumers, including not only popcorn lovers but also snackers who are looking for multi-sensory and share-worthy experiences. Below are some of the latest popcorn innovations that snack bar brands could take inspiration from.
Dialling up excitement with uber-indulgent, seasonal and category-blurring flavours
Over four fifths of European snack bar consumers enjoy experimenting with new types of bars, signalling opportunities for bolder flavour innovation in popcorn bars. Snack bars could take inspiration from the unique popcorn flavours identified below:
Incorporating savoury popcorn for a new flavour and textural twist is an interesting route to take when addressing the needs of consumers who have a preference for savoury snack foods. Almost two fifths of UK snackers say that there should be more ‘swavoury’ (sweet and savoury) snacks available. Adding more savoury notes to the snack bar category can also help in positioning snack bars as meal replacement foods rather than snacks only, thus providing extra reasons to buy.
Post time: Sep-27-2021