A whole world of opportunity still exists to develop flavoured almond snacks for the UK and other European markets, according to Richard Waycott, CEO and president of trade association the Almond Board of California.
“In the UK, while you can get potato crisps in every flavour under the sun, nuts tend to be only available in roasted and salted or maybe barbecue flavours, so there’s a whole world of opportunity for flavour-led product development,” he said.
To support this claim, he cites IRI data which showed that volume sales of almond snacks grew by 45%, 17% and 7% in the UK, France and Germany respectively last year.
To help inspire product developers, the Almond Board is offering visitors samples of almonds seasoned with cinnamon sugar, smoked paprika, lemon & black pepper and garlic & herb.
Increasing consumer awareness of the health benefits of almonds is also a powerful driver for new product development.
“There is a symbiotic relationship between consumer knowledge and product development in that the more the consumer is educated about almonds, the more that manufacturers are incentivised to come up with a wider variety of products,” said Waycott.
There are now over 100 published papers cataloguing the health benefits of almonds, mainly in cardiovascular health where the nuts have been found to improve lipid profiles and reduce cholesterol, but also in emerging areas.
“Recently we’ve done a lot in gut health and weight management, and I think there is still a lot more to be done in these two areas, for example, proving that almonds can help you not only lose weight but also keep it off,” said Waycott.
He adds that beauty and cancer are two areas that could provide a future direction for research efforts.
