Despite challenges from tariffs, cocoa supply issues, and GLP-1 diet shifts, snack and confectionery makers increased new product introductions during 2025. Snack and confectionery launches rose 15% and 20% respectively in 2025 in the US, according to the Innova Database of new products.

Not surprisingly, new snacks embraced the protein trend as well as flavor adventure (global, regional), co-branding appeal and better-for-you formulations. High cocoa prices led many confections to reduce cocoa content while new textures (especially freeze dried) promised more mouthfeel adventure.

The Right Bite

Potato-based snacks, fruit-based snacks, meat snacks, and corn-based snacks drove snacks higher.

No doubt riding the protein wave, meat snack processors introduced 29% more new offerings in 2025, compared to the year before. Within the category, Wagyu beef jerky was a new wrinkle and new examples here included entries from Oberto Snacks Inc., Kent. Wash., and Perky Jerky, Littleton, Colo. Fun co-branding here also involved a partnership between Link Snacks Inc. and PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay unit. The result last fall was Funyuns Jack Links Onion Chicken Bites.

Of course, protein appeared elsewhere. In pretzels, Crisp Power, Hauppauge, N.Y., introduced Protein Pretzels with 25g of protein per bag; while J&J Snack Foods Corp., Pennauken,N.J., extended its SUPERPRETZEL line with Protein Soft Pretzels (10g) and Mini Soft Protein Pretzels (7g). Panito Food Corp., Newark, Del., extended its Smarter Snacks Protein Puffs line (15g per bag) including new Truffle Parmesan and Honey Mustard flavors. Khloud Inc., Los Angeles, debuted last spring with Khloud Protein Popcorn with 7g of protein per bag. The line has since expanded to six varieties including its newest: Dill Pickle and Cinnamon Roll.

APPETIZERS & SIDE DISHES • BAKERY • BEVERAGES • BREAKFAST CEREALS & BARS • DAIRY • PREPARED MEALS & ENTREES • MEAT & POULTRY • PIZZA • PLANT-BASED DAIRY • PLANT-BASED MEAT, POULTRY & SEAFOOD • SAUCES, DRESSINGS & SPREADES • SEAFOOD • SNACKS & CONFECTIONS

Not surprisingly, PepsiCo announced that its Frito-Lay business plans to launch a Doritos Protein offering this year.

Speaking of co-branding, collaborations produced many more fun offerings. General Mills combined two of its own brands to create Bugles Cinnamon Toast Crunch Blasted with Cinnadust. Century Snacks, Commerce, Calif., partnered with The HV Food Products Co. for co-branded Snak Club Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoned Peanuts. Kellanova partnered with Molson Coors to create Pringles Miller Lite Beer Can Chicken Potato Crisps. Last but not least, Blue Diamond Almonds partnered with 7-Eleven Inc. to create a Blue Diamond Almonds Slurpee Cherry flavor.

Potato-based snacks still rallied around pickle flavors with examples such as Frito-Lay’s Ruffles Spicy Dill Pickle Potato Chips.

Snacks also give consumers an economical way to experiment with global flavors. Frito-Lay was active here too with Lay’s limited time Wavy Korean Style Fried Chicken Flavored Potato Chips and Lay’s Wavy Magic Masala Potato Chips. Another Frito-Lay brand, Dorito’s, introduced Flamin’ Hot Korean Style BBQ Flavored Tortilla Chips.

Potato chip makers also took flavor inspiration from fast-food and appetizers. Frito-Lay introduced Lay’s Wavy Loaded Nachos Potato Chips. Herr Foods Inc., Nottingham, Pa., launched its Herr’s Gameday Flavors Smoked Brisket Flavored Potato Chips. Local Style LLC, Evanston, Ill., introduced Chicago Hot Dog Flavored Potato Chips. Last but not least, Kroger got in the game with its Champion Chip Collection Mozzarella Sticks Flavored Ripples Potato Chips.

Tortilla chips went small with Doritos Cool Ranch Flavored Minis Tortilla Chips, one of several new “Mini’s” snack launches from Frito-Lay. Perhaps more importantly, tortilla chips also figured into Frito-Lay’s new Simply NKD line of “completely colorless” offerings with no artificial flavors or dyes. It includes Doritos Simply NKD Nacho Cheese and Cool Ranch flavors as well as Cheetos Simply NKD Puffs and Flamin’ Hot varieties.

Frito-Lay doubled down even more recently with new Simply Cheetos offerings with real cheese and no artificial colors or flavors. Three new items include Cheetos Puffs Spicy White Cheddar, Cheetos Minis White Cheddar and Cheetos White Cheddar Jalapeño.

Calbee America Corp., Fairfield, Calif., came in with another flavorful health play. Its Calbee Harvest Snaps brand introduced Crunchy Loops Honey BBQ made with real veggies including “farm-picked” red lentils as the first ingredient.

Back to pretzels, The Campbell’s Company, extended its Snack Factory brand with Rye Pretzel Crisps. It greeted 2026 with three more flavored offerings: Jalapeño Jack Pop’ums

Cinnamon Sugar Bites and limited-edition Lemon Crunch White Crème Pretzel Crisps.

