Early Snacking

Nurture Inc., New York, N.Y., expanded its Happy Family Organics line with several new offerings including Happy Tot Fruity Sticks. Officials say Happy Tot Fruity Sticks are the category’s first filled crunchy snack in the aisle with 0g added sugar. They are formulated with 20% DV of vitamin C to help support the immune system and offer a bite-sized solution for toddlers to practice self-feeding.

Co-Branded Appeal

Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc., Montvale, N.J., said its Sprout Organics business launched a co-branded organic snack bars line with the popular children’s channel CoComelon (Moonbug Entertainment). Sprout Organics CoComelon Snack Bars come in two flavor combinations: Banana and Banana with Peas and Carrots. Each snack bar blends unsweetened fruits, veggies and gluten-free oats and delivers 4g of plant-based protein and 2g of dietary fiber. Bars are available at the Sprout Organics’ website, in 340+ H-E-B grocery stores nationwide and on Amazon for a suggested retail price of $4.79

Fall Snacking

Bimbo Bakeries USA, Horsham, Pa., introduced limited-edition Entenmann’s Little Bites Pumpkin Muffins through October 2022. Packed in a pre-portioned pouch, Little Bites are easy for kids to enjoy at home or on-the-go at school, sports or other activities. The muffins feature real pumpkin, contain no high fructose corn syrup and 0g trans-fat. They’re portioned at 200 calories per pouch.

Edible Stickers

StickyLickits, St. Helena, Calif., teamed up with YouTube “kidfluencer” Ryan Kaji for a line of edible stickers featuring Kaji’s animated alter egos. The bite-size, dissolving stickers are 100% natural with a tapioca base. StickyLickits do not contain sugar, additives, or allergens like soy, dairy, or peanuts. They’re also kosher, vegan, non-GMO and gluten-free. Packages contain 30 stickers each and can be found in Walmart’s produce department.

Plant-Based Cookies

Green Park Brands, Los Angeles, now offers its plant-based Mavericks Cookies through Target stores. Green Park Founder and CEO Livio Bisterzo says Mavericks Cookies are ideal for children in the “most adventurous” age group, four to 11. In addition to Birthday Cake, Mavericks Cookies offers two lightning bolt-shaped flavors: Non-Stop Choc and Double Trouble Choc. Every box of Mavericks Cookies is certified non-GMO, school safe (made in a nut-free facility), and low in sugar. Each box contains eight on-the-go, snack-sized pouches that retail for $6.49.

Blueberry Bar

Just prior to its purchase by Mondelez International, Clif Bar & Co., Emeryville, Calif., extended its organic, whole grain CLIF Kid Zbar line with a Blueberry Muffin flavor. Officials said the bar features 12g of whole grains from organic oats along with organic wild blueberries. They are sold major retailers nationwide including Target, Kroger, Meijer, Wegmans, Stop & Shop, Giant, Hannaford, Hyvee, and Raley’s for a suggested retail price of $5.49.

Sugar-Free Gum

Sweet Victory, Ltd., Ramat Yishai, expects by the end of 2022 to introduce Sweet Victory Botanical Gum. Officials say the crave-stifling chewing gum works within two minutes by blocking the sugar receptors on the tongue. During that time sweet foods or beverages that normally excite the senses will taste bland or even sour. Sweet Victory also uses a child-safe, tailored dosage of the active ingredient, Gymnema sylvestre. Receiving a modern twist, the new gum boasts a tutti-frutti flavor—ranked one of the three top favorite sweet flavors for children worldwide. The end result (tested with kids in Israel, the US and France) is a functional, sugar-free chewing gum kids love to chew.