CHIP INDUSTRY NEWS (Pre Sept 2020)

Current Events!

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Read My Interview From
The Daily Gazette
from November 9th, 2022.

Click here!


Read My November From
518 Profiles Magazine


Click here!



Please watch all of my videos from
The Saratoga County History Center

Click Here Or The Photo To Visit The Page!


Saratoga County man
considered top
potato chip historian
Mark Mulholland WNYT
Updated: August 1, 2022 - 6:40 PM
Published: July 29, 2022 - 4:44 PM

Please click below to watch my latest interview!


Listen to my interview with
WGY Mornings with Doug Goudie
regarding the Saratoga County History Center exhibit.


My latest exhibit at
The Saratoga County History Center


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Potato chip exhibit to open Saturday

The exhibit is open to the public 1 to 5 p.m.
Thursday through Sunday.
For more information,
go to
https://brooksidemuseum.org.


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I have recently been featured in two
Times Union Articles
Please read them by clicking the links below!

Article 1 - Vanderbilt helped invent the chip in Saratoga?
Likely a salty myth


Article 2 - Toga Chip Guy makes a second showing on History Channel


Article from Saratoga Today
Featuring, your's truly, The Toga Chip Guy!

Click Here


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Watch The History Channel's
The Food That Built America,
"When The Chips Are Down",
season 2, episode 3,
where I am prominently featured.

Click Here!


Read my feature article in
"Shorelines"
The Saratoga Lake Association News Letter.

Click Here

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Listen to my recent interview on iHeart Radio.

Click Here


History Channel Podcast

After appearing in several episodes of
The History Channel's Series
"The Food That Built America",
I have now been prominently featured
in an associated podcast.

Please visit The ACast Site to listen!


My recent interview with Julia Dunn on CBS 6.

Click Here

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Article About Me In Saratoga Today Entitled
"Who: Alan Richer, The Toga Chip Guy"


April 2nd, It starts on Page 3.

Click here to read!


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The History Channel's
"The FoodThat Built America"
that aired on
National Potato Chip Day, March 14.
Featuring the history of Herman Lay
and then rival Fritos!

Click here to watch







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Greensboro-made Wicked Crisps burst onto the snack scene
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When you walk down the snack aisle at the grocery store, you’ll find plenty of choices. 
Lots of customers just buy whatever is on sale that week.  But some of those folks are now discovering a new taste that stands out from the rest. 
Brad Jones found out more about Wicked Crisps. They’re different from a chip, and they’re Made in North Carolina.   
You can find Wicked Crisps in local Food Lion and Publix stores or check out the
Wicked Crisps website.
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How to See the World's Reflection From a Bag of Chips
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MIRRORS HELP YOU see objects outside of your line of sight, whether it’s a car passing you on the highway or an unfortunate rash on your face. And as it turns out, with some extra computer processing, almost any old shiny object can serve as a decent mirror. In new research, computer scientists at the University of Washington have exploited the light reflected from the metallic lining of a bag of snacks to create a relatively faithful reconstruction of its surroundings.
Read The Article
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Chips, Chips, Chips - Smart Stocks in The Age of Coronavirus
PLEASANTON, CA / ACCESSWIRE / March 23, 2020 / At Valentine Research we have been advising people to look at chips, chips and chips. Three very different kinds of chips. But all three have stocks are great buys now because they will outperform the market for very different reasons.
All this week we will be talking about the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the economy and on stock prices. As of Friday's, close, the Dow and the S&P 500 have both dropped a third in just over a month. Political leaders and central bankers worldwide are racing to reassure the markets.
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PepsiCo hires 6,000 employees, provides additional compensation to workers on frontline of pandemic
23-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup
PepsiCo is hiring 6,000 new, full-time employees over the next month and is providing additional compensation to the more than 90,000 frontline employees – those who “make, move, and sell” PepsiCo products – at both PepsiCo Beverages North America and PepsiCo Foods North America.
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Kenneth A. Potter
1939 - 2020
Kenneth A. Potter

