Taste has long been non-negotiable for consumers, but new data from Circana suggests its dominance may be slowly declining – not because it matters less, but because consumers now expect more on top of taste.
According to data presented at the Sweets & Snacks show Sally Lyons Wyatt, the global consumer packaged goods and foodservice industry advisor at Circana, 86% of consumers say they select snacks that have a taste they enjoy – but this is down 7 percentage points from 2021.
In the same time period, the percentage of consumers who actively seek snacks that are good for them is up 5 percentage points to 62% and those seeking snacks with nutritional enrichment is up 9 percentage points to 65%.
This suggests that functional food has evolved from sacrifice-based nutrition into experience-driven consumption, and taste, texture, branding, flavor innovation and emotional connection matter just as much as protein, probiotics or low sugar claims.
And you can see that shift clearly in brands like Barebells, Belle’s, and Dirty Gut, which all showcased at the Sweets & Snacks Expo in Las Vegas in mid-May.
Barebells leads the protein bar pack
Barebells has emerged as one of the fastest-growing brands in snack bars, with Circana reporting its year-over-year dollar sales are up 173% and its units are up 139% in the past year.
Its success isn’t because consumers suddenly became obsessed with protein bars. Rather, Lyons Wyatt suggests the brand is winning because they make protein bars feel like candy bars.
Barebells hits all the nutritional marks with 20 grams of protein and no added sugar, but what really sells the bars are their taste and texture, said Kendal Kramer, regional account manager for non-commercial channels at Vitamin Well Group, which is the parent company of Barebells Protein Bars.
“It’s going to basically rewire what you think a protein bar should taste like,” she said, explaining that Barebells have premium whey and “real chocolate, so it does melt like a normal candy bar.”
The addition of protein puffs and nuts add variety, as do the “insane fruit flavors” the brand brings to a category dominated by dessert and peanut butter forward flavors.
The brand also is driving sales through placement along side candy bars, including in vending machines and business pantries, where wellness items might not take center-stage.
‘Popcorn with purpose’
A similar trend is happening across categories as brands like Belle’s Gourmet Popcorn make functional food that feels more culturally relevant and emotionally engaging – not clinical or restrictive.
“A lot of people look for a snack that maybe they won’t feel as guilty for or might have some benefits, and that is exactly what we’re bringing to the table” with a new line of functional popcorns that blend benefits, taste and an elevated experience with beautiful packaging, said Nicco Ferrer, a marketing team member with Belle’s Gourmet Popcorn.
The line includes an award-winning Raspberry Rose flavor with 3 grams of collagen, added biotin and vitamin E and which is made with avocado oil that features callouts “Beauty + Glow.”
Other options include a caffeine-infused Café Latte flavor, a protein and fiber-packed Orange Cream, and Peach Lavender, which includes magnesium that makes it “awesome just to relax,” said Ferrer.
In addition to unexpected flavors and eye-catching packaging with metallic accents, the packages feature a QR code that consumers can scan to take a personality quiz – layering in bit of additional fun alongside the food’s function.
Wellness and indulgence merge with probiotic packed chocolate
Startup Dirty Gut, which makes a probiotic-packed chocolate, also reflects a bigger shift happening in functional food, and that is wellness is no longer replacing indulgence – it is merging with it.
“Dirty Gut is a better-for-you chocolate with a billion live probiotics per individual bite,” each of which also have 2 grams of fiber and only 2 grams of sugar, said Brock Alpher, a friend of the founder.
He explained the chocolates come in three flavors: Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt Crunch and Milk Chocolate, which is made with A2 milk to further support easy digestion.
“You think probiotics, you think about supplement, and you think of these bottles and bitter yogurts. That is where Dirty Gut comes in. It is fun … and tastes like real chocolate,” he said. “You can’t even tell where the probiotics come into play,” even though there are three active strains.
“This is the intersection of fun and healthy,” he added. “You won’t find us in the supplement aisle. You’ll find us in the candy aisle.”
Takeaways
As we can see from these examples, the next era of functional food isn’t about choosing between health and indulgence, it’s about delivering both at the same time.
And that’s why the most successful functional brands today don’t market sacrifice. They market enjoyment with benefits attached.
