Today’s consumers crave snacks that surprise and delight. How do you keep up with this demand?
The snacking industry is shifting from “convenience only” to sustainability and holistic health. It comes as consumers focus more on labels and nutritional content, which is creating opportunities for healthier snack bars. At the same time, they still seek out enjoyment through sensorial sensations, new formats, and indulgent concepts.
Cargill Food can cover up to 45% of a protein bar’s weight*, enabling trend-leading innovations with our extensive snack solutions portfolio and full formulations approach. Our versatile portfolio caters to various snack categories, including snack bars, with ingredients like syrups, oils, salt, starches, and humectants. We also offer enrichment options like choline in lecithin, and pea protein.
Take Cargill’s expertise in cocoa & chocolate, to bring an extra indulgent dimension to your sweet snacks. From on-trend cocoa powders, to delicious chocolate options, to tailored coatings, our solutions make it easy to create snacks that stand out, and stay cost-effective.
Our expertise, your ideal combination
Combining Cargill’s extensive ingredient portfolio, technical expertise, and holistic recipe approach enables the rapid development of innovative products that meet any functional and sensory need.
To showcase our capability as a key partner for snacks & cereals, our experts have developed a range of on-trend prototypes using our portfolio and expertise.
“We took the trends that we saw on the marketplace, such as plant-based, high protein and sugar reduction, and tried to transform these into applications that fit within these trends,” says Ann Van-Meerbeeck Senior Application Specialist, Snacks & Cereals. “Through the careful formulation and application of our ingredients, we have been able to overcome the technical and organoleptic challenges that come about by going down these routes,” she adds.
On-trend snacking concepts
Right now, consumers are well aware of rising prices, with cocoa being notably affected. It means that snack producers who can combine cocoa indulgence, fruit-based snacks, and cost-effectiveness, have the potential to create more demand for their brand. In line with this trend, our experts created a “Compound coated bar” that satisfies consumers desire for chocolate and red fruit taste combination, while keeping an eye on cost. The product utilizes compound coatings from our “Cost-effective delights” range to mitigate rising chocolate prices, while maintaining the indulgent chocolate experience consumers love.
Another trend that is on the rise is the demand for reduced sugar products. Here, food manufacturers can leverage natural alternatives and new technologies to reduce sugar content while maintaining flavor and taste. Our “Zero added sugar cereal bar.” The product is sweetened with maltitol for a guilt-free snack that satisfies cravings. It enables a “no added sugar” claim, which is a key selling point for health-conscious, label-savvy shoppers. The concept is crunchy and delicious, with the rich chocolate flavor combining nutritional demands and prioritizing taste.
But these are just a couple of possibilities. For example, imagine a date & nut bar paired with dark inclusions or a granola that’s been elevated with gourmet-inspired decorations – our applications experts bring these ideas to life, and helping snacking innovators turn insights into irresistible concepts.
Let’s layer snacking excellence together
In summary, at Cargill, we’re transforming consumer insights into tailored, bite-sized innovations, creating snacks that combine functionality and taste. By blending insight, creativity, and technical precision, we’re enabling you to keep pace with evolving trends.
*Evidenced by prototypes developed by our experts and ingredient analysis.
For more information, including on our coatings & inclusions concepts: Sweet Snacks | Snacks & Cereals | Food Solutions Europe | Cargill
