NPD: Sprouting new innovation with plant-based snacks
Plant-based snacking is revolutionizing the way we think about food, offering a delightful array of options that are not only delicious but also nourish the body and sustain the planet.
With an ever-growing awareness of health and environmental impacts, more consumers are turning to plant-based snacks to satisfy their cravings. These treats provide not only the feel-good factor but a wealth of nutrients while catering to a variety of dietary preferences.
Here’s a roundup of some of our favorites this month.
Mini me
Munchy Seeds has added the Mini-Munchy Seed 25g snack packs to its range of snacking seeds.
The mini packs answer the demand for healthy snacking, meeting the need for protein while supporting gut health. Each pack is also packed full of vitamins and minerals.
Available in three varieties, plain (unsalted), tamari (soy) and lightly salted sunflower & pumpkin mix, the packs contain just 130 calories and can be popped into pockets and handbags for on-the-go snacking or for jazzing up a lunchtime salad.
“We are constantly looking at new flavors and packaging formats to excite our audience and meet the growing consumer demand for healthy and moreish snacking,” said co-owner Sara Pearson.
“We pride ourselves on offering nutritional snacks in a variety of flavors to meet every taste palate. This new format is the latest in on the go snacking formats and we are excited to be able to expand on this in the future.”
Suffolk, UK-based Munchy Seeds has been roasting, toasting and flavoring different seed blends for 25 years, sourcing British-grown seeds, along with other indigenous varieties from Europe, the US, India, China and South America.
Mini-Munchy Seeds are available from Amazon for an RRP of £0.69.
Over the moo-on
Over the Moo has rolled out its latest flavor, and on-the-go interpretation of its top selling Australian tub flavour, ‘Choc Choc Who’s There’.
Despite the recent explosion in tub flavors – including Pralines n Cream, Pistachio & Lemon, Peanut Butter, Ginger & Honey and Hot Cross Bun, among others – it’s still the interpretations of timeless classics that continue to woo consumers’ tastebuds.
In 2023, one in three of all ice creams sold in the UK was vanilla, followed by chocolate (one in 10 sales), while Cookie Dough kept its nose ahead of Salted Caramel to hold third place.
“We’ve learnt stacks over our first year of trading,” said founder Simon Goldman.
“First and foremost, healthier snacking has been crying out for meaningful, on-the-go offerings within the wider ice cream arena. Secondly, the wider plant-based movement needs indulgent disruptors like Over the Moo to help strip away historically ‘dowdy’ preconceptions.”
In fact, last year, 12% of ice cream launches in the UK was non ‘cow milk’ themed.
“That’s not to say there hasn’t also been scope for significant improvements,” added Goldman.
“A growing loyalist and retailer following providing meaningful feedback suggestions that we’ve worked on over the winter months to bring to fruition. Significant moves include extended melting times in tandem with that an altogether more decadent chocolate crackling when you take a bite, because we needed a satisfying sound that better reflected the indulgent qualities of the enrobing chocolate we favor.”
Sharing formats have also brought theatre to the ice cream fixture, not simply via a new eating experience versus traditional tubs, but with regards to portion control, with one chunk being only 30 calories.
By prioritizing sustainably sourced coconuts from trusted Indonesian and Philippines sources, Over the Moo is also taking the extra significant steps when it comes to showing that cow’s milk isn’t the only solution when it comes to ice cream.
Available online for an RRP of £3.99 per pouch.
De-junk your life
Fresh off a record-breaking quarter, Junkless Chewy Granola Bars is seizing the momentum by unveiling refreshed packaging, a new logo and a new website. Accompanied by a marketing campaign urging consumers to ‘de-junk’ their lives, the brand is poised to revolutionize the granola bar market.
Following the acquisition by Impact Capital six months ago, Junkless has undergone a remarkable transformation. With vibrant colors, playful typography and engaging ‘speech bubbles’ highlighting product benefits like ‘no fake stuff!’, the brand's new look is designed to captivate a broader audience.
In tandem, a marketing campaign targets strategic partnerships – including one with The Home Edit and influencer collabs – that includes custom content and co-branded social media giveaways.
