Key takeaways:
- Protein continues to dominate snack innovation, but brands are increasingly delivering it through unexpected formats such as crisps, pizza-flavoured bars and dessert-inspired bites.
- Nostalgia remains a powerful driver of new product development, with brands drawing inspiration from childhood favourites including PB&J sandwiches, cereal milk and traditional shortbread.
- Consumers are seeking snacks that do more than satisfy cravings, prompting manufacturers to blend indulgence, functionality, convenience and wellness into a single product.
PepsiCo wants consumers to get their protein from crisps. Andy Murray is helping sell tennis-ball-shaped shortbread. An ice cream brand is turning cereal milk into dessert. Meanwhile, a new start-up has launched a savoury protein bar inspired by cheese pizza.
If that sounds like a collection of products from completely different categories, that’s because the traditional rules of snacking are becoming increasingly difficult to define.
Across bakery, confectionery and snacks, brands are borrowing ideas from wellness, sport, nostalgia, convenience and even entertainment. Protein is showing up in unexpected places, indulgent products are acquiring functional credentials and heritage brands are finding new ways to stay culturally relevant.
The result is a new generation of snack ‘shape-shifters’ – products that refuse to fit neatly into a single box and are increasingly designed to deliver more than one benefit at a time.
PepsiCo thinks protein belongs in the crisp aisle
If protein is the defining ingredient trend of the decade, PepsiCo wants to make sure it reaches every corner of the snack aisle.
The company’s new PopCorners Protein range takes the familiar popped, never-fried format and adds 9g of protein per serving through a blend of pea protein isolate and rice protein isolate. Launching across the US in Hickory BBQ, Zesty Cheddar and Cinnamon Delight flavours, the products are rolling into retailers through the summer in both single bags and multipacks.
The launch reflects changing consumer habits. According to PepsiCo, nearly three-quarters of Americans are actively seeking protein in their diets, while more than half are turning to snacks to help them achieve that goal.
Unlike many protein-focused products, PopCorners Protein isn’t positioned as a sports nutrition product or meal replacement. Instead, PepsiCo is targeting mainstream snackers who want more protein without changing their habits.
“We’re evolving our portfolio to meet shifting consumer preferences toward foods with functional ingredients,” said Tina Mahal, senior VP of Marketing. “As more snackers look for protein options that fit into their daily routines, PopCorners Protein is a convenient snack offering a good source of protein that can be enjoyed with the great taste of PopCorners.”
The range is available in 5oz bags and four-count multipacks, with larger 9.5oz bags and 14-count multipacks rolling out nationally across the US from July.
What happens when a protein bar craves pizza?
For years, protein bars have been locked in an arms race of increasingly dessert-inspired flavours.
Ashley Baxter thinks the category has gone too far, “because sometimes you aren’t craving a sugar bomb.” The founder of Takeaways says she’d rather order fries than dessert, a preference that inspired her to create what she describes as the first savoury protein bar. Instead of cookie dough or birthday cake, the range launches in White Cheddar, Cheese Pizza and Pepper Jack. “We’re not building a better version of what already exists – we’re building something entirely new.”
Available across the US, each bar contains 12g of protein, 120 calories, 3g of fibre and just 1-2g of sugar. Made with real cheese and milk protein, the bars are aimed at consumers who want the nutritional profile of a protein snack but the flavour experience of something closer to crisps.
Baxter developed the concept after spending more than a decade relying on sweet protein bars as both a Stanford Division I athlete and consumer investor. Her goal was simple: create a protein-forward snack that satisfies cravings for salty foods rather than sugary treats.
Beyond flavour, Takeaways is also betting on convenience. The bars are designed to be ‘clean-fingered’, avoiding the crumbs, grease and powder residue often associated with traditional savoury snacks. The brand also believes the combination of portability, portion control and high protein content will appeal to everyone from busy professionals and parents to active consumers and GLP-1 users looking for a lighter protein option.
The lunchbox favourite gets a functional upgrade
Nostalgia remains one of food’s most powerful flavour platforms.
