2026 Most Innovative New Product Awards
Salty Snacks
Product Submissions
| Exhibitor | Brand | Product | innovation Statement | Price | Weight | Product Photo | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hershey Company | Dot's | Snack Mix | Dot's® Original Snack Mix is a thoughtfully crafted mix with no filler and bold flavor. It features four intentionally chosen pieces — Dot's® Original Seasoned Mini Pretzels, Dot's® Original Seasoned Corn Cereal, Dot's® Bold Cheese Seasoned Pita Chips, and Savory Garlic Rye Chips. | $5.99 | 4.4 oz |  |  |
| Belle's Gourmet Popcorn | Belle’s Gourmet Popcorn | Raspberry Rose (Beauty + Glow) Popcorn | Belle’s Raspberry Rose Popcorn elevates popcorn with elegant floral berry flavor and creamy white chocolatey drizzles. Crafted with collagen, biotin, vitamin E, and beauty-inspired ingredients, it merges premium indulgence, self-care trends, and distinctive innovation in one memorable snack. | $5.99 | 2.5 oz |  |  |
| Xochitl, Inc. | Xochitl | Cholula Hot Sauce Flavored Tortilla Chips | Spicy, crispy, with only the finest ingredients. The taste of Mexico has never been closer than with Xochitl & Cholula. | $4.49 | 7.5 oz |  |  |
| Utz Quality Foods | Utz | Sizzlin' Summer Burger Ripple Potato Chips | With bold burger flavor and a bit of sizzle, Utz's Sizzlin' Summer Burger flavored potato chips capture everything you crave about a hot-off-the-grill classic - no grill required. For a limited time only. | $4.99 | 7.75 oz |  |  |
| PepsiCo | Doritos | Protein Sweet & Tangy BBQ | Doritos Protein isn't your average protein chip. It packs the bold flavor you love with 10g of protein (per 1 oz serving) with big taste and iconic crunch. | $4.89 | 7 oz |  | |
| PepsiCo | Smartfood | Smartfood FiberPop Toffee and Sea Salt | A Pop of delicious Toffee and Sea Salt Flavor. Fiber-Rich. Flavor-Full. | $4.59 | 5.75 oz |  | |
| KrackCorn, LLC | KrackCorn® Popcorn | Jalapeño Heat! | Oven-Baked Popcorn, a hint of buttery caramel, with authentic jalapeno peppers on every piece. Gluten Free and Non-Gmo popcorn with a kick! | $4.99 | 5.5 oz |  | |
| Nomad Snacks | Nomad | Mexican Street Corn Popcorn | A blend of smoky chili, bright lime, savory cheese, and a touch of creaminess. Inspired by the delicious side dish, Elote. | $4.99 | 4 oz |  | |
| LOVE CORN | LOVE CORN | Sweet & Salty 3.5oz | Hi honey! LOVE CORN’s new Sweet & Salty crunchy corn delivers the perfect balance of sweet, salty & crunchy! Made with real honey & containing 8g of fiber per 3.5oz peggable standup pouch - bringing incremental shoppers to the savory snack aisle. Are you Team Sweet or Team Salty? | $3.99 | 3.5 oz |  | |
| PepsiCo | Cheetos | Simply NKD Crunchy Flamin' Hot | Packed with that hot, spicy flavor, CHEETOS® SIMPLY NKD™ FLAMIN’ HOT® Crunchy are cheesy, crunchy snacks naked of dyes and artificial flavors. | $4.79 | 8 oz |  | |
| Belle's Gourmet Popcorn | Belle’s Gourmet Popcorn | Very Berry (Immunity + Wellness) Popcorn | Belle’s Very Berry Popcorn transforms popcorn with vibrant blueberry and acai flavor finished in creamy white chocolatey drizzles. Fortified with vitamin C, D3, zinc, elderberry, and echinacea, it delivers delicious taste, daily wellness support, and trend-forward snack innovation. | $4.99 | 2.5 oz |  | |
| PepsiCo | Doritos | Simply NKD Nacho Cheese | The classic DORITOS® flavor you love, now naked of dyes and artificial flavors! DORITOS® SIMPLY NKD™ Nacho Cheese has the bold, cheesy flavor that will never let you down at snack time. | $5.49 | 9.25 oz |  | |