York - Kenneth A. Potter, 81, passed away Thursday, March 26, 2020 at UPMC-West Shore. He was the husband of Sandra A. (Shultz) Potter to whom he was married for 61 years.
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Kellogg snack brands back Overwatch League sweepstakes
Dive Brief:
  • The Kellogg Company's Cheez-It and Pringles snack brands this month launched a sweepstakes for fans of Overwatch League, the first professional esports group started by a unit of video game giant Activision Blizzard. The packaged foods company set up a microsite for a chance to win a trip for two to the 2020 Overwatch Grand Finals, per an announcement.
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Fellow Pa. potato chip maker Utz has deal to buy Berlin-based Snyder
BERLIN – Snyder of Berlin, Somerset County's snack-making mainstay, is in line for a new owner.
Through a definitive agreement last week, Snyder of Berlin and five other potato chip brands will be shifted from $7.8 billion Chicago-based packaged foods conglomerate Conagra Brands to Utz Quality Foods, a fellow Pennsylvania potato chip-maker with a nearly century-old snacking legacy.
"We are excited about the opportunity to add these important brands and capabilities to our portfolio," said Dylan Lissette, CEO of Utz. "These brands bring a strong consumer following and unique craft heritage. Their distribution and manufacturing capabilities, along with their customer relationships, enhance our ability to further grow our brand portfolio further west."
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Fellow Pa. potato chip maker Utz has deal to buy Berlin-based Snyder
BERLIN – Snyder of Berlin, Somerset County's snack-making mainstay, is in line for a new owner.
Through a definitive agreement last week, Snyder of Berlin and five other potato chip brands will be shifted from $7.8 billion Chicago-based packaged foods conglomerate Conagra Brands to Utz Quality Foods, a fellow Pennsylvania potato chip-maker with a nearly century-old snacking legacy.
"We are excited about the opportunity to add these important brands and capabilities to our portfolio," said Dylan Lissette, CEO of Utz. "These brands bring a strong consumer following and unique craft heritage. Their distribution and manufacturing capabilities, along with their customer relationships, enhance our ability to further grow our brand portfolio further west."
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Fellow Pa. potato chip maker Utz has deal to buy Berlin-based Snyder
BERLIN – Snyder of Berlin, Somerset County's snack-making mainstay, is in line for a new owner.
Through a definitive agreement last week, Snyder of Berlin and five other potato chip brands will be shifted from $7.8 billion Chicago-based packaged foods conglomerate Conagra Brands to Utz Quality Foods, a fellow Pennsylvania potato chip-maker with a nearly century-old snacking legacy.
"We are excited about the opportunity to add these important brands and capabilities to our portfolio," said Dylan Lissette, CEO of Utz. "These brands bring a strong consumer following and unique craft heritage. Their distribution and manufacturing capabilities, along with their customer relationships, enhance our ability to further grow our brand portfolio further west."
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New Michigan-made purple potato chips sell out fast
Munching on low-fat potato chips might reduce the guilt compared with full-fat versions, but many people don't find the texture as appealing. Now, researchers have developed a technique to analyze potato chips' physical characteristics from simulated first bite to swallow, which they say could be used to help formulate a tastier low-fat snack. They report their results in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
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Designing a better low-fat potato chip
Munching on low-fat potato chips might reduce the guilt compared with full-fat versions, but many people don't find the texture as appealing. Now, researchers have developed a technique to analyze potato chips' physical characteristics from simulated first bite to swallow, which they say could be used to help formulate a tastier low-fat snack. They report their results in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
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Lay's Is Starting The Year Off Right With 3 New Chips That Sound Crazy Flavorful
One of my resolutions for 2020 was to try new things and, let me tell ya, the food industry is making that really easy for me. The latest brand to start off the decade with new products and flavors is none other than Lay's; they'll be releasing three brand new kinds of chips this month.
All three chips are totally different not only in flavor, but also in texture and crunch. The new products are Cheddar Jalapeño, Poppables Sea Salt & Vinegar, and
Kettle Cooked Flamin’ Hot. Asking me which one of these is likely to be my favorite is like asking a mother to choose her favorite child. They all sound that good.
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PopCorners Spicy Queso chips

Company: PopCorners

Website: Popcorners.com

Introduced: January 2018

Distribution: National

Suggested Retail Price: $3.29 (7 oz. bag)

Product Snapshot: PopCorners, a family of non-GMO corn popped snacks that prove health and taste can coexist, is introducing bold and colorful new packaging at the 2018 Winter Fancy Food Show. Adding to the excitement, the popped chip innovator is also launching new Spicy Queso PopCorners at the show—a delectable, fiery take on the classic tex-mex flavor made better with the same wholesome ingredients and crunchy texture PopCorners fans know and love. The vibrant new look and flavor will begin shipping to retailers nationwide in January, and attendees of the Winter Fancy Food Show will be among the first to experience them at the PopCorners booth #1053 between Jan. 21-23.
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PopCorners Spicy Queso chips

