Innovation

Nutrition bar makers are doubling down on bite-size formats – a shift driven in part by the rise of GLP-1 weight loss drugs and also by a broader consumer push toward portion-controlled products. Such scaled-down snacks offer greater flexibility across eating occasions, manufacturers say.

Chomps explains why its expansion into chicken sticks opens up new opportunities for the brand to grow in families’ pantries.

After six and a half years building distribution and refining its product lineup, Japanese barbecue sauce brand Bachan’s was ready to find a strategic partner that could help it go “further faster,” said founder and CEO Justin Gill.

The Nosh team reviews Quinn Filled Pretzel Sticks and KrackCorn caramel popcorn.

This week on the podcast, Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and senior reporter Lukas Southard discuss the acquisitions of frozen dessert maker My/Mochi Ice Cream and next-generation sports drink brand Local Weather. The hosts also speculate about David Protein’s entry into the ice cream category and singer Benson Boone’s involvement with Caliwater.

Reporting live at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, Calif., Nosh managing editor Monica Watrous and BevNET managing editor Marty Caballero highlight key themes and insights, from the development of the coconut water category to the proliferation of beef tallow and more.

While protein-packed breakfast items flooded the show floor at Natural Products Expo West, a quieter trend was hiding in plain sight: vegetables. A handful of brands at the show debuted morning staples – from pancakes to toaster pastries to oat bars – that sneak produce into the first meal of the day.

The growing backlash against processed seed oils has fueled a resurgence in traditional cooking fats. Fatworks, a family-owned operation in Colorado and longtime defender of rendered fat, has been waiting for this for well over a decade.

Xochitl is transitioning its full portfolio of thin and crispy tortilla chips to be made with avocado oil amid rising demand for seed oil-free foods. The brand, owned by private equity firm Forward Consumer Partners, is marking the reformulation with redesigned packaging that features new color blocking to better stand out on shelf.