Meet the Meats: Made-with-Honey Jerkies Trend at Sweets & Snacks

Salty Snacks cropped

Where’s the beef? It was certainly at the Sweets & Snacks Expo, along with plant-based meat; grass-fed jerky; and sweet and savory meat combinations leading to one of the major trends of the show.

The meat snacks market is booming, and Darren Seifer, industry analyst at the NPD Group, said at the Expo that well-developed snacks/treats helped consumers find comfort depending on their mood. The five mood categories Seifer used to illustrate the notion were:

  • Bored
  • Depressed
  • Calm
  • Cranky
  • Stressed

Meat snacks were named in four of the five categories as sweet and savory indulgences that consumers turn to when eating based on mood.

Savory snacks were also booming during specific occasions, such as screen time snack consumption (up 9%) and during movie and game nights (up 12%). We found a number of great made-with-honey meat products that all brought something a little bit different to the sweet combined with savory category.

Debuting at the Expo were Gone Rogue’s Turkey Bites, which are gluten-free and have 10 grams of protein per serving. Mustardy tang and sweet honey are combined for a tasty, all-natural turkey chip that’s a unique departure from the traditional meat stick shape.

One of the most eye-catching booths at the show ironically was decorated in camouflage. Debuting at the Expo with a line of beef jerky was Soldier Boy, and the Original flavor and Sweet Heat from the veteran-owned company are both sweetened with honey. We’re particularly fond of Sweet Heat, with chili, garlic, red bell pepper and pineapple juice combined in these bites.


Werner Gourmet Meat Snacks debuted new packaging at the Expo, with Honey Glazed All Natural Beef Jerky highlighted with 11 grams of protein per serving. Grab-and-go verbiage is also displayed on the package, “from running trails to running errands.”


Finally, the familiar meat sticks we know and love also made their mark on the snack meat trend. Kubisch Sausage Company took the popular “little smokies” recipe and developed it into Long John Snacks Smokies Sausage Honey BBQ. Made from beef and pork and sweetened with honey, these sticks are designed for snacking around the house, at a sporting event or on family trips.


And, we couldn’t leave without stopping by Sweetwood Smokehouse’s FATTY booth due to the notable branding. The company’s Honey BBQ Smoked Meat Sticks are grass-fed beef and pork raised without antibiotics.

Did you taste trendy made-with-honey meat jerky at the Sweets & Snacks Expo? We’d love to hear about your favorites. Email [email protected] for a chat.