Company: PopCorners

Website: Popcorners.com

Introduced: January 2018

Distribution: National

Suggested Retail Price: $3.29 (7 oz. bag)

Product Snapshot: PopCorners, a family of non-GMO corn popped snacks that prove health and taste can coexist, is introducing bold and colorful new packaging at the 2018 Winter Fancy Food Show. Adding to the excitement, the popped chip innovator is also launching new Spicy Queso PopCorners at the show—a delectable, fiery take on the classic tex-mex flavor made better with the same wholesome ingredients and crunchy texture PopCorners fans know and love. The vibrant new look and flavor will begin shipping to retailers nationwide in January, and attendees of the Winter Fancy Food Show will be among the first to experience them at the PopCorners booth #1053 between Jan. 21-23.
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Utz owner sells back stake in the chip company

Dive Brief:

Private-equity firm Metropoulos & Co has sold its equity stake in Utz Quality Foods, roughly doubling its money 15 months after investing close to $150 million in the salty snack company, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Metropoulos is not fully divested from Utz. It helped the chip and pretzel maker refinance a portion of its $650 million in debt in December.
This is the latest success story for Metropoulos, which has a proven track record of investing in underperforming brands and helping them grow. The firm has previously backed Hostess Brands, Pabst Brewing, Ghirardelli Chocolate and Chef Boyardee.
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SNACK FOOD SALES SPIKE DURING SUPER BOWL WEEK

Americans eat enough snacks on Super Bowl Sunday to fill 17 Olympic-sized swimming pools
(Arlington, VA, January 23, 2020) Snack food sales jumped 10.3% to $404 million during Super Bowl week 2019, according to new data from IRI, commissioned by SNAC International (SNAC), the trade association of the snacking industry. The biggest sales increases by category for Super Bowl week are tortilla chips, pretzels, potato chips and dips.

“The Super Bowl and America’s favorite snack foods are synonymous,” said Elizabeth Avery, President and CEO of SNAC. “They are part of the fabric of America, bringing family and friends together for football, fun and their favorite foods.”

The new snacking data, provided by IRI, compared 2019 shopping data from Super Bowl week compared to the prior week. It shows a significant increase in the following snack categories during Super Bowl Week:

Tortilla Chips: 24.3%
Pretzels: 14.5%
Potato Chips: 11.8%
Refrigerated Dips: 33.0%
Dry Dip Mixes: 53.0%
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Consumer Trends in Convenience: What Americans Are Getting Delivered in 2020

