Snacking Innovations Go Beyond the Sweet Surface at ISM 2023

At ISM Cologne 2023, the world’s leading expo for sweets and snacks, 1,274 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors came together to network, inspire, and indulge. In addition to offering up tasty treats, participants from across the industry showed how their brands and product innovations are approaching both health and sustainability issues.

Indulgence Rules, but Snacking Innovations Are About More Than Taste

Another year of strong economic headwinds – including high commodity and consumer prices – have put pressure on the snack industry, with annual food inflation in the EU rising to 11.9% in 2022. Still, a sense of optimism could be felt across the show, held from April 23-25, with sweet and cheerful indulgence ruling left, right, and center. Cracking through the thick sugar coating, visitors were treated to a buffet of innovations that show how the sector is slowly but surely evolving.

Here’s a taste of the key trends and innovations spotted at ISM Cologne 2023.

Vegan and Planet-friendly Products

Vegan sweets were everywhere at the ISM, continuing a trend seen in previous years. While brands that really prioritize sustainability are still few and far between, companies are increasingly leveraging bold plant-based claims to connect their brands with planet-friendly practices. Brands producing treats from chocolate to cookies keenly outlined how their avoidance of dairy ingredients translates to a reduction in carbon emissions. Vegan brand Hands Off My Chocolate, for example, is on a self-declared mission to make plant-based chocolate the norm, “making you melt, not our planet.”

“Palm oil free” is another noticeable claim brands used to showcase their commitment to sustainability. Meanwhile, some future-looking organic brands put a stronger focus on the importance of soil health and biodiversity for both planetary and human health. Cookie brand Farm Brothers claims to donate 5% of its turnover to farmers transitioning from conventional to regenerative farming. Last but not least, amid plastic everywhere, specialist players are touting paper-based packaging as a hallmark of their planet-friendly positioning.

Alternative Ingredients

Brands on health and sustainability missions are exploring an ever-widening range of alternative base ingredients. This is particularly noticeable in savory snacks. Products on display included Genuine Coconut’s “nutritious” chips based on purple potato, lotus root, and taro, as well as fruit chips made from jackfruit and papaya. Seaweed snacks certainly seemed to gain traction as well, with purveyors highlighting a range of potential health and planetary benefits. Meanwhile, Party Bugs’ fried and spiced cricket-based snacks and companies with a number of other insect-based offerings also tried to capture visitors’ attention. While hailed as a sustainable future source of protein, it may take a generation or two for consumers to fully buy into the idea of snacking on insects…

On the sweet side, German startup Planet A Foods showcased what it claims is the world’s first chocolate ingredient to not use a single cocoa bean. Named Nocoa, the oat-based chocolate alternative is produced using fermentation and is said to have a carbon footprint more than 90% lower than that of conventional chocolate. Nocoa is set to debut as an ingredient in consumer foods this year.

Functional Indulgence

While indulgence is king, health and wellness was a recurring theme at the fair as brands look to differentiate their products in a crowded marketplace. Specialist brands are targeting health-conscious snackers with a range of functional benefits for the body and, increasingly, the mind. Beyond ongoing innovation in high-protein and energy-boosting snacks, more niche products seen at the fair include gut-friendly, prebiotic dried fruits with chicory fiber and vitamin-enriched “brain gummies” that are supposed to boost concentration and productivity.

On the other end of the spectrum, emotional well-being – beyond sugar-spike-generated happiness – is emerging as a focus of functional innovation. “Chill out” snack bites with ashwagandha, hemp, and hops promise serenity and relaxation. Generally, brands appear to be reaching deeper into the treasure box of naturally functional botanicals – such as lavender, ginger, and turmeric – to seduce stressed-out consumers with a more holistic wellness proposition.

Experimental Concepts

A number of novel-ish (and also bizarre) concepts featured in the show’s dedicated section for new products. Among the curated innovation winners was Alli & Rose’s boba milk tea mochi, a sweet snack that blurs two popular Asian treats: Taiwanese boba tea and Japanese mochi rice cakes. Amos Sweets from China is dedicated to making your inner child happy: its Lego-like 4D Gummy Blocks allow snackers to play with their candy and build edible shapes. Meanwhile, the company’s multisensory TastySounds Audio Lollipop lets consumers listen to music “through their mouths” while enjoying the candy.

Perhaps more palatable are the Chazz “18+ adults only” kettle chips that come in bloody mary flavor. They fit in with other snacks at ISM marketed as edible drink experiences, including Smith & Sinclair’s “Eat Your Drink” alcohol-infused gummies, which let adults indulge in perfectly balanced “cocktail bites.”

What’s Hot and What’s Not?

Ultimately, the consumer decides what sells best on the snacking shelf. The newly introduced ISM Consumer Award, based on criteria such as quality, value, and overall satisfaction, went to the Dutch company Mitsuba for its Street Food Mix – Asian-inspired snacks with flavors such as Indonesian Coconut Peanut Satay, Thai Green Curry, and Vietnamese Beef Noodles. While sustainable and nutritional qualities are set to play an ever-growing role in the future of snacking, taste and indulgence very much rule the market.

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