| Herr Foods Inc | Chick-fil-A | Waffle Chip - Chick-fil-A Sauce | Get ready for a snack experience like no other with Chick-fil-A® Chick-fil-A Sauce Waffle Potato Chips. Each crispy, golden waffle-cut chip is infused with the iconic, tangy Chick-fil-A Sauce, delivering a deliciously bold flavor in every bite. | $5.49 | 7 oz |  | |
| Oyatsu Baby Star Ramen Snack | Baby Star Ramen Snack | Wide Yakisoba - Japanese-Style BBQ Flavor | Ramen reimagined into a crunchy snack. No prep, no mess—ramen at your fingertips. Sweet-savory yakisoba flavor packed with umami, tang, and smoky depth. Born in Japan in 1959 from instant noodle scraps and refined over generations to capture the essence of ramen in a convenient, ready-to-eat form. | $2.99 | 2.46 oz |  | |
| Pork King Good | Pork King Good | Strawberry Shortcake Pork Rinds | As a small, woman-owned team taking on snack industry giants, Pork King Good has been turning heads since 2018 with their mission to boldly reinvent pork rinds! Strawberry Shortcake is their newest addition: sweet, tart, and melt-in-your-mouth while remaining gluten-free and low-carb. | $3.99 | 3 oz |  | |
| PepsiCo | Quaker | Quaker Protein Rice Crisps Chocolate Carmel | Your new favorite sweet snack: Quaker Protein Rice Crisps are mini rice cakes with 6g of protein and 9g of whole grains per serving, no artificial preservatives or flavors, and a delicious combo of chocolate and caramel. | $5.19 | 5.2 oz |  | |
| Big Dipper Food Company | PopCrunch | Peanut Brittle | The perfect pairing of peanut brittle coated onto a scrumptious, crunchy caramel popcorn center—a sweet treat with a pop crunch that's sure to satisfy! | $4.99 | 6 oz |  | |
| Belle's Gourmet Popcorn | Belle’s Gourmet Popcorn | Cafe Latte (Energy + Focus) Popcorn | Belle’s Café Latte Popcorn brings coffeehouse indulgence to the popcorn aisle in bold espresso kettle corn with creamy white & dark chocolatey drizzles. Crafted with caffeine, L-theanine, & B vitamins, it delivers balanced energy, craveable indulgence, and standout innovation made for daily rituals. | $4.99 | 2.5 oz |  | |
| Simply Good Foods Company | Quest Nutrition | Mexican Street Corn Tortilla Style Protein Chips | Quest Mexican Street Corn Tortilla Style Protein Chips deliver bold roasted corn, chili, and creamy queso flavor in every crunchy bite. Baked and packed with 19g protein and just 4g net carbs, they’re a craveable, better-for-you snack. | $3.49 | 1.1 oz |  | |
| Belle's Gourmet Popcorn | Belle’s Gourmet Popcorn | Orange Cream (Protein + Gut) Popcorn | Belle’s Orange Cream Popcorn reinvents nostalgic snacking with crisp kettle corn and creamy citrus drizzles. Enhanced with plant protein, prebiotic fiber, and apple cider vinegar, it combines familiar flavor, functional benefits, and craveable indulgence for today’s wellness-minded consumer. | $4.99 | 2.5 oz |  | |
| KrackCorn, LLC | KrackCorn® Popcorn | Salted Vanilla Kettle Corn | A mix of salty and hint of sweet, with a unique vanilla flavor on every piece! | $4.99 | 3.75 oz |  | |
| Utz Quality Foods | Utz | Protein Cheese Curls | From the #1 brand of cheese balls comes a new innovation in the cheese snacks category: a curl with an irresistibly cheesy flavor, now with 10 grams of protein per serving. | $4.79 | 6 oz |  | |