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--goPuff, the world’s fastest-growing digital convenience retailer, today announced the results of its first-ever Off The Shelf Report, which analyzed data from millions of orders over the past 12 months (November 2018 to November 2019). Due to goPuff’s direct-to-consumer relationship, the company is able to not only understand and predict order patterns, but also identify changing consumer habits, preferences and shopping behaviors as the world of e-commerce continues to evolve. Highlights of the report include: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos was the country’s favorite snack in 2019
Snacks 
  • Even as consumers eat healthier, they won’t abandon more traditional snacks: Many of goPuff’s healthier items have been trending nationwide, with increasing demand for products like Harvest Snaps Green Pea Crisps, Oatly Original Oat Milk and Good Health Veggie Stix. However, 24% of customers who ordered a health food item this year also had a traditional snack in their basket. This indicates that a dedicated subset of consumers is willing to shift their habits in some areas while not compromising on old favorite snacks.
Steadfast Behaviors
Snacks
American favorites are about flavor and experience: For the third year in a row, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos was the number one snack ordered on goPuff. However, over the past three months, demand for Gushers has skyrocketed; as a result, goPuff anticipates Gushers to overtake Flamin’ Hot Cheetos as the #1 snack in 2020.
Regional Snacking Trends
  • Southeast - Salty Snacks. Customers in the Southeastern region of the U.S. showed a tendency towards saltier items. Among the top indexing items in this region were Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Slim Jims.
  • Saltiest cities: Kansas City KS, South Bend IN and Dallas TX ordered the most salty snacks this year.
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Nightfood/Harris Poll Study Shows 54% of U.S. Consumers Who Snack at Night Often Feel Guilty About Their Nighttime Snack Choices; Nightfood Management Estimates Over Seven Hundred Million Nighttime Snack Occasions Weekly
83% of consumers report snacking at least one night a week, and 20% of consumers report snacking every night
TARRYTOWN, NY, Dec. 17, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- Nightfood, Inc. (OTCQB: NGTF), the award-winning ice cream company addressing America’s $50 billion-dollar nighttime snacking problem, today released findings from a new Harris Poll online survey, conducted on their behalf among over 2,000 U.S. adults, on consumer night snacking and sleep quality.
83% of U.S. consumers report snacking at least one night a week, and 20% of consumers report snacking every night. The most popular nighttime snack choices overall are salty snacks (such as chips, popcorn, and pretzels – 84%), baked goods (such as cookies, cake, donuts – 80%), candy (chocolate, gummies, hard candies – 76%), and ice cream (75%).
“Bringing these percentages into actual numbers projects to hundreds of millions of nighttime snack occasions per week in the United States,” noted Nightfood CEO Sean Folkson.  “Twenty percent of U.S. adult consumers report snacking every night, so that alone would project to more than three hundred fifty million (355,434,701)[1] snacking occasions weekly.  Add to that all the people who snack some or most nights, and then the sporadic people, and you’re potentially going to double that number.   Certainly we have some people under 18 also snacking at night, so we think it’s reasonable that the total likely approaches eight hundred million (800,000,000) nighttime snacks each week or more.  Some nights it’s cookies, some night chips, some nights ice cream…. but we’re talking hundreds of millions of snack occasions every week, and we believe easily over a billion dollars a week.”
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Doritos, Lay's, Tostitos and Cheetos team up in football-themed campaign

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Dive Brief:
  • PepsiCo's Frito-Lay has launched a football-themed campaign promoting several of its brands of chips in the lead up to the Super Bowl, according to details the company shared with Marketing Dive.
  • The "Ready for Crunchtime" campaign aims to remind consumers to buy different kinds of chips as they watch football games. The effort includes digital, radio, out-of-home and two TV spots. The "Group Chat" commercial features former NFL stars Deion Sanders, Michael Irvin, Tony Gonzalez and Terry Bradshaw on a video chat discussing which chips they plan to bring to the game. The humorous spot shows Bradshaw getting dressed and wearing Tostitos underwear. The spot will hit the airwaves during college football games on Dec. 26.
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Shoprite Bowl & Basket potato chips, pita chips, and pretzels

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Company: ShopRite
Websiteshop.shoprite.com
Introduced: November/December 2019
Distribution: National
Suggested Retail Price: Varies
Product Snapshot: ShopRite has unveiled two new store brands that debut on store shelves this month with the best assortment of high-quality foods and products at great everyday value.
ShopRite’s launch of Bowl & Basket and Paperbird food and household lines kicks off a transformation of the supermarket’s own brands with newly designed and carefully crafted products, starting with approximately 100 items in November, expanding to 300 by year’s end, and more than 3,500 newly branded products by the end of 2021.
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Pringles Rotisserie Chicken, and Parmesan & Roasted Garlic chips

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Company: Kellogg Co.
Websitewww.pringles.com/us/home.html
Introduced: December 2019
Distribution: National
Suggested Retail Price: $2.69
Product Snapshot: The salty snack crisps come in two new flavors, Rotisserie Chicken and Parmesan & Roasted Garlic, which tap into top culinary trends and open up a whole new world of flavor possibilities through stacking.
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Utz Quality Foods Completes Merger With Kitchen Cooked

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HANOVER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Utz Quality Foods, LLC announced today that it has completed the merger with Kitchen Cooked Inc. The acquisition includes the Kitchen Cooked snack food brand, direct store delivery (aka DSD) operations and its manufacturing operations.
The Kitchen Cooked snack food brand brings with it a range of fan-favorite potato chips, Kettle Kurls, Kettle Pops, popcorn, pretzels and more.
"We are very excited about the opportunity to add this important snack food brand and set of capabilities to our portfolio," said Dylan Lissette, Chief Executive Officer, Utz Quality Foods, LLC. "Since the 1930’s, Kitchen Cooked brings a strong consumer following and unique craft heritage in its core markets. Their distribution and manufacturing capabilities, along with their customer relationships, enhance our ability to grow our Utz brand portfolio further west."
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PepsiCo Exec Reveals 2020's 'Hot' and Boozy Snack Trends

