What’s New in Cereal, Snack Bars, and More!

With consumers’ expectations and habits around both snacking and breakfast continuing to evolve, it comes as no surprise that the cereal, snack bar, and trail mix categories are all seeing some major transformations. Gone are the days when cereal was consumed exclusively in the early AM hours and snack bars were simply a sweet treat to fuel the rest of the day. Along with changes to the occasions and times of day when consumers are reaching for cereal and snack bars, expectations around flavors for these products have also evolved.

With these products becoming more popular outside of their traditional dayparts, there’s a huge opportunity for brands to begin innovating with untraditional and unexpected flavors in these categories. Consumers are restless, growing bored with existing options and constantly seeking out something new and different, making it imperative for brands to take advantage of this opportunity to revamp the offerings in these categories and give consumers something to get excited about. Keep reading for our experts’ takes on the most influential trends in the cereal, snack bar, and trail mix categories.

Innovating with Cereal

Cereal is stepping in as a snack for busy consumers! According to Mintel, almost half of consumers report snacking on cereal. Given that cereal has historically served as a breakfast food, traditional cereal flavors have tended to be sweet and flavor innovation in this category has been particularly limited, typically falling into one of two categories: indulgent options targeted toward kids and subtle, healthier options for adults. With cereal now being consumed outside of breakfast hours, there’s more room for innovation and for brands to step outside of what’s expected.

Cereal just so happens to be the perfect blank slate for a wide range of flavor options. From savory flavors and unexpected flavor combinations to global flavors and seasonal inspired LTOs, the options for innovation are seemingly endless. Brands should look to other categories – and especially snacks and baked goods – for flavor inspiration for new and exciting cereal products.

Something New for Snack Bars

Consumers are growing increasingly busy in post-pandemic days, as they attempt to make up for lost time and fill up their schedules. For that reason, they’ve become increasingly reliant on snack bars to keep them fueled throughout the day. It’s all about having a convenient way to keep them full and energized between meals without the guilt that’s oftentimes associated with other forms of snacking.

With consumers focused on improving their health and wellbeing, the snack bar category is ideally suited for capitalizing on some of the latest trends in health and wellness. The functional ingredient trend, for example, has grown out of consumers’ desires to use food, rather than medications, to address certain health concerns. Snack bar brands should consider incorporating trending functional ingredients into their products to appeal to health-conscious consumers. Seeds, nuts, citrus, and certain spices, like turmeric and ginger, have all been trending for their potential health benefits and would be ideally suited for snack bars, for example.

Transforming Trail Mix

Although trail mix has solidified its status as a better-for-you snack, it has lacked the kind of flavor innovation that’s been seen elsewhere in the better-for-you snack category. As consumers continue to gravitate towards healthier snacks, they’ll be expecting that familiar favorites, like trail mix, catch up with the latest trends and demonstrate the kind of flavor innovation they’re used to seeing in other snack categories.

Trail mix has long been associated with sweet flavors, thanks to chocolate chips, candy bits, and raisins being common components of many trail mix flavors. Brands should consider looking outside of sweet flavors for flavor inspiration. Spicy flavors, for example, are in demand with consumers and would be perfect for trail mix products. When it comes to trail mix innovation, unexpected flavors are going to be key for grabbing consumers’ attention – and keeping them coming back for more.

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