As of this writing, the players and post-game celebratory confetti have been cleared from the field where the 2024 Super Bowl was played. Fans of the winning Kansas City Chiefs are still celebrating, and followers of the other team are trying to move on.

Even with very little time passed between the end of the game and now, much of the action has already been forgotten, for better or worse. A quick poll of my friends shows most can’t remember the final score; many (including me) have to think for a while to remember the name of the other team. A good chunk can’t even remember the name of the winning team (other than the detail than it was the one with Taylor Swift’s boyfriend on the roster).

What they do remember, it turns out: the snacks, baked treats, candy, and other dishes put out on their various Super Bowl spreads. My personal party table was covered in large part with samples sent to my home office by generous producers, and all of those were a huge hit. Favorites include the chocolate-covered date pieces from Joolies, sweet potato chips from Jackson’s, jalapeno lime nuts from Wonderful Pistachios, and the savory fishy snacks from new brand Tuna Candy. Industry watchers wouldn’t be surprised that my Super Bowl gathering guests were more about the food than the football—let’s look at the post-game analysis of Super Bowl Week 2023, courtesy of Circana and SNAC International:

• Fans consumed 118 million pounds of savory snacks during the week—that’s enough to fill Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium a staggering 16 times over.
• Sales of such snacks hit $796 million during the time period, a 29% increase over the previous year’s Super Bowl Week.
• Tortilla chips alone (one of the most popular savory snacks during football parties) $195 million in sales for the week, roughly 36 million pounds (up 20.2% over the previous SB week).

I’m grateful to have been invited to join the staff of Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery as chief editor. It’s always great to be gainfully employed, but it’s icing on the cake (no pun intended) to be drawing a paycheck for a gig that very often is so enjoyable, it doesn’t feel like work. What’s more, the amazing people I work with (like Senior Editor Liz Parker) and for (former CE and current Group Publisher Doug Peckenpaugh) make each work day better. I’ve spent years covering various corners of the food industry, but the position I find myself in at the start of 2024 is definitely the most fascinating, the most rewarding, and the most fun I’ve ever had.

Also, I’m thankful for the bakery and snack professionals I connect with every day. From the association leaders that guide the industry through education and events, to suppliers that offers a broad range of solutions, to the producers that share announcements of their latest developments (and sometimes send samples of their newest, delicious wares), and beyond, my job at SF&WB wouldn’t be possible without the contributions of these experts generous enough to share their time, insights, and tasty products with me.

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.

What’s more, it turns out that not only are snacks one of the things people remember about a party after they’ve forgotten much else; they’re also a deciding factor in which party someone decides to attend if they’re fielding multiple invitations. Data shared by Frito-Lay in conjunction with its 2024 Snack Index indicates that 60% of potential party guests factor in the amount and quality of food promised when deciding which shindig to RSVP “yes” to. That means the next time you’re planning to host a party, keep in mind the importance of the snacks, sweets, and baked goods on the menu. If you’re a producer thinking of product launches for the coming months, consider coming up with new noshes that will give party guests something to cheer about. SF&WB