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By Mike Nam
While savory snacking options in 2020 will maintain the classic comfort flavors, snackers might be in for an extra kick when they open a bag of chips, according to research published by Frito-Lay North America, a subsidiary of Pepsico.
"Spicy things continue to be a really 'hot' trend," Denise Lefebvre, SVP, R&D, Global Food at PepsiCo told Cheddar. "[Consumers are] really leaning towards different, broader — jalapeno, habanero, ghost pepper — and really want to understand the depth and the level of spice that might provide them."
Beloved flavors like cheddar and sour cream or sour cream and onion continue to be popular for snack brands like those under PepsiCo's ownership, but globalization is evolving the tastes of consumers, according to Lefebvre.
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When science and snacks converge: Bright purple BFY potato chips emerge
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Researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) have collaborated with a US family-owned snack producer to create limited edition potato chips that are packed with antioxidants.
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Chip makers’ experimentation with flavor pays off
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Chip purchases are nearly universal with 94% of respondents to a 2019 Mintel survey saying they bought some kind of chips in the past year. Consumers gravitate to familiar brands and tastes and perceive chips as an indulgence, which may be a challenge to market expansion, but opportunities lie in new flavor combinations, functionality and healthy innovations.
“Taste, craveability and the desire to ‘treat yourself’ are driving consumer choice for more indulgent salty snacks,” said Tom Vierhile, vice-president, strategic insights, North America, Innova Market Insights.
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PepsiCo leaning in on sustainability goals: ‘Companies like us no longer have a choice’
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PepsiCo is stepping up its sustainability goals with the ambition of supporting system-wide change. FoodNavigator spoke to Chris Daly, vice president of sustainability for Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, to find out more.
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Stacy’s limited-edition bags spotlight Women’s Entrepreneurship Day
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Stacy’s Pita Chips has released three designer bags in Kroger’s US stores in honor of the November 19 celebration and PepsiCo's broader WomanMade platform.
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Frito-Lay Releases U.S. Snack Index and No Need to Check Twice: It's Family, Friends and Food that Make the Holidays Nice

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November 20, 2019

PLANO, Texas, Nov. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Forget the "Naughty" or "Nice" lists. This holiday season, Frito-Lay is all about salty vs. sweet with the release of its latest U.S. Snack Index1, revealing the taste preferences driving snack consumption among consumers.

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More nutritious snacking options: PepsiCo to acquire maker of PopCorners snacks, BFY Brands
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03 Dec 2019 --- PepsiCo is set to acquire BFY Brands, the maker of PopCorners snacks. Upon closing, BFY Brands will report into PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America division. The acquisition will expand Frito-Lay’s portfolio to offer consumers more nutritious snacking options. The transaction is subject to customary conditions and approvals, including regulatory approvals.
Frito-Lay Leverages eCommerce to Meet Consumer Needs   

By Dale Busstptp


Among the biggest challenges that Frito-Lay faces is making it as easy as possible for shoppers to buy its wares. And that calls for tapping into e-commerce more effectively to ensure that the PepsiCo-owned snacks giant makes a successful transition to an era in which American consumers finally are embracing digital purchase even of routine CPG goods just as they earlier decided to buy books, music, computers, sneakers and nearly everything else online.

The company used to rely only on traditional TV, print and radio marketing and a robust in-store merchandising machine to make sure consumers and shoppers saw and paid attention to Frito-Lay products such as Tostitos and Fritos chips and were presented with various ways to work them into snacking occasions and meal menus. But these days the marketer is focused on reaching consumers and finding ways to get Frito-Lay products to shoppers how and when they want them, and at the prices they want, in the most convenient ways.

“As an innovator in the CPG industry, Frito-Lay maintains its position and competitiveness by continuing to evolve to meet consumer demand,” Mike Del Pozzo of Frito-Lay North America told 
CPGmatters in an interview following his presentation at the GroceryShop trade show in Las Vegas.  “We are unique as we are involved in every piece of operations from seed to shelf, and we have teams dedicated to tracking trends and best practices across every aspect of the business. Our goal is to be accessible and relevant to the consumer regardless of how they shop,” said the senior vice president of sales and chief customer officer.

