12 Awesome Snack Brands I Experienced At “Editor Showcase: Snack Attack” & Suggest Following
There is never a time of year when it does not pay to have some great snacks on-hand. But, contrary to popular belief, snack foods can also sometimes be healthy too. There is no shortage of interesting new food options these days that manage to be fun, delicious and/or nutritious.
I had the pleasure of attending the Editor Showcase: Snack Attack at New York City’s Marriott Marquis on Thursday, May 9th. In turn, I had the opportunity to get an up close and personal look at some of the newest product launches from leading brands within the snack food industry. Below are 12 brands from the May 2019 edition of Editor Showcase: Snack Attack especially worth trying and following.
Nerds
Nerds were one of my favorite sugary snacks from my childhood. The brand — initially launched in the early 1980s — has evolved fantastically, now carrying a variety of Nerds-branded products on the market. Big Chew Nerds are crunchy and chewy candies. Rainbow Nerds are a boxed mix of Strawberry, Grape, Orange and Lemonade-flavored candies, giving you a true rainbow cascade of sweet, tangy candy. Rainbow Nerds Ropes are essentially Rainbow Nerds on a chewy fruity string. Furthermore, Tropical Nerds Ropes are also on the market.
Farmer’s Pantry Original Cornbread Crisps
I first experienced the Farmer’s Pantry line of Original Cornbread Crisps about two years ago as part of an earlier Snack Attack showcase for editors. As pointed out in my 2017 coverage: “They are baked, not fried, have 10 grams of whole grains per serving, and taste incredible in either Original, Honey Butter, or Jalapeño form.” The brand now has more great flavors on the market — like Jalapeno and BBQ — and sells them in 100-calorie packs, both keeping your diet on-track and your tastebuds immediately pleased.
Sprout
Sprout is popular for making wholesome and organic foods for family members of all ages, and the New Jersey-based company has many new offerings on the slate for 2019. Its Plant Protein Purees line recently added two new flavors. Its Organic Smoothies are available in four delicious, two of which yogurt-based and two of which dairy-free and coconut milk-based. Its Bone Broth Proteins are undoubtedly the first organic baby food purees with protein from bone broth on the market. Its Organic Wafflez come Blueberry Apple and Apple Carrot Cinnamon and come five in a box. Its Curlz are a plant-powered snack made from organic chickpeas and lentils. But my favorite of the batch are the Crinklez, a veggie-based snack that is around 150 calories in total per bag.
Jarlsberg
A cooperative owned by more than 15,000 Norwegian dairy farmers, TINE SA is Norway’s largest producer, distributor and exporter of dairy products. Jarlsberg is America’s #1 specialty cheese brand, and a notable part of TINE. In 2011, the TINE dairy cooperative celebrated its 130th anniversary, meaning that its 140th anniversary is coming up soon. The company also made history last year with the launch of the Jarlsberg Pop Up Shop at New York’s wildly-popular Swedish candy store Sockerbit. Jarlsberg’s Cheese sticks are not only under 100 calories apiece, but also 100 percent all-natural, 100 percent lactose-friend and a great source of calcium.
Black Forest Gummy Bears
Black Forest is known its gummy bears, to say the least. Its award-winning Classic Gummy Bears are made with real fruit juice and their coloring comes from real sources. Fruit flavors include Cherry, Lemon, Pineapple, Orange, Apple and Strawberry. Its Organic Gummy Bears also come in a variety of flavors — including Cherry, Lemon, Pineapple, Strawberry, Orange and Apple — and are made with Certified USDA Organic ingredients. Both are 100 calories per serving.
Crunchmaster
Crunchmaster makes both sweet and savory snacks. Its Protein Brownie Thins now come in a Salted Caramel style, of which 32 crackers add up to only 120 calories; the Dark Chocolate and Homestyle Milk Chocolate also have the same calorie count. These sweets are Non-GMO Verified and high in protein. Its Multi-Grain Crackers are great-tasting oven-baked crackers made with brown rice and contain a delicious blend of sesame, flax, amaranth and quinoa. These gluten-free crackers make a perfect complement to healthy dips, spreads and toppings.
PROBAR
PROBAR is known for its plant-based nutrition, as “born and raised in the mountains of Utah.” Its products are not only organic, but also gluten-free, kosher and Non-GMO. The company — which is a partner of U.S. Ski & Snowboard — is in the process of unveiling a “fresh new look.” But graphic design aside, expect nutritious and delicious bars. My favorite of the PRO products is the Cookie Dough Protein Bar.
Drizzilicious
Simply put, Drizzilicious makes a crispy, better-for-you snack with whole grains, quinoa, chia and flax. Somewhere between a chip, a cookie and a piece of popcorn, Drizzilicious currently comes in three flavors: S’Mores, Birthday Cake and Cinnamon Swirl. All three flavor offerings are 90 calories for 21 pieces. In turn, you can feel good about enjoying a lot of these gluten-freen and Non-GMO Verified snacks as made in New Jersey.
Half Naked
Odds are that you are familiar with Naked and its popular juices. Half Naked is a new flavorful 100-percent juice from the same company, carrying 50 percent less sugar than the leading 100-percent juice smoothie on the market. It currently comes in three flavors: Peach Ginger, Watermelon Passion Fruit and Lively Greens. All three of these flavors have no added sugars, preservatives or artificial sweeteners.
SweeTARTS
SweeTARTS have grown leaps and bounds since being invented by Jeff Sousa in 1962. These days, the SweeTARTS brand offers a whole lot more than the bite-sized Original SweeTARTS. There are the SweeTARTS Ropes Bites, which are soft and chewy rope-esque fruit pieces which come in five flavors: Strawberry, Green Apple, Orange, Cherry and Blue Punch. The SweeTARTS Ropes are comparable to the aforementioned Ropes Bites, only they are packed with a tart Cherry Punch center. Meanwhile, the SweeTARTS Mini Chewy pieces are like the originals, yet they come to you in Raspberry, Blackberry, Blue Berry Punch, Dark Cherry and Mixed Berry.
Lay’s
Lay’s is an industry leader when it comes to potato chips, of course. But its Poppables are an innovative Lay’s offering, and the brand recently unveiled Lay’s Poppables Creamy Jalapeno. From this new product, expect the signature light, airy texture of Poppables, yet with the smooth and zesty pop of jalapeno flavoring. Also new from PepsiCo are its Simply Cheetos Crunchy White Cheddar, its Quaker Oat Beverages and the Quaker LIFE Cereal Cups.
88 Acres
88 Acres uses the tag of “making more from less.” The brand relies on wholesome ingredients for its comfort foods, so its seed bars and seed butters manage to be full of protein, body-boosting minerals and antioxidants, and healthy fats. My favorite bar of what I tried was the Chocolate Mocha Seed Bar; the Ginger Apple Seed Bar was also delicious. Of the Seed Butters, I especially enjoyed the Vanilla Spiced Sunflower Seed Butter. However, prior to meeting the fine folks representing 88 Acres, I had never observed watermelon “butter” before. All offerings from 88 Acres manage to be USDA Organic, Non-GMO Verified, kosher, gluten-free, vegan and nut-free.
About the Author
Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."
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