| Low and Slow Snacks | Low and Slow | Hickory Smoked Texas Queso Cheese Puffs | We are the first ever authentically smoked snack food brand. Opening a bag of our Texas Queso puffs smells like walking into your favorite BBQ joint combined with an explosion of fresh white queso, an experience impossible to recreate with seasoning alone. Real hickory wood. Real Smoke. Real BBQ. | $4.99 | 6 oz |  | |
| Low and Slow Snacks | Low and Slow | Hickory Smoked Jalapeno Cheese Puffs | We are the first ever authentically smoked snack food brand. Opening a bag of our Jalapeno puffs smells like walking into your favorite BBQ joint combined with an explosion of fresh jalapeno, an experience impossible to recreate with seasoning alone. Real hickory wood. Real Smoke. Real BBQ. | $4.99 | 6 oz |  | |
| AWAKE Chocolate | AWAKE Chocolate | AWAKE Caffeinated Trail Mix - Nevil's Classic Crunch | AWAKE Caffeinated Trail Mix brings functional snacking to the trail mix category, delivering 80mg caffeine + 5g protein per serving. Nevil’s Classic Crunch blends pretzels, toffee peanuts, caffeinated chocolate & more for a delicious, on-the-go boost. Adventure starts with AWAKE! | $2.49 | 1.75 oz |  | |
| CRISP POWER | CRISP POWER | Protein Pretzels - Cheddar | It’s sharp. It’s bold. It’s proudly cheesy with a whole lotta crunch. Our Cheddar hits that golden spot where cheddar tang meets salty satisfaction, all in a Protein Pretzel that actually pulls its weight. Baked, never fried, and strong enough to crush cravings with every bite. | $3.49 | 1.75 oz |  | |
| Popcorn Remix | Popcorn Remix | King Crab Legs | Fresh from the seas of Baltimore... Lover's of Crab Legs will enjoy this flavor salty and spicy twist on a favorite delicacy! Like a crab boil in your mouth. And you can even indulge if you have a shellfish allergy. | $7.49 | 0.4 oz |  | |
| Herr Foods Inc | Chick-fil-A | Waffle Chip - Sea Salt | Your favorite french fry now available as a unique waffle cut potato chip. Chick-fil-A® Original & Chick-fil-A® Sauce flavors. This unique cut chip you won’t find anywhere else, its thicker & has a cross-cut ridge shape that is remarkably close to an actual french fry. Ridges hold even more flavor! | $5.49 | 7 oz |  | |
| Popcorn Remix | Popcorn Remix | Uncle Rick's Butter Pecan | A buttery flavored crunchy popcorn with candied pecans. | $7.49 | 0.8 oz |  | |
| Monarca Food Solutions Holdings | Mac's | Extreme Chile Lime | Mac's Extreme Chile Lime pork rinds turned up with a kick of fiery chile lime flavor | $2.89 | 2.75 oz |  | |
| Oh Snap! Pickling Co. | OH SNAP! | Chil-lime Bites | OH SNAP!® Chil-Lime Bites blend bold chili heat with a bright lime finish. Perfectly crisp pickles for a satisfying crunch and an energizing citrus heat. OH SNAP!® is passionate about making better-for-you, plant-based snacks that are seriously delicious and super convenient - without gluten or fat. | $1.79 | 3.25 oz |  | |
| PepsiCo | SunChips | Fiber - Southwestern Queso | Real black beans meet whole grain goodness. Delivering a good source of fiber, these wavy chips have a bold, zesty queso flavor. | $4.59 | 5.75 oz |  | |
| Jackson's | Jackson's | Sea Salt Super Veggie Straws | Made from a real veggie blend of yellow peas, brown rice, cassava, and sweet potato, these light and crispy straws are cooked in avocado oil and finished with just the right amount of sea salt for a superior crunch and fresh taste you can feel good about! | $4.69 | 5 oz |  | |
| Kellanova | Cheez-It | Crunch Kick’n Nacho Cheese | Combining 100% real cheese with a more satisfying crunch and a 3D shape designed to deliver edge-to-edge bold flavor in every bite, Cheez-It® Crunch Kick'n Nacho Cheese reimagines the taste of tangy nacho cheese, now in one crunchy, cheesy bite. | $2.79 | 2.3 oz |  | |
