Snack brands catering for specific markets, rice-based FABs, functional dairy products and energy-giving or low-carb confectionery are among the recent highlights from the Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD).
Doritos, Turkish-style
When it comes to savoury snack flavours, manufacturers are increasingly thinking locally and catering for regional tastes. For example, the Pringles brand from Procter & Gamble has appeared in a number of local flavours such as curry in the UK (where curry is a favourite dish), and Funky Soy Sauce in Japan.
The latest example of this trend comes from PepsiCo, which has already introduced a variety of local flavours for its various snack brands. These include seaweed flavoured Lay's potato crisps in Thailand and China, and seaweed flavoured Doritos corn snacks in China.
Now, the Doritos brand is continuing with its think local theme with the Turkish introduction of A la Turca corn chips, specially designed for Turkish tastes. They contain poppy seeds and have a dried tomato flavour.
Chocolate boost
In the chocolate confectionery sector, the emphasis has been more on energy boosting rather than weight loss in recent months, with products such as Cadbury's Boost with guarana and Milka Energy with dextrose from Kraft Jacobs Suchard already on the market.
The latest addition comes from Alfred Ritter in Germany which has developed an energy-giving line within its Ritter Sport chocolate tablet range. The new line is called Active Crunch and comprises three varieties: Guarana Crunch with stimulating guarana, Müsli Crunch with four grains and Nuss Crunch with nuts and cereals.