IQBAR is leaning into that trend with Strawberry PB&J Protein Bites, launching into Target stores across the US.
Inspired by the classic peanut butter and jelly sandwich, the bites contain 5g of plant protein, 5g of fibre and 1g of sugar per serving. They also contain magnesium, lion’s mane mushroom, vitamin E, MCTs (medium-chain triglycerides) and flavonoids, ingredients commonly used in products targeting focus and mental performance.
The bites are non-GMO, gluten-free and require no refrigeration. Available in 10-count bags retailing for $9.99, they bring together childhood nostalgia and functional nutrition in a format designed for on-the-go snacking.
Dessert meets protein in Day’s Out Target debut
Dessert flavours continue to dominate functional snacking, but Day Out Snacks is betting consumers no longer want to choose between indulgence and nutrition.
The brand’s protein balls arrive in Peanut Butter Cup, Cinnamon Bun and an exclusive Brownie Batter & Cookie Dough assortment. Retailing at $10.99 per box, each pack contains four single-serve pouches and delivers 12g of complete plant protein sourced from ingredients including pea protein, chickpea, chia and sacha inchi.
Made with pantry staples such as nut butter and dates, the products are also plant-based, gluten-free and free from dairy, gums, seed oils, sugar alcohols and GMOs.
“From the beginning, our goal was to create a snack that could compete with indulgent options on taste while maintaining the ingredient standards today’s consumers increasingly expect,” said founder and CEO Becky Dheri. “Today’s shopper expects a lot from their snacks. Day Out’s momentum reflects this growing desire for products that deliver on clean ingredients and craveability.”
A Canadian puffcorn brand heads south
Over in Quebec, family-owned Frankie’s Organic Snacks has built its reputation on organic puffed snacks made with simple ingredients.
Now the company is expanding further into the US through a launch in more than 500 Target stores nationwide.
The range includes White Cheddar, Dill Pickle, BBQ and a Target-exclusive Hot Honey flavour, all made with avocado oil and retailing for $3.99 per bag.
Founded in 2018, the business draws inspiration from the founders’ family farm and has built its reputation around certified organic ingredients, responsible sourcing and simple recipes. The Target launch marks the brand’s biggest step yet into the competitive US snacking market.
The summer energy drink you chew
Not every functional snack arrives in a pouch, bar or bag: Neuro’s latest launch comes in chewing gum form.
Available across the US online, through Amazon, TikTok Shop and selected retailers including CVS, Walmart, Sprouts, Fresh Thyme, Raley’s and The Vitamin Shoppe, the company’s limited edition Watermelon Energy & Focus Gum combines natural caffeine, L-theanine and B vitamins in a zero-sugar format.
Retailing at $24.99 for a six-pack, the gum was developed as a lighter alternative to conventional energy products, with a lower caffeine dose designed to support sustained focus throughout summer road trips, beach days and long weekends.
“Watermelon marks an exciting evolution for the brand,” said co-founder and CEO Kent Yoshimura. “We wanted to create something refreshing and satisfying that still delivers the functional benefits our customers count on every day.”
Why one bar brand spent 3 years reinventing the square
Wisconsin-based GoMacro wanted to raise the bar and spent three years developing MacroSquares, a new snack format available exclusively through Whole Foods Market stores across the US before wider distribution later this year.
The square-shaped bars combine visible nuts, pumpkin seeds and nut butters with a diagonal chocolate or caramel coating finished with flaky sea salt. Flavours include Peanut Butter Chocolate + Sea Salt, Caramel Almond + Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate Nuts + Sea Salt and Berry White Chocolate + Sea Salt.
Retailing at $2.49 each, the bars contain 7-8g of protein and between 200 and 220 calories.
“MacroSquares are a thoughtful, satisfying and genuinely distinct solution to a growing consumer desire for snacks that feel more intentional, engaging and worth slowing down for,” said co-founder Jola Sonkin.