The company best known for snack chips such as Fritos and Tostitos actually has a growing portfolio of more than 1,200 products and more than 30 brands, offering snacks for every type of consumer, for every type of occasion, and even for every dietary regimen including organic, gluten, dairy-free, Kosher and Non-GMO Project Verified. Even in an era of popularity of Atkins, keto and other low-carb diets, Frito-Lay has relevant offerings including nuts, seeds and beef jerky.

Frito-Lay defines access and relevance broadly and focuses on four areas to achieve more of it, Del Pozzo explained. They are snacking frequency and packaging, loyalty, impulse shopping – and e-commerce. To encourage more frequency of purchase of its products, for example, Frito-Lay has been introducing new flavor options in its multipacks, which are on-the-go size. And, in general, the company is exploring how its favorite products can show up in different ways in various new sizes and types of packaging on store shelves. 

“You’d say, ‘Well, that’s great for a company like Frito-Lay,” Del Pozzo said during a recent presentation. “But it also puts a lot of pressure on us to make sure we have the right relevant offerings.”

The other three venues for boosting sales and relevance are more closely tied together, Del Pozzo explained. For instance, to build loyalty, Frito-Lay has “a constant two-way dialogue with consumers,” which in part depends on communicating online and via social media in various ways. A key example for connecting with consumers is the Tasty Rewards program, which offers exclusive deals, sweepstakes, coupons and other sweeteners. The company also recently launched PepCoin, which encourages consumers to buy specially marked, single-serve PepsiCo beverages and Frito-Lay snacks together – for cash rewards via refunds of up to 10 percent when people use PayPal or Venmo digital accounts. 

“That’s really helped us think more about the macro,” Del Pozzo told Business Insider. “Think about what we can do together now – the ability to leverage digital to drive that snack and beverage occasion as one company has really been a huge benefit.”

Similarly, Frito-Lay has been mixing its physical-world assets with its increasing online presence to encourage even more impulse shopping, which of course long has been a key reason for purchase of its products. 

“Sometimes that’s creating snack and beverage bundles for specific occasions that are easy to find at the grocery store or online,” Del Pozzo said. “Or offering the ability to have snacks automatically delivered at home every two or four weeks, or at the frequency needed.”

The company’s growing e-commerce focus requires constant and continuing pressure and innovation. In one recent initiative, for instance, Frito-Lay saw that buying gift packages for students, military members or even road trips was a big phenomenon. So, the company created customized, thoughtful packages with a curated assortment of Frito-Lay salty snacks, crackers, nuts and seeds, Del Pozzo said – and the packs are among its best sellers.

“We believe e-commerce can continue to fuel our business outside of traditional growth spaces, and we utilize this channel to customize the way we meet consumer needs,” Del Pozzo said.
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PepsiCo Announces Definitive Agreement to Acquire BFY Brands Expanding Better-For-You Portfolio and Production Capabilities
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PURCHASE, N.Y., Dec. 2, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) today announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire BFY Brands, the maker of PopCorners snacks. Upon closing, BFY Brands will report into PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America division. 
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PepsiCo to Acquire New York-Based BFY Brands
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PepsiCo plans to acquire BFY Brands, home to the brand PopCorners. The deal, announced for an undisclosed sum, will see PepsiCo "further deliver" on its "vision to offer consumers more positive nutritious options".

Owned by private-equity firm Permira since 2015, BFY Brands has two manufacturing facilities in New York state. The company's product portfolio includes snacks sold under PopCorners sub-brands such as Flex Protein Crisps and Flourish Veggie Crisps. Employing around 750 staff, BFY Brands is also a contract manufacturer of popped snacks.
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Snacking is rising to all occasions, report finds
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Dive Brief:
  • Snacking is now an all-day practice in the U.S., with salty snacks becoming particularly popular between meals and as a meal replacement, a new Innova Market Insights report found.
  • The global market research company said 46% of consumers have salty snacks between meals in the afternoon and 37% of them do so in the evening. More people are also replacing meals with salty snacks, Innova said, with 23% consuming them at lunch, 17% at dinner and 8% at breakfast.
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America Intensifies its Snacking Habits
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Americans are willing to go above and beyond for their snacks.
A poll conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Moonstruck Chocolate Co. found 18% of consumers would forgo all of their electronic devices for one month to snag a lifetime supply of snacks, reported New York Post (Dec. 3). A sixth would even completely shave their heads.
Spending an average of $9.22 a week, Americans' snack purchases total $479.44 a year, meaning the average respondent will spend $28,766.40 on snacks alone during their lifetime.
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CONAGRA BRANDS COMPLETES DIVESTITURE OF DIRECT-STORE-DELIVERY MODEL SNACKS BUSINESS TO UTZ QUALITY FOODS, LLC
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Chicago, October 21, 2019 — Today Conagra Brands, Inc. (CAG) announced that it has completed the divestiture of the portion of its snacks business that operates under a Direct-Store-Delivery (DSD) model to Utz Quality Foods, LLC. The brands included in the sale are Tim’s® Cascade Snacks, Hawaiian® Snacks, Erin’s®, El Restaurante®, Snyder® of Berlin, Pop-N-Thin® and Husman’s®. Financial terms were not disclosed.
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Lay's Giveaway Offers Year of Free Chips for Selfies with New Packaging

