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Most Innovative New Candy and Snack Products

May 23, 2023
The National Confectioners Association kicks off its Sweets & Snacks Expo this week naming top new products in 13 categories.

As the Sweets & Snacks Expo (formerly the Candy Show) began its four-day run this week in Chicago, the National Confectioners Assn. (NCA), organizer of the show, announced the winners of its annual Most Innovative New Product Awards.

The awards recognize the year’s most innovative confectionery and snack products in 13 categories. “These new products, brand collaborations and flavors enhance consumers' celebrations, holidays and daily routines and they ensure that candy and snacks continue to play an important role in the lives of people around the world,” said John Downs, president and CEO of NCA.

Retail leaders representing 85% of the buying power for the confectionery and snack categories served as judges. More than 300 candy and snack products were submitted. The winners:

  • Best in Show: Chunk Nibbles - Apple Cinnamon Chunk Nibbles
  • Small Business Innovator: Jackson's Chips - Farmhouse Ranch Sweet Potato Chips made with Avocado Oil
  • Chocolate: Nuts.com/Kopper’s Chocolate - Mexican Hot Cocoa Bites
  • Non-Chocolate Candy: Shenzhen Amos Sweets & Foods Co. - 4D Fruit Gummy Juicy Burst Strawberry
  • Gum & Mints: Perfetti Van Melle USA - Mentos Fruit Mints with Vitamins-Cool Fruity Mix
  • Salty Snacks: Big Dipper Food Co. - Peanut Butter Caramel Coated PopCrunch
  • Sweet Snacks: Tru Fru LLC - Parfait Poppers: Nature’s Raspberries Frozen Fresh in Greek Yogurt & Granola
  • Meat Snacks: PepsiCo Foods - Jack Link's Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Flavored Beef Jerky
  • Savory Snacks: Truly Good Foods - Henrietta Said Ancho Kimchi Flavored Peanuts
  • Novelty/Licensed: Shenzhen Amos Sweets & Foods Co. - TastySounds RecordableLollipop – Peach Nectar
  • Seasonal: Hawaiian Host LLC - Strawberries & Cream White Chocolate Macadamias
  • Gourmet/Premium - Candy: Tru Fru LLC - Nature's Strawberries Hyper-Dried Fresh in White & Dark Chocolate
  • Gourmet/Premium - Snack: Oh Snap! Pickling Co. - Cranberry Sweeties

After a 25-year run in Chicago, the Sweets & Snacks Expo will alternate between Indianapolis and Las Vegas beginning in 2024.

About the Author

Dave Fusaro | Editor in Chief

Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.

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