By Mark Seavy    

With consumer spending tightening, candy and snack suppliers have reduced their appetite for price promotions while gaining a taste for licensing and new flavors.  

Discounting isn’t disappearing, but a shift towards unexpected flavor combinations and textures was on full display at the recent Sweets and Snacks Expo in Indianapolis, IN and at the International Deli Dairy Bakery Association (IDDBA) Show in New Orleans, LA. These unexpected combinations—many of which go viral on social media platforms like TikTok—are focused on appealing to younger consumers.  

Mars Inc.’s Wrigley Division, for example, was promoting a freeze-dried version of its Skittles that takes advantage of the trend of adding crunchiness to standard-issue candy. They were joined by Ferrara, which is fielding freeze-dried products under its Spree, SweeTarts, and Lemonhead brands.  

Then there’s dehydration, which supports a growing demand for functional and accessible nutrition across everything from protein snacks and soft chews to marshmallows and shelf-stable, clean-label products. And while the Hot Honey trend (as in Mike’s and others) that dominated shows in 2024 isn’t easing, sour flavors expanded outside gummies into tangy chews, gum, and hard candies.  

These ever-evolving ingredient and flavor combinations were joined by a move toward celebrity promotions. Mondelez International, for example, has featured a rotating slate of celebrities on its Oreo packaging, including musician Post Malone and musician/actress Selena Gomez. And YouTube star Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson recently unveiled his first co-branded product with Jack Link’s featuring packs of beef sticks and jerky that also showcased his signature.  

“Promoting heavily on price is not having the same effect as it used to have before,” Mondelez CEO Dirk Van de Put said at the recent dbAccess Global Consumer Conference in Paris, France. “So, we must walk that back and reinvest that money in a unique way. And the way that we’re seeing it working well is activations in store, big displays, and having news around the brand.”  

Another trend is the scaling back of packaging—including fewer pieces or lighter weights—in the face of increased costs for chocolate and as a result of tariffs. Retailer Dollar General underscored that trend when it said in releasing earnings that it was pushing suppliers to reduce package sizes. The price of cocoa has fallen about 20% since hitting an all-time high in December, but consumers are still paying more and getting less.   

The price of a Mars’ Twix white chocolate Easter egg in the U.K., for example, rose from £5 ($6.63) to £6 ($7.96) as its size was reduced to 258 grams (nine ounces) from 316 grams (11 ounces). The rise in price was tied to extreme weather in West Africa, where most of the world imports cocoa. Yet, despite rising prices, several varieties of chocolate were popular at recent snack-focused trade shows. Dubai-style chocolate, for example, is a consumer favorite with its mix of pistachio cream and kataifi (shredded filo pastry) and major brands, including Lindt, are picking it up.  

There were also a number of candies and snacks that relied heavily on novelty to overcome growing price concerns.  

Chinese supplier Amos Sweets, which has gained wide distribution for its Peelerz peelable gummies, introduced TastySounds lollipops featuring Lollitunes bone conduction technology. The product transmits sounds, like music, that bypasses the eardrum and sends a vibration to the inner ear via a person’s teeth and jawbone. It’s a technology that has been used in bone-conduction headphones popularized by runners and swimmers. Amos also licensed the Bazooka brand for the Juicy Drop Gummy Mystery Cube that arrives in early 2026 in cube form.   

“Activating brands around new things [and] having special varieties of your product that are interesting for the consumer to try again can work really well right now,” Van de Put said.