Hillshire Farm Takes the High-Protein Snack Trend to Kids Snacks

Tyson Foods' Hillshire Farm brand is moving into the kids refrigerated-snack market with the debut of Hillshire Farm Snacked! high-protein snack packs.

The packs, debuting in four varieties, were designed to provide a good source of protein and calcium, according to a Tyson news release. The four Snacked! selections are:

Hillshire Farm Snacked! products, sold as two-packs, fit with parents' and kids' on-the-go, snack-reliant lifestyle, according to Tyson. Added Tyson Foods Group President Noelle O'Mara in the news release: "The reality of kids’ lunches today is that parents are serving a collection of snacks, versus a main dish, like a sandwich and sides." With the new offering, O'Mara said, Tyson "saw an opportunity to create a product that fits this reality—a lightweight grab-and-go snack pack that delivers quality, taste and, most importantly, is made with components we know kids love."

In late 2020, a poll from Today's Dietitian magazine found 78% of registered dietitians saying that they're seeing consumers move away from traditional meals and toward more-frequent snacking. Also in 2020, dollar sales of processed meat climbed 15.7% over 2019 sales, and volume sales rose 10.1%

Tyson said the Hillshire Farm Snacked! launch "marks an important milestone as the company continues to build its already successful snacking portfolio and deliver innovation that grows [its] branded protein product leadership." Tyson's Hillshire Snacking brand, launched in 2016 and targeting adults, has seen 20% year-over-year growth since 2017, according to the company.