Nosh Staff

According to the National Confectioners Association, 86% of Americans said they plan to share a gift of chocolate and candy this Valentine’s Day. To offer consumers a variety of seasonal treats to choose from, brands rolled out several sweet (and a few salty) limited edition products to celebrate the holiday. Check out the gallery for notable Valentine’s Day offerings, including new Theo Chocolate and Honey Mama’s flavors and the return of Grillo’s Pickle Bouquet Kit.

Consumers looking for healthier options in the new year had plenty of new products to choose from, with brands like Solely, Kashi and Siete all launching better-for-you takes on indulgent snacks in January. Check out the gallery for the month’s notable product releases, including new CBD-infused nut butter line Groovy Butter and the latest macadamia nut innovation from Milkadamia.

To kick off the new year, many brands looked to stand out on shelf with new flavors of customer favorites or revisions to their packing. Check out the gallery for this month’s new line extensions and packaging refreshes, including new flavors from Sweet Nothings and Ithaca Hummus, a new look for Honey Mama’s and KIND’s second annual Equality Bar.

The second half of the December new product gallery takes a look at more of 2020’s final product launches, such as baby and kid-friendly offerings from White Leaf Provisions, Silk, True Citrus and Plant Camp. Check out the gallery for more of December’s new releases, including new packaging from GT’s COCOYO and Snacklins and a new Vital Proteins collaboration.

The last products to launch in 2020 reflected many of the top trends in natural products from over the past year in the natural products industry, including plant-based, immunity-boosting and sustainably sourced products. Check out the gallery for several of December’s notable releases, including Simulate’s latest chicken “simulation” and new superfood blends from Orgain and Laird Superfood.

In this session from NOSH Live Winter 2020, Kathryn Peters, EVP of Retailer Services at research firm SPINS, delves into the trends and strategies that saw success in 2020. Peters not only offers insight into how shoppers approached and engaged with natural products throughout this year, but also looks at what channels saw growth, the types of products and portion sizes that yielded the most sales, and the ingredient-based diets that remained relevant.

The effects of COVID-19 on the many facets of the food industry was clearly a major theme throughout 2020, from the impact on food workers’ safety, supply chain disruption, cancelled trade shows and the shift to ecommerce. Despite the tepid investment landscape in the first half of the year as the industry grappled with these many changes and brands faced financial struggles, the latter portion of the year saw several notable deals and launches as the industry adjusted to the new reality the pandemic presented.

Brands celebrated the holidays this year with a slew of seasonal plays offering consumers sweet snacks, stocking stuffers and dishes fit for holiday meals. Check out the gallery for this season’s notable festive releases, including sweet twists on salty classics from Beanfields and LesserEvil and holiday ice cream flavors from NadaMoo!, Halo Top and High Road.

NOSH honors the companies, brands, individuals, products, ideas and trends that shaped the natural food landscape during a year of unprecedented challenges and disruption.

The NOSH Live Winter 2020 — taking place on Dec. 14-16 — features some of the leading executives and thought leaders in the industry over the three-day conference. Access the event venue.