Candy and snack traits from 2022 sweet show

S’mores are seemingly in all places and “new-stalgia”–a fresh take on getting old products–is on the increase, according to exhibitions at this week’s Sweets and Treats Expo.

The expo, which is the candy industry’s biggest annual trade present, returned to Chicago’s McCormick Area with about 700 suppliers just after two decades of COVID disruptions, like moving to Indianapolis previous calendar year thanks to Chicago’s pandemic limitations.

The candy business, which was valued at $30.1 billion in the U.S. in 2022 according to IRI, is remaining formed by various pandemic and financial forces: While COVID triggered much more people to snack at home–45% of U.S. people snack more than three times a day–it has also led to offer chain challenges triggering restricted stock, according to Sally Lyons Wyatt, executive VP and exercise chief with IRI. Inflation could also lead men and women to turn into much more hesitant about acquiring products and solutions, whilst soaring charges have not taken a major toll yet, said Lyons Wyatt, who spoke at the expo.

At the expo, hosted by the Nationwide Confectioners Affiliation, sweets and snacks entrepreneurs confirmed off a array of new s’mores flavors as nicely as new packaging meant to be far more sustainable. A fondness for the earlier also permeated this year’s products and solutions, observed in new partnerships for makes this kind of as Pop-Tarts and the revamping of legacy models these as Bazooka.

Below, trends and innovations to continue to keep an eye on, primarily based on a tour of the expo floor.

S’mores are smoking cigarettes

The campfire meals is a huge development. Products on exhibit involved two-year-previous model Stuffed Puffs, which marketplaces what can only be explained as a condensed s’more: a marshmallow lined in graham crackers and stuffed with milk chocolate.