Breakfast for dessert is having a moment
Mini Melts is tapping into one of the hottest nostalgia trends with Fruity Cereal Crunch, inspired by the sweet milk left at the bottom of a breakfast cereal bowl.
Available throughout the US from Mini Melts freezers found in locations including 7-Eleven, CVS, Walgreens, zoos, aquariums, travel centres and entertainment venues, the launch combines cereal milk-flavoured beaded ice cream with crunchy fruity cereal flakes.
“Consumers are looking for flavours that feel both familiar and exciting,” said CEO Ilana Fischer. “Cereal milk has become a beloved flavour because it instantly connects people to childhood memories.”
To mark the launch, Mini Melts is giving one lucky consumer the chance to take the brand home in a very literal sense. Running until 18 July, the ‘Deep Freeze Sweepstakes’ invites shoppers to scan a QR code inside Fruity Cereal Crunch lids for the chance to win a Mini Melts freezer filled with ice cream. It’s a fitting promotion for a product that turns one of childhood’s most familiar flavours into a frozen treat.
Can matcha give the biscuit a wellness makeover?
While many brands are chasing protein, UK-based Nourish is exploring a different route to functional snacking.
Its Matcha Coconut Cookie combines AA-grade Japanese matcha from OMGTEA with Sri Lankan coconut and Madagascan vanilla.
Available through Nourish’s online channels in the UK, the cookies are organic, plant-based and refined sugar free, retailing at around £1.50 for a 20g single-serve pack.
The launch reflects what founder Ineke Nugteren describes as a growing opportunity for ‘biscuit betterment’, with consumers increasingly seeking products that combine convenience, flavour exploration and wellness-focused ingredients.
“Our cookies are plant-based, refined sugar free and organic, the perfect vehicle for not simply purging one’s sweet cravings but also showcasing matcha in an appealing everyday light as a blossoming hero ingredient that supports enhanced brain function and heart health, whilst reducing anxiety and stress levels,” said Nugteren.
Not every snack trend starts with protein
Sometimes innovation is less about ingredients and more about occasions.
In Scotland, family-owned bakery McGhee’s has launched a Tesco-exclusive range of hand-finished sponge cakes designed for sharing. The launch reflects growing demand for products that sit somewhere between an everyday treat and a traditional celebration cake.
Available in selected Tesco stores across Scotland, the Victoria Sponge, Lemon and Toffee varieties retail at £3.50 and come in larger square formats intended for slicing and serving.
“People are still looking for opportunities to gather and share food, but those occasions are increasingly informal,” said commercial dDirector Aisling McGhee. “Whether it’s visiting family, having friends round for a cup of tea or taking something into the office, consumers are looking for products that feel a little bit special without being tied to a birthday or major celebration.”
Quiet please: Sir Andy Murray has notes for snackers
As the British tennis season gets underway, Walker’s Shortbread has teamed up with Murray as part of a new campaign tied to the brand’s role as an Official Supporter of the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club.
In a tongue-in-cheek move, the former world number one has swapped racket for rulebook, taking on the role of Walker’s new ‘Spectator Coach’. Drawing on years of experience dealing with ringing phones, popping corks and poorly timed interruptions from the crowd, Murray delivers a deadpan masterclass in courtside etiquette, from cheering at the right moment to ensuring any mid-match snacking is conducted at a suitably discreet volume.
The campaign also introduces limited edition Tennis Ball Shortbread Rounds, available from Selfridges, World Duty Free and Walker’s website. Designed as an all-butter, quiet-to-eat snack, the product turns one of tennis’s oldest unwritten rules into a bakery marketing opportunity.
“We are thrilled to be an Official Supporter of the HSBC Championships this summer,” said Bryony Walker, commercial director at Walker’s Shortbread. “Andy’s new role as our Spectator Coach is a playful nod to his legendary precision and dry sense of humour.”
The campaign forms part of a wider multi-year partnership between two of Scotland’s best-known exports and is built around the message: ‘A wee bit of Scotland that’s come a long way.”
