Sweet Goods & Dairy Social Media Listening

Listening Dates: April 1st – June 30th

It’s Kind Of A Big Dill

The old saying, “Squeamish stomachs cannot eat without pickles,” from Benjamin Franklin might ring true with these next few items as pickles have grown in popularity over the years. Recently, users on Twitter have been professing their love for this newly found combination: Pickles and Oreos. Sounds…interesting, right? Maybe to say the least; however, Twitter users beg to differ. This “pregnancy combo” offers a sour, sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy party in your mouth!

After you’re done trying this new snack, you can wash it all down with pickle-flavored soft serve from Lucky Pickle Dumpling Co in New York City. The sweet, creamy dairy, pickle-flavored soft serve will set you back about $5.

And for those who are lactose-intolerant, Sonic has your back. Because summer wouldn’t actually be summer without a Pickle Juice Slush, right? Many took to Twitter to review the product with both positive and negative reviews. Some of the negative reviews were that it was too sweet and they hoped it hadn’t contained sugar.  The bright green slush is sweet, tangy, and, obviously, pickle-flavored.

You’re Not You When You’re Hungry

The campaign, “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” by major candy bar company Mars has extended their line-up with three new Snickers’ bars, each corresponding to a hunger symptom: Espresso is “irritable,” Fiery (flavored with chili peppers) is “wimpy,” and Salty & Sweet is “indecisive.“ To celebrate and further market these three new flavors, Mars is hosting an “intense” escape-room style pop-up in New York City with challenges related to each of the new flavors.

New Chocolate Discovered

Ruby Chocolate is a rather new concept.  It was only last year that Swiss company Barry Callebaut announced it had developed “the fourth type” of chocolate. Ruby chocolate is derived naturally by isolating specific compounds in cocoa beans, ruby beans in this case, with no added colors or flavors and is described as having a milk-chocolate, raspberry flavor. However, much controversy has surfaced about the claims of this product and it actually being prepared the correct way to declare itself a new type of chocolate. With that being said, Ruby Chocolate has been gaining some momentum. In January, Nestle released a Pink KitKat with Ruby Chocolate exclusive to Japan and Korea and then three months later, brought it to the U.K.

Cereals With Millennials In Mind

It’s been an entire decade since Kellogg has changed the flavor of their well-known cereal brand Fruit Loops so consumers will be in for a treat once they taste the new Wild Berry Fruit Loops. Each box is filled with purple stars, and red, blue, and green loops offering a sweet and fruit berry taste to really ignite nostalgic memories in millennials.

The ice cream of the future is now the cereal of today. That’s right, head to the cereal aisle in your local Walmart to pick up a box of General Mills Dippin’ Dots cereal. The two companies have paired up to, yet again, capitalize on a childhood favorite of millennials. General Mills released two flavors: Cookies ‘N Cream and Banana Split.

Protein Packed Yogurt

But not all good things come loaded with sugar and in a cereal box. General Mills also took a healthier approach and released a new product in their yogurt segment called YQ by Yoplait. With a sleek and modern packaging approach, YQ is high in protein and less sweet than other brands. The flavored varieties, including coconut, peach, mango, lime, strawberry, blueberry, and vanilla incorporate 15 grams of protein and have 40% less sugar than the leading Greek low-fat yogurt.

Top Shelf Milk

Just when we thought the market was shifting to plant-based milk alternatives, Camel Milk arrives. While it’s certainly not new, it’s gaining some buzz due to its benefits. It has been reported that Camel Milk is more nutritious than cow’s milk and doesn’t contain whey proteins that can trigger diary allergies, according to The Washington Post. It’s been said that Camel Milk tastes just like regular milk but a bit saltier which can actually offset some of the sweetness if used in drinks or desserts. Dessert Farms is one of the primary distributors currently in the U.S. and this product can only be found on Amazon.com or specialty stores. But buyer beware because a gallon of Dessert Farm’s Camel Milk will set you back $144 per gallon.

A Dessert That Won’t “Boar”

Boar’s Head recently added a bold, new flavor to their hummus line-up: Dark Chocolate Dessert Hummus. This particular product debuted last year as a limited-edition offering, but has now become a permanent member to the Boar’s Head hummus family. This Dark Chocolate hummus can be enjoyed with fresh fruit, pretzels, crackers, or even as a spread.

New Takes On Whipped Cream

To really kick it up a notch with your desserts, you can now go one of two ways: you can go the healthier route with Non-Dairy Coconut and Non-Dairy Almond Reddi-wip (launched by Conagra Brands) or go the sugary route with Hershey’s new Hershey’s and Reese’s flavored Whipped Creams.

Sources