The Facts on Meat Snacks

The Facts on Meat Snacks

The meat snack industry has seen unprecedented growth over the past decade. With beef jerky leading the way, the industry has seen double-digit growth in eight of the last 10 years. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Meat snacks like beef jerky, meat sticks, nuggets, pork rinds and more have long been convenience store mainstays, but [...]

Better For You Chips

Better For You Chips

General Mills Convenience is bringing the No. 1 tortilla chip in the natural channel  to convenience stores with the introduction of Food Should Taste Good tortilla chips in three popular flavors, including Multigrain, Sweet Potato and Jalapeno. Specially formatted for convenience stores, each pegged, 1.5-ounce bag of Food Should Taste Good chips has a suggested [...]

New Snickerdoodle Flavor

New Snickerdoodle Flavor

General Mills Convenience is adding more variety to its popular Chex Mix Muddy Buddies line by introducing the new Snickerdoodle flavor. Chex Mix Muddy Buddies Snickerdoodle is a mix of cinnamon and sugar flavors, available in a 4.5-ounce snack bag with a suggested retail price of $2.49. The new Snickerdoodle flavor is the latest addition [...]

Pemmican Beef Jerky Supports U.S. Troops

Pemmican Beef Jerky Supports U.S. Troops

Pemmican Beef Jerky partners with Operation Gratitude to repeat its successful promotion, resulting in a donation of more than $20,000 in beef jerky to deployed U.S. Troops Marfood USA has announced that for the second consecutive year, through its Pemmican Brand Operation Gratitude promotion, the company was able to make a sizable donation of Pemmican [...]

Jack Link’s Acquires Manufacturing Facility

Jack Link’s Acquires Manufacturing Facility

Acquisition provides increased production capacity to meet growing demand both now and in the future. Jack Link’s Beef Jerky is acquiring a packaged meat snack products manufacturing facility located in Bellevue, Neb., from Skylark Meats LLC, a subsidiary of American Foods Group LLC. The transaction is expected to close by the end of October 2012, [...]

Strong Year for Meat Snacks

Strong Year for Meat Snacks

Meat snack manufacturers are targeting new customers with innovative flavors, new packaging and an attractive price point. Leading the charge to meet the changing needs of the consumer is Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, which markets dozens of popular meat snack varieties under the Jack Link’s and MATADOR brands. Overall, meat snack sales soared 10.3% to [...]

New Products, Variety  Enhancing Salty Snacks

New Products, Variety Enhancing Salty Snacks

Salty snack sales are a surging category and retailers should be going along for the ride. “All chip segments have become accepted mainstream food and that’s not going to change in 2012, said Amer Hawatmeh, president of St. George Oil in St. Louis, operator of six Coast to Coast convenience stores. Part of the attraction [...]

Salty Snack Sales Surging

Salty Snack Sales Surging

Healthier fare is certainly not the only trend in packaged snack foods, but it is by far the most important and widespread one affecting convenience stores. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. Salty snacks and chips is abuzz with activity: new products and line extensions, multi-million-dollar advertising and promotional campaigns and innovative in-store merchandising. When combined [...]

Making the Most Out of Meat Snacks

Making the Most Out of Meat Snacks

Led by category captain Jack Link’s, Huck’s Food and Fuel has been experiencing double-digit growth in this core snacking segment. Meat snack manufacturers are targeting new customers with innovative flavors, new packaging and an attractive price point. Leading the charge to meet the changing needs of the consumer is Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, which markets [...]

Food Environment Not To Blame For Obesity

Food Environment Not To Blame For Obesity

New study shows state policies on food to have little to no impact on Americans’ weight. According to a new study posted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, environmental factors such as food prices or restaurant location play a minuscule role in America’s increasing rates of obesity. The new study conducted by Drs. Charles Baum [...]

Beefing Up Snack Sales

Beefing Up Snack Sales

The prevalence of meat snacks has grown a great deal in recent years as the market has expanded with innovative flavors and new varieties. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor. The meat snacks category, which many Americans consider all but synonymous with convenience stores, continues to build sales as well as prestige. New and exotic flavors [...]

Driving Snacks Sales

Driving Snacks Sales

While private label products are improving, quality and value remain critical components for all snacking options. By Howard Riell, Associate Editor “Yes, but…” That’s the all-too-common answer to the question of whether or not price promotions can drive snack sales in convenience stores. Yes, in a lousy economy people look for and respond to savings. [...]

Forecasting Snack Bar Sales

Forecasting Snack Bar Sales

The food bar category experienced double-digit sales growth in 2010, but 2011 could prove to be a challenging year. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor. The snack bars/granola bars category experienced sharp sales gains in 2010 as on-the-go consumers were looking for quick meal solutions that wouldn’t break the bank. Total snack bar sales jumped 11.26% [...]

Pemmican Partners With Operation Gratitude

Pemmican Partners With Operation Gratitude

Starting this May, every time a customer buys Pemmican beef jerky, the company donates a bag to support deployed U.S. Troops. Marfood USA has partnered with Operation Gratitude to donate a minimum of $100,000 worth of Pemmican Beef Jerky to deployed U.S. troops. Specially marked Pemmican–Operation Gratitude shipper displays will be in stores from May [...]