NACS 2025 Recap: What’s New in Convenience for Snacks, Candy, and Packaging Design

Eight CW team members hit the floor at NACS last week tracking what’s next in the convenience space. As a CPG packaging designer and co-packer, we’re always watching for what’s shaping the aisle: seasonal packaging design trends, confectionary format shifts, and flavor innovations redefining how consumers shop for snacks. 

This year, one theme stood out above all: healthy convenience. Consumers still want indulgence and variety, but they expect functional benefits to come with it – without slowing them down. 

Below are a few more of the standout themes we saw across the show floor: 

Protein, Protein, Protein

Protein was everywhere — snacks, beverages, even sparkling waters. Whether it’s for energy, satiety, or a better-for-you boost, we’re seeing protein stepping into more categories than ever. The biggest surprise? Seeing sparkling sodas and flavored waters formulated with protein, proving that functionality continues to blur traditional category lines. 

Gummies Get Creative 

When it came to candy, gummies ruled the show. Unique textures, shapes, and multi-sensory formats are redefining the category. Ever since the boom of the peelable gummy, brands have been racing to push the boundaries of form and flavor. Nostalgic favorites like Jello got a sour gummy facelift, and the creators who brought you Peelable Gummies showed innovative shapes - including lifelike goldfish gummies!  

Health Callouts, Loud & Proud 

Packaging is getting bolder with its health messaging. Nearly every product we picked up had front-of-pack claims shouting benefits like added vitamins, prebiotics, superfoods, or the ever-present “0 Sugar, 0 Calories.” Brands aren’t shy about loading up on badges. It opens an interesting question for confections: how can “better-for-you” still feel like a treat? 

Spice, Sweet, Heat

Chamoy pickles from Van Holten’s. Chamoy-coated gummies. Latin-roots-inspired chips from Goya. Tajin-flavored pork rinds.

International influences are driving mainstream innovation and reshaping consumer expectations of flavor. Across the NACS floor, Latin American flavor profiles were everywhere, infusing classic snacks and confections with bold, layered notes of sweet, salty, and spice.

Dubai Chocolate Craze

Dubai Chocolate is sweeping the nation.

We’re seeing it everywhere — even in the smallest confectionaries. The NACS floor was no exception.

We didn’t include this trend in our Sweets & Snacks Recap — we thought the industry had heard enough about Dubai Chocolate already. But after what we saw last week, it’s clear that pistachio-filled chocolate isn’t just a passing trend — it’s a movement.