NOVEL FLAVOR PAIRINGS: On the flavor front, while sweet and heat combinations are gaining traction, says marketing manager Jean Shieh, we can also expect to see sour and heat; umami and heat; and bitter (such as dark chocolate or beer flavor) and heat flavor pairings popping up in 2017.
SMOKED, CHARRED, BURNT: We can also expect to see more smoked, charred and burnt flavors in snacks, predicts Shieh: “Sensient’s smoked onion is an air-dried California onion that has been cold-smoked using a proprietary blend of fruit woods, and the mellow smokiness not only softens the fresh onion note, but also brings a neat, signature savory note for cream cheese, yogurt dips, or other snack-time condiments.”
ROOT VEGGIES! As for veggie snacking trends, “root vegetables with high nutritional benefits such as beetroot likely will be used in more categories in 2017,” Shieh says. “We expect to see beetroot becoming a stable for healthy snacks such as baked chips and savory yogurt.”
SEASONINGS WITH PROVENANCE: Finally, while ingredients such as garlic, onion and chili peppers will continue to feature heavily in snack seasonings, the provenance of these ingredients will start to become more important to snack manufacturers, Shieh adds (so look out for ‘California garlic,’ ‘California onion,’ and ‘New Mexico Hatch Chili’).
What are the emerging trends in snacks?
From sprouted mung beans to Japanese-inspired onigiri, the snacks market is a hotbed of innovation. But what’s next? Hear from Peeled Snacks, Dang Foods, Field Trip Jerky, Protes and board advisor and guru Brad Barnhorn at our FREE-to-attend online Snacking Innovation Summit on Feb 15.