Junkless has also added Double Chocolate Chewy Granola Bars to its lineup. The bars boast simple, clean ingredients, including 100% whole grain oats and less sugar than the leading national brand.
“With a fresh new look, expanded distribution and a powerful marketing push, the sky is the limit,” said president Brian Camus.
“The Junkless trademark carries immense potential that can touch any category – we’re committed to transforming it into a megabrand and we’re just getting started.”
With national retailer support from Walmart and Kroger to recent distribution deals with key retailers like HEB, Giant Eagle, Shaw's and Jewel, the brand is also solidifying its market presence in a big way.
10 nutty but fabulous years
Since its inception in 2014, Karma Nuts has provided cashew-based snacks that cater to health-conscious consumers.
Over the past decade, the brand has revolutionized the snacks sector with its signature Wrapped cashews, which retain the natural skin of the nut to reduce food waste, while keeping in the powerful antioxidants and fiber.
With more than a million pounds of cashews sold and thousands of pounds in food waste saved, Karma Nuts prioritizes both sustainability and quality.
In commemoration of its 10th anniversary, the brand has launched chewy, plant-based Cashew Cookies that comprise of simple ingredients and no refined sugars. The cookies are sweetened with dates and coconut and have a buttery taste, thanks to the use of cashews. The bite-sized treats are naturally grain-free, gluten-free, non-GMO project-verified and come in Chocolate Chip, Toasted Coconut and Cashew Date variants.
"Our success over the past 10 years is a testament to our commitment to quality and our mission to provide healthy, delicious snacks,” said founder Ganesh Nair.
“We look forward to continuing this journey and making a positive impact for many years to come."
The new Cashew Cookies SKUs are available online and from Thrive Market for an RRP of $5.99 per bag.
Ultra-sustainable protein bar
B Corp and Climate Neutral Certified brand Aloha has launched the Pa'akai Bar, part of the brand’s initiative to give back to the communities where the ingredients are grown.
Ten percent of proceeds from every Pa'akai Bar sold is donated to Kupu, a nonprofit empowering Hawai'i's youth through service, education and workforce development in the natural resources, climate change mitigation, agriculture and other sustainable sectors.
“Our mission is clear: to nourish the world by sharing delicious and nutritious food made with traceable, high-quality, better-for-you ingredients,” said CEO Brad Charron.
“Hawai'i is a beacon of inspiration for land stewardship and sustainable farming, initiatives that we hold dear. As a small, employee-owned company, we’re dedicated to making a difference by balancing our own scaling growth with equal parts of impact.
“The Pa'akai Bar exemplifies our commitment to using our business as a force for good, alongside other sustainability-minded brands, farmers and organizations. Together, we’re striving to support communities and the planet.”
In Hawaiian, ‘pa’akai’ translates to ‘solid ocean’ or ‘sea salt’ and carries cultural significance within the community. A staple for consuming and preserving food, many also think sea salt to have both health and healing benefits.
The sea salt in the Pa’akai bar is produced by sourcing the pure, clean water surrounding the island channels, taking it through nine levels of filtration, pumping it into special ‘solar seal’ evaporators and letting it dry and crystallize in the sun that can take up to five weeks. The resulting product is known to be some of the purest salt available, containing more trace minerals and only 80% sodium chloride, which makes it less salty but more flavorful.
In addition to the sea salt, the bar features Hawai'i-grown macadamia nuts from Hamakua Macadamia Nut Company. From the southern slopes of volcanic Mauna Loa, Hamakua dries its nuts by converting the energy of clean-burning macadamia nut shells into steam, generating nearly all its electricity via solar, hydro and biomass energy.
The bar also contains Ponova oil, a regenerative plant-based oil, recognized by Fast Company's 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards as an innovation that could change how we eat. It is made by expeller pressing and lightly refining the beans of pongamia trees, a climate-resilient, super-tree that revitalizes the land and communities where it’s grown.
Other ingredients include 100% USDA organic dark chocolate and Aloha’s proprietary plant-based protein blend.
The packaging features original artwork by Honolulu-based artist Kelsie Dayna Kalohi, encapsulating the harmony of land, water, people and community.
The Pa'akai Bar is high in protein, low in sugar, Non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free and made without sugar alcohols.
Available online and from Thrive Market.
