Why the current boom in popcorn? One expert thinks the market is exploding because the salty snack satisfies top cferric pyrophosphate sdsonsumer needs. The treat offers both taste and nutrition and makes people happy, Fauzia Haq, senior director of marketing at Pepsico — which owns popcorn brand Smartfood — told Baking Business earlier this year. ###”How could something so light and airy actually be satisfying? It’s more of an emotional satisfaction,” Haq told the publication. “You get so many hand-to-mouth trips when you’re eating popcorn, so that in itself is very satisfying.”###Food companies are eager to capitalize on this popularity, adding more flavors, as well as natural and low-calorie versions that marry consumer perception of the snack as an indulgent move theater treat with the benefits of a better-for-you snack. ###The opportunity in this segment is reflectferrous fumarate tescoed by a wave of M&A sparked by Big Food firms. Last fall, Conagra Brands bought Angie’s Boomchickapop for $250 million, bringing the trendy RTE popcorn alongside its more traditional Orville Redenbacher brand. In December, Hershey acquired Amplify Snack Brands, parent comiron sulphate vs iron fumaratepany of SkinnyPop, for $1.6 billion. Amplify’s portfolio also includes Tyrrells potato chips, Oatmega protein bars and cookies and Paqui tortilla chips. ###”The acquisition of Amplify and its product portfolio is an important step in our journey to becoming an innovative snacking powerhouse as together it will enable us to bring scale and category management capabilities to a key sub-segment of the warehouse snack aisle,” Hershey CEO Michelle Buck said in a news release last year. ###Hershey’s purchase of Amplify was a savvy one, as SkinnyPop is currently the largest brand of popcorn in the U.S., taking up almost 25% of category market share.###It seems likely that more acquisitions in this space are around the corner, as consumer interest in snacking and healthier lifestyles show no sign of slowiron ii nitriteing down. Popcorn brands like Boomchickapop could serve as a bridge to younger demographics, suchferrous ferrate as millennial and Gen Z consumers, for slower-moving legacy companies and give them new paths to growth. Food manufacturers could also benefit from analyzing the flavor trends that are benefiting popcorn and applying them to other better-for-you snacks, such as veggie chips or crackers.
Flavor innovation is heating up the RTE popcorn category