Also going “full flavor” were Nirmaya LLC, New York, N.Y., and Quinn Foods LLC, Boulder, Colo. Nirmaya introduced four varieties of naan pretzels with flavors including Tandoori BBQ, Jalapeno Chutney, and Sweet Jalebi. Quinn took a different approach with its new limited 17oz Peanut Butter & Honey Filled Pretzel Sticks sold at Costco’s Northeast region.

What about full flavor as an indulgence? One processor stand-out is Belle’s Popcorn, Dallas, which won two awards at last year’s Sweets & Snacks Expo. Its Matcha Latte Popcorn ($5.99, 5.5oz) won the overall “Best in Show” title while its Dubai Chocolate Popcorn won the Salty Snacks category. Nuts also pushed indulgence with Planters Salted Caramel Peanuts (Hormel Foods) and Blue Diamond Roasted Sea Salt Almonds and More (with added cashews and pistachios).

Adventures in Candyland

Confectionery launches rose in 2025, paced by launches in the “Other Sugar Confectionery” sector, which rose by 47% in 2025, compared to the earlier year.

Freeze-dried candies continued to blossom in 2025. Last fall saw Chicago-based Ferrara Candy Company introduce freeze dried candy versions of its SweeTARTS, Lemonhead and Spree brands. Elsewhere, Impact Confections (Warhead) partnered with NAL Confectionery (Brain Freeze), Fairfield, N.J., to create Warheads Brain Freeze Extreme Sour Crunch Green Apple freeze dried candy. Chocolate candies also went freeze-dried too. Mars introduced M&Ms Pop’d Caramel Freeze Dried Chocolate Candies.

On the softer side, Ferrara launched NERDS Juicy Gummy Clusters touted texture innovation with crunch around a juicy center. Mars also took Skittles into new territory with Skittles Soft Sour Gummy Candies.

Showing strength in numbers, co-branded and licensed brand innovation was hot in 2025.

Ferrero North America, Parsippany, N.J., combined its popular Tic Tac brand with Keurig Dr Pepper, Inc. to create a limited-time launch Tic Tac Dr Pepper Mints. Post Holdings Inc., St. Louis, took its Flintstones cereal brand to Flix Candy (Imaginings 3), Niles, Ill., to create Fruity Pebbles cereal-flavored jelly beans.

Other brands moved into new categories. Just Born Inc. created Hot Tamales Fierce Cinnamon Filled Ropes. Can a new brand extension energize the chocolate market? BonBon Swedish Candy Co., New York, N.Y., broke out of the gummy candy sector in 2026 to introduce its first Chocolate Wafer Bar.

Chocolate candy makers including The Hershey Co., Mars Inc., and Ferrero USA all found creative inclusions and other flavorful ways to reduce chocolate content and control cocoa price inflation.

Hershey Co. introduced Hershey’s King Extra Creamy Milk Chocolate with Crunchy Waffle Cone Pieces. The company’s Reese’s brand launched a Milk Chocolate Big Cup PB&J Peanut Butter Cup with grape-flavored filling. Elsewhere, Reese’s Milk Chocolate Oreo and White Creme Peanut Butter Snack Size Cups utilized Oreo-brand cookies to displace chocolate. Other examples included Mars’ Snickers Xtreme Bar Milk Chocolate with Extra Peanuts and Caramel inclusions. And instead of chocolate, Ferrero Butterfinger Marshmallow offering wraps the brand’s usual flaky center in a marshmallow-flavored white coating.

In December, Hershey’s pushed indulgence and on-trend flavor in a limited-time offer for Hershey's Dubai-Inspired Chocolate Bar. The company only made 10,000 that featured creamy pistachio, crispy kadayif, and Hershey's milk chocolate. Last fall also saw Lindt & Sprüngli (USA) Inc., Stratham, N.H., introduce a 4.2oz Russell Stover Dubai Style Milk Chocolate at RussellStover.com and Walgreens.

Looking ahead

This year promises more texture innovation. Takis Pix is a new cheese snack with “serious crunch.” Elsewhere, Hershey introduced Shaq-A-Licious Slams, a multi-textural gummy candy; and Ferrara Candy Company took to the Super Bowl airwaves to introduce NERDS Juicy Gummy Clusters.

Speaking of gummies, Mexico’s Grupo Jumex, S.A. de C.V. fruit beverage brand entered the category with GoMix Gummies. Hershey also brought the heat with Jolly Rancher Heat Wave Gummies.

Look for flavor innovation to get global region specific. Lulu Snacks Inc., Madison, N.J., partnered with coffee processor Copper Cow Coffee Inc., Culver City, Calif., to create

Like Air’s Vietnamese Coffee Flavored Puffcorn. Quest Nutrition LLC, El Segundo, Calif., introduced Mexican Street Corn Chips and Campbell’s extended its Kettle Brand potato chips line with a Kimchi flavor.