| Our Home | Popchips | Sour Cream & Onion | Popchips Sour Cream & Onion deliver big, tangy flavor with a light, airy crunch- no greasy baggage. Made with heat and pressure, not frying, they have 50% less fat than traditional chips and are now made with avocado oil for a better-for-you snack. | $3.99 | 5 oz |  | |
| PepsiCo | Miss Vickie's | Aged Cheddar & Black Pepper | Miss Vickie’s® Aged Cheddar & Black Pepper Flavored Kettle Cooked Chips made with avocado oil offer crunch and a tangy pairing of sea salt and vinegar. These chips are Made with Love and Care® to elevate your everyday snacking and are made with avocado oil to give you even more delicious choices. | $4.99 | 6 oz |  | |
| Belle's Gourmet Popcorn | Belle’s Gourmet Popcorn | Peach Lavender (Calm + Relax) Popcorn | Belle’s Peach Lavender Popcorn brings refreshing peach and calming lavender flavor to crisp kettle corn with creamy white chocolatey drizzles. Crafted with magnesium, chamomile, and L-theanine, it delivers mindful relaxation, trend-forward flavor, and a bright innovation to daily snacking routines. | $4.99 | 2.5 oz |  | |
| AWAKE Chocolate | AWAKE Chocolate | AWAKE Caffeinated Trail Mix - Nevil's Sweet & Salty | AWAKE Caffeinated Trail Mix brings functional snacking to the trail mix category, delivering 80mg caffeine + 6g protein per serving. Nevil’s Sweet & Salty blends sweet chili roasted fava beans, caffeinated chocolate & more for a delicious, on-the-go boost. Adventure starts with AWAKE! | $2.49 | 1.75 oz |  | |
| Snackish | Snackish | Pickle Punch Potato Crisps | Trendy, delicious, and way less of a mess than shoving your hand into the pickle jar. Meet your perfect everyday chip: crunchy, salty, & bold flavor in every bite. Made with real ingredients, avocado oil, 8g of protein & gut-happy fiber in every bite. So finish the bag, it’s kind of the point. | $5.49 | 5 oz |  | |
| Nomad Snacks | Nomad | Chili Crisp Popcorn | Bold and crunchy flavors of smoky chili, toasted garlic, and aromatic spices. Inspired by iconic chili crisp flavors of southwest China. | $4.99 | 4 oz |  | |
| Drizzilicious, Natural Endurance & Sunday Snacks | Sunday Snacks | Tzatziki Hummus Chips | Tzatziki Hummus Chips bring the bold, tangy flavor of Greek tzatziki dip to a crispy, mess-free chip. Made with whole chickpea flour, rice flour, and avocado oil, they deliver cucumber, garlic, and dill flavor with a satisfying crunch. Gluten-free, non-GMO, and packed with plant protein. | $5.49 | 6 oz |  | |
| Utz Quality Foods | Boulder Canyon | Kettle Style Potato Chips Cooked in Beef Tallow - Classic Sea Salt | From the fastest-growing salty snack brand in America comes a savory, delicious kettle chip cooked in beef tallow with non-GMO potatoes and no seed oils. | $7.99 | 22 oz |  | |
| Our Home | Popchips | BBQ | Craving BBQ without the mess? Popchips bring bold, smoky-sweet flavor in a light, airy crunch. Never fried, they’re made with heat and pressure for 50% less fat than regular chips and now made in avocado oil for a snack that feels as good as it tastes. | $3.99 | 5 oz |  | |
| Frie Guys | Frie Guys | Animal Style Tallow Fries | Frie Guys, Animal Style, is all about capitalizing on the consumer's adoration of traditional french fries. While highlighting a beloved, West Coast style flavor profile, we're the first to manufacture a potato pellet based fry snack with the trending and delicious, beef tallow. | $4.29 | 5 oz |  | |
