The retail hard pretzel market continues to see incrementally strong growth. Much of this growth stems from strategic innovations designed to capitalize on flavor trends and upscale product positioning, as well as entering existing whitespace in the category centered on people following specialized diets, like gluten-free and keto. Pretzel formulations based on non-wheat substrates, including heritage grains like sorghum and pulses like chickpeas, often strive to bring better-for-you differentiation to the marketplace—a multidimensional current running throughout the snack and bakery industry that will continue to drive growth. SF&WB