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On April 3rd, I went together with colleague Mitch for a day to Cologne, to ISM, the world’s largest trade fair for sweets and snacks. Our goal? Meetings with existing suppliers, spotting new snack brands for our portfolio and above all: staying on top of what’s happening in the snacking world.
One thing quickly became clear: traditional snacking and sweets are still everywhere. Although many brands try to capitalize on health trends. Everywhere you saw packaging with health claims that suggest something is healthier.
But does “less sugar” or “source of protein” automatically mean something is good for you? Definitely not always. Let me share my findings with you.
About ISM Cologne
ISM is the world’s largest trade fair for confectionery and snacks, with more than 1,800 exhibitors from 74 countries. Here you discover the latest trends and innovations, from chocolate and candy to savory snacks and functional foods. For us at JustBite, it’s the place to spot the future of healthier snacking.
Meetings with our partners: Perkier, Zombiez, Palse & Kriket
We started the day with a conversation with Ann Perkins, the founder of Perkier & Zombie. We talked about the future of snacking, new opportunities in the market, and how we can strengthen our collaboration.
At Palse we tasted new samples and gave our feedback. There’s a lot of new things coming… stay tuned! 😉 And we signed our partnership agreement for the next 2 years.
And of course, we couldn’t miss Kriket, a supplier from the very beginning. We tasted their new POP bars and took some time to catch up. Keep it up Michiel 🙌.
Healthier snack trends: many claims, little innovation
Five years ago, I last visited ISM. This year I returned with relatively high expectations—what would have changed? Which new, innovative snacks would conquer the market?
The answer: not particularly much. Truly innovative concepts were scarce. At least for us, which is understandable since we know the world of healthier snacking inside and out by now. Still, there were some trends that stood out and are worth mentioning. So definitely keep reading…
After a day walking around ISM, it was clear: really better products are still hard to find. Healthier snacks with few ingredients, high nutritional value, and without unnecessary additives were rare.
Still, we saw a few notable trends:
1. Claims don’t tell the whole story 🏷️
Health claims are still everywhere, but don’t always mean what you might think. ‘High in protein’ or ‘less sugar’ sounds good, but that doesn’t necessarily make a product healthier. A thorough check of ingredients and nutritional value remains crucial.
2. Functional snacking is growing 📈
More and more snacks are enriched with vitamins, proteins, and other ‘healthy’ additions. This is positive in itself, but some brands mainly use this as greenwashing—a way to make traditional snacks appear healthier.
3. Plant-based & vegan continue to grow 🌱
The trend towards plant-based keeps growing strongly, something we at JustBite have been focusing on for a long time. More brands are bringing vegan alternatives to the market, but not all with a focus on pure and healthier ingredients.
What stood out is that the taste experience of pure vegan protein bars is improving. Where these used to often have a dry, grainy texture and a somewhat mealy aftertaste, you now clearly notice an improvement in both taste and mouthfeel.
4. Traditional snacking remains a huge market 🍭
Healthier snacking may be an emerging trend, but traditional snacks and sweets still dominate the market. The share of truly healthier alternatives remains small compared to the established industry.
ISM confirmed what we have known for a while: the snacking world is moving, but not always in the right direction. Health is often used as a marketing trick, while true innovation and transparency lag behind. That’s exactly why we at JustBite remain so critical in our selection.
We continue to believe in healthier snacks—with pure ingredients, without unnecessary additives, and with a broad range that fits different dietary needs and preferences.
In short, we see only opportunities to do even better and to help companies and people to make healthier snacking available everywhere. 🚀