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Lay's first global packaging update in 12 years takes an Insta-worthy approach to flavor. Snap a selfie with Lay's new chip packaging and you could win one year of free chips.
Between now and November 29, simply snap a photo of yourself with any one of the new Lay's bag designs and upload the image to
www.GottaHaveLays.com for a chance to be one of five winners per day in the "Gotta Have Lay's" giveaway, which at 200 winners total adds up to 10,000 free bags of Lay's potato chips to share.
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PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay cracks three of the top five snack brands among American teens
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The snack market is being defined by the tastes of Gen Zs, who are cutting back on fashion to channel pocket money towards eating on-the-go and snacks like Lay’s, Doritos and Cheeto’s.
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Targeted innovation and apt marketing help PepsiCo’s snack portfolio
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PepsiCo's net revenue increased more than 4% in the third quarter, with big-name snack brands, Quaker and smaller premium brands boosting sales and profits.
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If You Like Eating Hot Cheetos, These Are Probably All The Reasons Why
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I swear the crinkliness of the bags has been optimized for pleasure.
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Frito-Lay Shares This Summer's U.S. Snack Index
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The summer season is packed with snacks. To explore just where, when and how Americans will snack this summer, Frito-Lay today unveiled the next installment of its U.S. Snack Index. 
Snacks play an integral role in the summertime experience. As the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day historically starts a spike and then snacking hits its highest point during the week of July 4. In fact, according to retail sales data, the week of July 4 represents the biggest snacking week of the entire year for Frito-Lay. 
"Delighting consumers with a wide variety of snack options has always been our first priority, and it's helped us earn our spot in 94 percent of America's pantries,
1" said Mike Del Pozzo, senior vice president of sales, chief customer officer, Frito-Lay North America. "As snacking heats up in the summer months, so do our efforts to make sure that we are delivering the perfect side to any summer occasion."
The broad majority of Americans – nearly nine out of 10 – see snacking as important to summer occasions or can't imagine summer without their favorite snacks. And when it comes to summertime events, there are quite literally millions of them.
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PepsiCo boosts precision agri tech for Walkers, Lay’s and Doritos brands
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The snacks and drink giant has built up its iCrop precision agriculture tool to better support potato, corn, oats and peanut farmers make in-field decisions, PepsiCo Europe’s head of agricultural procurement tells FoodNavigator.
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Utz Quality Foods Supports Technology Learning at Local School Districts

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HANOVER, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Utz Quality Foods, LLC, announced today a combined $200,000 donation for the Hanover Public School District and Conewago Valley School District.

The $100,000 donation for the Hanover Public School District will fund equipment and training to enhance its high school mechatronics program and increase exposure with an expansion to include middle school students. The $100,000 donation for the Conewago Valley School District will be used for mechatronics equipment for the new Colonial Career and Technology Center at New Oxford High School, which will support manufacturing and trades education. Each mechatronics programs help students learn more about the engineering of electrical and mechanical systems and are used with a combination of supportive computers, robotics, telecommunications and other learning methods.
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Cheetos-themed apparel arrives at Forever 21
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Dive Brief:
  • PepsiCo Frito-Lay snack brand Cheetos will "bring the 'Cheetos Look' to life" via a new partnership with fashion retailer Forever 21, according to information shared with Marketing Dive. Starting June 6, a new limited-edition apparel collection is available from the chain that includes swimsuits, sweatshirts, T-shirts, dresses and other gear printed with images, colors and logos connected to Cheetos Crunchy and Cheetos Flamin' Hot snacks.
  • Designed for men and women, the collection is available online and at Forever 21 stores across the U.S., with prices ranging from $5 to $30 per item.
  • Frito-Lay says that Cheetos is about more than snacks, and that it's become "a lifestyle brand among our fans."
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Frito-Lay Poll Reveals Summer Snacking Habits
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Convenience is the most important snacking factor for summer travel snackers, with more than half of Americans picking up single-serve packaging options.

