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The Leftovers is a look at some of the product ideas that are popping up everywhere. Some are interesting, some sound amazing, and some are the kinds of ideas we would never dream of. We couldn’t write everything we suggested, so here are some remaining items from our inbox:
Mars cools down with freeze-dried M&Ms.
M&M’s is joining one of the coolest trends in food with its new freeze-dried products.
Mars-owned brand to be launched M&M Popped CaramelThis product is a reinterpretation of the iconic candy with a light and crunchy texture. The candy was built on success. Skittles Pop’dIt was released last year.
“This fresh and fun new snack takes everything you love about M&Ms and delivers a light, crunchy crunch, combining flavors and textures in unexpected new ways,” Martin Terwilliger, vice president of marketing for Mars Wrigley North America, said in a statement.
Non-chocolate candy generated $12.9 billion in sales last year. Report from the National Confectionery AssociationThis accounts for one-third of all confectionery sales in the United States. Gen Z and Millennials are increasingly shaping the future of the industry, as their expanding purchasing power sparks a shift toward snacks that combine texture and taste.
M&M’s Pop’d Caramel is scheduled to launch online and in the TikTok Shop on November 10, followed by a nationwide launch in January 2026.
– Sarah Zimmerman
The taco shells are a bit cheesy.
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Provided by B&G Food
Ortego taco shells are adding a little cheese to their ingredient list.
B&G Foods launches Cheez-It flavor taco shell It fuses the cheesy flavor of popular crackers with the crunchiness of the company’s Ortega hard taco shells.
“We’ve always believed that taco night should be anything but ordinary,” Chris Kirwin, brand director at B&G Foods, said in a statement. “With the Ortega Cheez-It Flavored Taco Shell, we have created a delicious shell that is not only a container for the taco interior, but also a flavor itself that taco and snack lovers alike will love.”
The new Ortega Cheez-It shells are available at Target and select retailers nationwide. Distribution will expand to include additional grocery stores in the coming months. Cez-It is owned by snack manufacturer Kellanova. Acquired by Mars At $36 billion.
Tacos have been a prime space for snack collaborations. Taco Bell launched Doritos Locos Tacos in 2012.It became one of the most successful product launches in the company’s history. last year, The Mexican chain also collaborated with Cheez-It For two items containing crackers that were 16 times larger than the original cracker.
Companies are increasingly looking for ways to combine the assets inherent in their brands through new product launches as a way to increase sales. For example, Mondelēz International and Hershey are coming out. Reese’s Oreo Cups and Oreo Reese’s CookiesWe’ve combined two of the most popular brands in the snack space.
These products help food manufacturers stand out in a crowded market driven by slowing consumer spending, increased competition from emerging companies, and consumer demand for new, innovative products.
– Christopher Doering
Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr. Partner on Non-Alcoholic Beer and Coffee
Robert Downey Jr. (left) and Tom Holland (right)
Provided by Vero
Iron Man and Spider-Man team up again. These are actors.
actor Tom Holland and Robert Downey Jr. has partnered for a collaboration between the two beverage brands it co-founded: non-alcoholic beer brand Bero and coffee brand Happy.
The two companies are jointly launching two products: Bero Coffee Draft, a creamy beer with notes of cocoa, and Eternal Hoptimist ground coffee, a hop-inspired coffee with notes of citrus and pine.
The product can be purchased in limited quantities at Happy and Vero’s respective e-commerce platforms and Target stores nationwide.
Holland and Downey have worked together on several projects in the Marvel superhero franchise, most recently 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.
Holland founded Bero last year. With beer industry veteran Grant Wood. The company aimed to differentiate itself from its non-alcoholic beer competitors by making non-alcoholic beer from scratch rather than removing the alcohol after brewing the beer. In the United States and other countries, beverages with an alcohol content of 0.5% or less can be considered non-alcoholic.
Meanwhile, Downey Happy Founding in 2024With Craig Dubitsky, founder of consumer products Eos and Hello. Happy quickly expanded globally. National Retailer We aim to reach a wide range of consumers through our ground coffee, Keurig cups, and ready-to-drink options.
Both brands fall into the popular category of celebrity-endorsed beverage brands. Other new entrants in this space include: Ben Stiller’s Stiller’s Soda And then there’s Charlie Sheen’s Wild AF Brewing.
– Laurel Deppen