| Calbee America Inc. | Calbee Potato Chips | Roasted Miso & Garlic | A classic snack reimagined through a global lens, new advanced flavor technology delivers deep, miso and garlic flavor in a crispy, thin-cut potato chip, tapping into the growing interest in umami-forward flavors and bringing Japanese culinary inspiration to today’s evolving snack category. | $3.49 | 2.8 oz |  | |
| Zack's Mighty | Zack's Mighty | Avocado Oil Rolled Tortilla Chips - Chile Lime | The perfect crunchy snack with a tangy, spicy twist! These chips are seed oil-free, made with avocado oil and absolutely no artificial colors or dyes. The Chile Lime flavor brings together zesty citrus and a touch of heat, perfect for snacking or dipping. | $4.99 | 6 oz |  | |
| Calbee America Inc. | Harvest Snaps | Veggie Straws Sea Salt | These light, crunchy tri-color straws are crafted with real veggies, including yellow peas as the #1 ingredient, plus tomato, spinach and potato for a fun, flavorful snack the whole family can feel good about. Made with avocado oil, they deliver 2g protein and 1g fiber per serving. | $4.99 | 5 oz |  | |
| Snackish | Snackish | BBQ Bash Potato Crisps | Get transported to memories of summertime sunshine & backyard sprinklers the second you rip open the bag. BBQ Bash brings that sweet & smothered spirit in every single bite. Made with real ingredients, avocado oil, 8g of protein & gut-happy fiber. So finish the bag, it’s kind of the point. | $5.49 | 5 oz |  | |
| San Diablo Artisan Churros | San Diablo Artisan Churros | Itty Bitty Churros & Popcorn Mix | Itty Bitty Churros & Popcorn Mix is a first-of-its-kind collaboration with PopArt Gourmet Popcorn—bringing the best of sweet and salty together. Ready-to-eat churro bites + buttery popcorn create an elevated kettle corn-style snack with bold flavor, crunch, and craveable nostalgia. | $5.99 | 2.5 oz |  | |
| Hormel Foods Corporation | Corn Nuts | Partially Popped Movie Theater Butter | Corn Nuts Partially Popped combines the light, airy qualities of popcorn with the signature crunch of Corn Nuts. 31% of Corn Nuts Partially Popped buyers are new to brand, and Partially Popped accounts for 71% of total Corn Nuts $ growth, in regions the items are available. | $1.99 | 3 oz |  | |
| Knotty Pretzels | Knotty Pretzels | Dill Pickle Flavor | Each bite delivers a balanced combination of salty, sour, and savory flavor, making these dill pickle pretzels a go-to choice for anyone who loves bold, seasoned snacks. Knotty Pretzels are not only a beer enthusiast's dream but also a must-have snack for all occasions.#THE OFFICIAL PRETZEL OF BEER® | $3.99 | 7.5 oz |  | |
| Argires Snacks | Argires Snacks | Utterly Addictive Caramel & Cheddarcorn | Kettle-popped popcorn loaded with real cheddar cheese and rich caramel for an outrageously bold sweet-and-savory flavor. Our top-selling profile taps into leading U.S. flavor trends, with clean label ingredients, delivering strong shelf appeal, turns with bold, eye-catching design. | $4.99 | 6 oz |  | |
| Calbee America Inc. | Takoyaki Ball | Kimchi Cheese | Inspired by Japan’s iconic street food takoyaki and its popular topping, these airy corn puffs deliver a craveable balance of tangy kimchi and creamy cheese. They bring Asian street food culture to a familiar snack format, meeting rising demand for flavors that are globally inspired yet accessible. | $3.49 | 3.17 oz |  | |
