Part of my job as the boss editor of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery is using various digital tools (chiefly, a nifty analytics platform called Tableau) to see what types of coverage most resonates with our readers. It turns out, voracious readers like you love gobbling up new product announcements, chowing down on confectionery industry news delivered via our Candy Industry microsite, and nibbling on our annual Top 50 Snack and Bakery Companies coverage.

Also high on your menu of favorite SF&WB article types: pieces that break down consumer behaviors and preferences. To tell the truth, we editors love that type of coverage, too. Knowing what Americans are seeking in their snack products, how their lifestyles impact their eating behaviors, flavors that attract their attention, and other facts we report stands to help our readers in developing successful products, which we find gratifying. What’s more, such snack facts are just plain fun to read about, partly because it’s neat seeing how we measure up—after all, we’re snackers, too.

Fast forward to today, where candy and snack manufacturers are giving a frighteningly long list of options that puts the trick or treat offerings of yesteryear to shame. In addition to longtime favorite sweet treats, producers now offer a range of savory snacks and better-for-you offerings that even health-conscious parents won’t find scary. That’s It, for example, offers its Spooky Fruit Bites, which features 40 fun-size no-sugar-added fruit bars (half banana, half mango) in a festive pack. Hershey’s SkinnyPop savory snack brand sells its vegan, non-GMO popcorn in a 12-bag pack, complete with friendly monsters on the front. Also, chickpea snack maker Hippeas recently launched a limited-edition multipack of its Vegan White Cheddar Puffs, with spooky ghosts adorning the 12-count bag.

The SF&WB team isn’t alone in enjoying dives into consumer snacking behaviors—Mondelēz International releases its State of Snacking report each year, which offers a comprehensive look at what consumers are putting on their Snack Rack (what I call the section of my kitchen that’s well-stocked with nibbles and noshes), when they’re eating, and more. You can hear the fun and fascinating overview that Nick Graham, global head of insights and analytics for the company, shared with me here, but here’s a taste of the facts in the report:

• About 67% of snackers want portion-controlled products (up 5% from 2022)
• Two-thirds of respondents report they continue spending the same on snacks as before, despite price surges
• Six in 10 call themselves “snack adventurers” who crave new experiences

In addition to consumer check-ins by powerhouse producers like Mondelēz, our audience (judging by the site analytics) very much appreciate coverage that includes market data, analysis of current trends that impact the industry, and insights from producers and other experts on what the future might hold for professionals in the snack and bakery fields. That’s why we spent hours and hours checking in with the market intelligence wizards at Circana, and checked in with dozens of leading producers, to craft the State of the Industry: Snacks coverage in this issue. It’s a lot of hard work, but it is worth it to bring our readers these exclusive reports that reveal the current status of key subcategories, and a glimpse into its future. We hope you find the information on these pages useful, and fun to read. Please navigate over to our Table of Contents to get started on the ride. SF&WB