Frito-Lay published a new edition of its U.S. Snack Index, a national survey that reveals how different generations, regions and cities snack during the summer season.
The company partnered with Morning Consult for the poll, which was conducted between May 1-5 among a national sample of 2,200 adults.
“Delighting consumers with a wide variety of snack options has always been our first priority, and it’s helped us earn our spot in 94% of America’s pantries,” said Mike Del Pozzo, senior vice president of sales, chief customer officer, Frito-Lay North America. “As snacking heats up in the summer months, so do our efforts to make sure that we are delivering the perfect side to any summer occasion.”
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ParmCrisps Launches Explosion of Innovation as it Surges into Snacking
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ParmCrisps Launches Explosion of Innovation as it Surges into Snacking
The Keto-friendly Cracker Establishes Dominance in Rapid-Growing Category by Continuing to Push Flavors and Formats.
FAIRFIELD, NJ (May 13, 2019) –
ParmCrisps, the nutritionally on-trend snack brand, has launched two game-changing flavors and two new formats that solidify ParmCrisps as the leading millennial snack. Adding Sour Cream & Onion and Cheddar to their repertoire, along with Family Sizes and Multipacks, ParmCrisps is bringing traditional Chip and Cracker flavors and formats to the 100% Cheese Crisp category. 
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Utz snack company reveals new Little Utz Girl design, announces animated short stories
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By Sean Adams | sadams@pennlive.com
If you’ve tried Utz potato chips, you’re probably familiar with the Little Utz Girl logo.
Well, that familiar face is getting a new look.
The Hanover-based snack food company posted an image of a new design for the Little Utz Girl on their Facebook page, as well as a brief animated video. Take a look:
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Cape Cod & Samuel Adams Brewery launch ‘first-of-its-kind’ limited edition chips
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MARION, OHIO — There are trend watchers, and there are trendsetters. Then there are the game changers. After more than 80 years in business, Wyandot Snacks has honed its skills at all three.
Who would have guessed that a family-owned company in rural Marion was once one of the largest exporters of raw popcorn? That was, at one point in history, the distinction that Wyandot Snacks hung its hat on. But for this company — and the Brown family, which founded and still owns Wyandot — success does not end with a crowning achievement. It’s only the beginning.
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How Wyandot accelerated growth through better-for-you snacks
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MARION, OHIO — There are trend watchers, and there are trendsetters. Then there are the game changers. After more than 80 years in business, Wyandot Snacks has honed its skills at all three.
Who would have guessed that a family-owned company in rural Marion was once one of the largest exporters of raw popcorn? That was, at one point in history, the distinction that Wyandot Snacks hung its hat on. But for this company — and the Brown family, which founded and still owns Wyandot — success does not end with a crowning achievement. It’s only the beginning.
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Fritos® Partners With Carry The Load To Salute Our Nation's Heroes
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PLANO, Texas, May 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Fritos®, the flagship brand of PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division, is teaming up with Carry The Load, a non-profit dedicated to providing active, meaningful ways to honor and celebrate the sacrifices made by our nation's heroes, to produce nearly 22 million specially marked bags to honor past and present heroes. The number of bags is symbolic in that it represents the total members who have served in the American military throughout history (including active-duty). To further its commitment, the brand will also donate $100,000 to Carry The Load to support its ongoing efforts to provide healing services via non-profit partners for the mind, body and soul of our warriors.
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When The Sun Is Back, It's Time To Pack The Snacks: Frito-Lay Reveals Its Next U.S. Snack Index Just In Time For Summer
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PLANO, Texas, May 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- It's official. The summer season is packed with snacks. To explore just where, when and how Americans will snack this summer, Frito-Lay today unveiled the next installment of its U.S. Snack Index.
Snacks play an integral role in the summertime experience. As the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day historically starts a spike and then snacking hits its highest point during the week of July 4. In fact, according to retail sales data, the week of July 4 represents the biggest snacking week of the entire year for Frito-Lay. 
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