Made-with-Honey Snacks Satisfy Meal Replacement Ideal

Salty Snacks cropped

Grab-and-go, convenience, to-go, snackification — no matter what term you’re using to describe munching on smaller foodstuffs, the fact is that consumers are snacking more than ever before. Once upon a time, snacking was a between meal or midnight pick-me-up to curb hunger, satisfy a craving or to comfort us in stressful times. Although the reasons for snacking may have not changed too drastically, Americans are replacing meals with snacks more than ever before, creating a drive for better-for-you expansion of the category.

Can we really replace entire meals with snacks? Consumers are saying yes. In fact, the International Food Information Council’s 2020 Food & Health Survey showed that 26% of U.S. consumers snack multiple times per day; one-third snack at least once daily; and 38% replace meals with snacks “at least occasionally.” Almost three-quarters of Americans are trying to limit their sugar intake, and more than half are looking at better-for-you ingredients that taste great.

Honey is an all-natural sweetener that adds flavor and functionality, such as binding munchies like nuts and seeds together in a food bar. Honey also provides a nice juxtaposition of flavor with salty snacks.

From a marketing perspective, new snack foods with honey benefit from the ingredient’s popularity. Respondents to a 2020 National Honey Board Consumer Attitudes & Usage Study ranked honey No. 1 among Americans as the most preferred sweetener for the first time ever. A rising number of snackers are turning to honey for unprocessed, flavorful and all-natural sweetening of their favorite noshes. And, in turn, manufacturers are answering the call for honey, with a number of innovative new snacking products on store shelves.


Planters Pop & Pour

Planters is known for its Honey Roasted Nuts, but in this case, innovation comes in the form of new packaging. Staying on-trend for the grab-and-go consumer, Honey Roasted Peanuts are now available for snackers who want to “pop open, pour, eat and repeat.” Samantha Hess, brand manager for Planters, told Prepared Foods: “We know our consumers are always multi-tasking while snacking, so we wanted to create a snack that fits with their busy lifestyles. Pop & Pour containers are the perfect personal snack so they can refuel and enjoy their favorite Planters nuts without missing a beat.”

Photo Credit: Planters
Photo Credit: Popchips

Popchips Grain Free Cajun Honey

Touted as a better-for-you salty snack, these chips rolled out nationwide as an offering that doesn’t sacrifice taste or texture. Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery reports that Popchips “utilizes the versatile cassava root, popped with heat and pressure to make a light, airy snackable chip.” They’re made with honey, air popped and are crispy and crunchy for an enjoyable nosh.

Gr8nola Superfood Granola

Honey sweetens the original recipe of former U.S. Olympic Trial athlete Erica Liu Williams, founder of Gr8nola. Superfood Granola’s other ingredients include whole grain oats, almonds, ground flaxseed and cinnamon, and there is no soy, dairy or refined sugar. In just a short amount of time the product has received rave reviews from Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry and former Tennessee Titans Safety Tank Williams — a super sweet beginning to the launch.

Photo Credit: Gr8nola