Expo West Gallery: Snack Innovations See Simple Ingredient Decks

Snacks were not in short supply at this year’s Expo West. Among the crackers, crisps and chips were plenty of newer formats, like cooked snackable veggies, with exhibitors displaying a clear focus on short, clean ingredient labels. Here are a few of the notable new products we saw on the show floor.

Rick’s Picks

Pickled vegetable brand Rick’s Picks expanded into the snack category with the introduction of Snacking Veggies, available in Zesty Carrot Sticks and Savory Cauliflower Floret varieties. Rick’s Picks entire snack line, which also includes Spicy Sriracha Snacking Pickle Spears, is available online in single-variety 6-packs and a variety sampler format.

CHICKEASE

A new brand of snackable chickpeas, CHICKEASE, made its debut at Expo last week. The all-natural, preservative free and shelf-stable cooked chickpeas are offered in single-serve pouches in three varieties: Tex-Mex, Barbecue and Original.

Barnana

Upcycled fruit snack maker Barnana debuted its latest product format innovation – plantain nuggets – in four flavors: Barbecue, Ranch, Pink Salt and Chili Lime. The savory nuggets are fried in coconut oil and contain 4 grams of fiber in each single-serve pack. The new zero sugar snacks are available online and expect to roll out to retailers later this year.

Gimme

Roasted seaweed snack maker gimMe showcased two new flavors – Dairy-free Cheddar and Chili Lime Roasted Seaweed – alongside the launch of its new grab-and-go slim pack format. The USDA Certified Organic snacks contain only 25 calories per serving and vitamins and minerals including iodine, B12, and Vitamin K. The new products, which roll out to retailers this Summer, will also kick off a larger branding refresh set to debut in Q3.

Blake’s

Seed snack maker Blake’s kept it simple with its latest snack launch: Roasted Sunflower Seeds. The company said it spent the past year formulating a clean on-the-go protein snack, landing on shell-less, lightly seasoned seeds in Himalayan Salt, Hot & Spicy and Honey Roasted flavors. The snackable seeds offer 6 grams of protein per serving and are available online in a 6-count box and are expected to launch at retail later this year.

Dirt Kitchen

Air-dried veggie crisp maker Dirt Kitchen showcased its recently launched line of Pressed Bars in four flavors: Almond + Raisin + Carrot, Tomato + Raisin + Black Pepper, Apple + Cinnamon + Carrot and Apricot + Beet + Pumpkin Seeds. The bars stay true to the brand’s real ingredients ethos and are made with vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

Solely

Clean food company Solely showed off its latest innovation, a three SKU line of organic, vegan fruit gummies in Mango, Mango & Orange and Mango & Guava flavors. The whole fruit gummies are made with one or two ingredients and Vitamin C. Solely Fruit Gummies are available exclusively at Whole Foods stores nationwide for $7.99 per 5-pack.