| Rudolph Foods Company, Inc. | Salsa Valentina® hot sauce | Hot Sauce Flavored Chicharrones | This new variety brings together two heritage brands to deliver a spicy, tangy, and authentically Mexican flavor experience in a crunchy, protein-packed pork rind. This collaboration offers snackers a bold new way to enjoy a beloved hot sauce from south of the border. | $3.99 | 4 oz |  | |
| Burlington Grain & Produce Company | Poppin’ Cobs | Salted Caramel - Popcorn On The Cob! | Experience popcorn like never before—right off the cob! Simply place the cob in the included bag, microwave for about 2 minutes, and watch the magic happen. Spray oil or drizzle butter and the provided gourmet seasoning after popping for a healthy, tasty snack. Proudly grown on our Indiana Farm. | $2.99 | 4 oz |  | |
| Grandpapas Snack Company | Grandpapa's Snack Company | Jalapeno White Cheddar Puffs | Grandpapa's Snack Company Jalapeño heat meets creamy White Cheddar in these light, crunchy puffs. Baked, never fried, and made with real natural cheese, they deliver old-fashioned flavor with a zesty kick in every bite. | $3.49 | 3 oz |  | |
| Our Home | Good Health | Avocado Oil Sea Salted Veggie Straws | Good Health's Avocado Oil Sea Salted Veggie Straws are made from ingredients families can trust. Packed with veggies and cooked in 100% avocado oil, these straws are the ideal kids snack you can feel good about. Made with no sugar, and no artificial colors or preservatives. | $3.99 | 6.25 oz |  | |
| Khloud | Khloud | Khloud Nacho Protein Chips | Khloud Nacho Protein Chips bring bold, savory flavor and crave-worthy seasoning to every perfectly crunchy, tortilla-style bite. Cheesy, tangy, and perfectly balanced, they're seriously snackable. Packed with 7G of protein per serving, they're gluten-free, non-GMO, and crafted without seed oils. | $27.99 | 5 oz |  | |
| Smokey Dukes | LMAO llc, dba Smokey Dukes | Smoked Rosemary Mini Twist Pretzel | We redefined & elevated what a pretzel can taste like with our layered flavor technique. Our proprietary rosemary spice blend combined with our signature smoking process, infuses each pretzel with a flavor that can't be replicated by traditional coating methods. A true trade up snack experience. | $5.79 | 4.75 oz |  | |
| Dr. Seitan's™ Snack Experiments | Dr. Seitan's™ | Crunchy Puffs - Cajun Chili Cheeze | Finally, fun hits the health & wellness aisle! With nostalgic, eye-catching packaging and a "Certified Louisiana" soul, we attract health-curious consumers seeking effortless nutrition. Our Crunchy Puffs deliver an elite 160 calories-to-20g protein ratio, which also catches the GLP-1 crowd. | $4.99 | 1.3 oz |  | |
| Frankie's Organic Foods | Frankie’s Organic Snacks | Dill Pickle Puffcorn | Frankie’s Organic Dill Pickle Puffcorn captures the high-growth pickle flavor profile in a clean-label, oven-baked alternative to legacy puffs. USDA Organic and Gluten-Free, it drives incremental sales by attracting health-conscious consumers seeking snackable formats without seed oils or GMOs. | $3.99 | 4 oz |  | |
| CBI International | Diana Toztecas | Fire Pops - Spicy Lime | Toztecas Fire Pops reimagine spicy snacks with an authentic Hispanic flavor system—layered chili heat, citrus tang, and savory depth. Unlike one-note “hot” snacks, they deliver bold, balanced flavor that drives repeat purchase and attracts multicultural and mainstream consumers alike. | $2.99 | 3.35 oz |  |
