Mars bets big on confectionery and snacking’s hottest trends

Mars’ autumn/winter product launches: overview

• Mars launches target protein snacking demand beyond sports nutrition
• Cheez-It Protein combines indulgence with growing functional food appeal
• Bold sweet-savoury flavours help products stand out on shelves
• Affordable indulgence drives innovation through familiar brands and flavours
• Mars expands snacking ambitions across sweet, savoury and wellness categories

Mars is capitalising on confectionery and snacking’s hottest trends with a wave of new product launches.

The industry giant is using its biggest brands to tap into evolving consumer tastes and drive growth across sweet and savoury snacking.

“Mars is at the forefront of evolving our iconic brands to meet modern tastes,” says Tim LeBel, chief customer officer of Mars Snacking North America.

The new additions include Cheez-It Protein, M&M’s Peanut Butter Cinnamon Roll, Pringles Buffalo Wild Wings, Snickers Almond Xtreme and Twix Frosted Cookie.

The launches reveal where Mars sees the biggest growth opportunities, with LeBel saying Mars research and development teams “know what’s next”.

“Our 2027 lineup is built to capture cultural trends and help our retail partners maximise conversion opportunities storewide.”

Protein snacks

Protein-packed indulgence is emerging as one of the strongest trends behind Mars’ latest innovations, with Cheez-It Protein, the company’s leveraging growing consumer demand for snacks that deliver added nutritional benefits.

As protein moves firmly into the mainstream, shoppers are increasingly looking beyond traditional sports nutrition and seeking convenient, protein-rich options from the brands they already know and trust. The result is a new wave of products that blend everyday indulgence with functional appeal.

Sweet and salty

Mars is also targeting consumer appetite for bold flavour mash-ups, where sweet meets savoury in attention-grabbing combinations.

Launches like Pringles Buffalo Wild Wings, alongside the company’s broader focus on sweet-and-salty innovation, reflect growing demand for snacks that deliver a more adventurous eating experience.

As shoppers seek greater variety and novelty in snacking, unusual flavour pairings are helping brands attract attention, encourage experimentation and differentiate themselves from competitors.

Affordable indulgence

Affordable indulgence remains a powerful driver of innovation, even as consumers continue to feel the squeeze from economic uncertainty.

Mars is catering to this demand with brand extensions such as M&M’s Peanut Butter Cinnamon Roll, Twix Frosted Cookie and Snickers Almond Xtreme, giving established favourites a fresh twist through bold, trend-led flavours.

By building on the familiarity of iconic brands while introducing novelty, manufacturers can generate excitement, encourage trial and keep consumers engaged without asking them to take a leap into the unknown.

Season of innovation

The timing of the launches is also notable. Arriving ahead of the autumn and winter sales season, the products are positioned to benefit from key consumption occasions including Halloween, holiday gifting and festive celebrations.

Seasonal innovation remains an important tool for confectionery companies looking to secure shelf space, drive impulse purchases and increase basket spend during one of the industry’s most important trading periods.

Mars expands snacking ambitions

In short, the new arrivals highlight Mars’ ambitions to strengthen its position as a snacking leader beyond traditional confectionery.

With products spanning protein enrichment, bold flavour combinations and affordable indulgence, the company is targeting some of the biggest opportunities in the market as consumer preferences continue to evolve.

The question now is: will others follow suit?