Organic produce brands embrace the snacking trend

Snacking, a $135 billion dollar industry, is projected to grow by 3.1% through 2030. Organic snacking grew by 2.7% in 2023, representing a significant opportunity for organic produce, said Faith Garrard, executive director of fresh at Raley’s. Garrard served as moderator for Biting into Organic Fresh Snacking Opportunities, an education session at last week’s OPS in Monterey, California.

However, that growing $135 billion market includes conventional snacks, or, as Grimmway Farm’s vice president of marketing David Bright quipped: “We are all up against our competition: the Dorito.”

Grimmway Farms, the largest carrot producer in the world and largest organic vegetable producer in the U.S., developed an entire social media campaign around snacking. In August, the company will debut new digital content exploring questions such as, “what is a baby carrot?”

During the panel, Bright emphasized that nailing the proper serving size for a produce snack is critical as families are getting smaller and some adults in younger generations increasingly replace meals with snacks.

It’s a date

David Baxter, director of marketing and business development at Imperial County-based Bard Valley Date Growers, shared that 88% of people snack every day and 68% snack twice or more daily. “Gen Z prefers small meals and snacks, so we are developing around that concept,” Baxter said. During the panel, Baxter explained how Bard Valley leveraged social media trends to raise the profile of dates and highlight the commodity’s versatility. “We’re making dates approachable through snacking,” Baxter said.

Last year, a simple, healthier, no-bake recipe for date bars, or flattened dates covered with toppings to resemble cereal or candy bars, went viral on Tik Tok. Bard Valley responded by inviting influencers to field tours, generating thousands of views for the grower. Today the company’s website highlights the snack category, and a walnut date bar recipe is featured at the top of the snack page.

Online tools such as social media and e-commerce platforms appeal to the younger generation and families—a prime demographic for snacking. However, following the latest snack trends isn’t always a slam dunk.

The retail conundrum

Baxter described a line of chocolate-covered dates that ended up confusing the customer. This lesson highlighted a challenge in organic snacking: proper retail placement. “We put a lot of thought into what works in the set we’re given,” Baxter said.

Garrard agreed, saying the proper placement for snacks can be difficult to define, especially for organics. Would Bard Valley’s organic chocolate-covered date balls sell better alongside dried fruit or in the candy aisle? “There is more and more crossover in departments,” Garrard said of organic snacks. “Conventional snacks have a clearer category.”

Baxter uses retail publications and consumer behavior lists to influence product development. Using this tactic, Bard Valley identified spicy as a flavor trend and the company now sells a date strip snack infused with Tajin, a chili lime seasoning.

On the OPS trade show floor, attendees were introduced to diverse snacks from across the organic sector. Products including single-serve avocados, microwave-enhanced potatoes, mango “fries” and ready-to-drink functional beverages debuted from start-ups and corporations alike.

Throughout the Summit the message was clear: snacking is here to stay. According to Grimmway’s Bright, “We are very optimistic for what comes next.”