Articles by Tom Vierhile

Mars' new SNICKERS Crisper includes two squares with fewer than 100 calories each

Healthy Snack Indulgence

Candies, snacks balance fun flavors with new healthful ingredients, shapes
Tom Vierhile
March 10, 2016

Last year was when confectionery makers finally took the clean label message to heart. They gave artificial ingredients the boot and focused on simple, less processed ingredients.


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Snackwell's Minis chocolate chip cookie bites embraces the mini trend in baked goods

New Bread, Cookie and Cracker Trends

Bakers tout what’s in, what’s out in new breads, cookies and crackers
Tom Vierhile
March 9, 2016

More bakery foods makers jumped on the clean label trend in 2015. It meant giving the boot to artificial flavors, trans fat, ingredients with genetically modified organisms, and high fructose corn syrup.


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Fun Food Flavors for Product Development

Boost texture, flavor and “craveability” with nuts, fruits, chips, candies, seeds and more
Tom Vierhile
November 16, 2015

“You’ve come a long way, baby” is more than just a classic advertising slogan. It’s a phrase describing the innovation trajectory that inclusions have enjoyed in recent decades in the food industry.


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GMO Update

One doesn’t have to be a political or legal expert to understand the latest developments in genetically modified organisms, but it could help
Tom Vierhile
May 13, 2015

Although more than 60 countries require disclosure of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on product labels—including all countries in the EU—the US currently does not.


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Top Snack Food Trends in 2015

Snack, candy manufacturers use fun new flavors, forms to tempt tastebuds.
Tom Vierhile
March 12, 2015
Change and challenge describe the state of affairs in the 2014 confectionery market. It was a year when candy makers placed big bets on new products to drive growth.
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Top Sauce Trends in 2015

Sauces, dressings and marinades speak volumes about changing tastes.
Tom Vierhile
March 10, 2015
Sauces, dressings and marinades may not be the most exciting product categories in the food industry, but they collectively speak volumes about changing tastes; the continued evolution of the American diet; and consumers’ efforts to save time and money.
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A Healthy Start with Cereals and Bars

Granola grew in cereal introductions over the course of the year, as did sales for the cereal category as a whole.
Tom Vierhile
March 14, 2014
The fog that has enveloped the ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereal category in recent years lifted somewhat in 2013, as breakfast cereal makers saw glimpses of something that had merely been a mirage in recent years: growth.
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Bakery Bonanza

The bakery foods market provided plenty of headlines in 2013, but not in the usual way and not from the usual sources.
Tom Vierhile
March 14, 2014
The year 2013 will go down in history as the year the “Cronut” was born.
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