Novel & nostalgic for spooky season: Autumnal flavors and “eerie” NPD emerge this Halloween

30 Oct 2023 --- Limited-edition and seasonal confectionery lines are appearing on shelves this Halloween in a bid to win over consumers seeking novelty and nostalgia. In a twist on the traditional “trick or treat” festivities, autumnal flavor pairings that combine sweet with savory or even spiced are gaining traction, such as chili chocolate for adventurous consumers.

Food Ingredients First speaks to Naveen Pessani, technical category manager for chocolate and confectionery at Olam food ingredients (ofi), who shares insights on taste trends this season.

“As Halloween grows in popularity around the globe, we’re seeing product development teams moving beyond traditional confectionery and candy to bring consumers more exciting and personalized creations. From bringing a fun seasonal twist to better-for-you product lines to adding new variations to family favorite treats, Halloween is an opportunity to experiment with new flavors and switch up existing formats to surprise and delight customers.”

Fall taste trends  
Autumnal flavors often have a cozy and warming feeling that is synonymous with the changing of the season, remarks Pessani. 

Limited-edition flavors are important to both manufacturers and consumers, says ofi.“The autumn flavor pairings we see most this Halloween season often combine something sweet with something savory or spiced, like pumpkin spice or chili chocolate.”

Meanwhile, he flags manufacturers are looking to surprise with new takes on classic products.  He notes that chili is emerging as a flavor trend in European confectionery. 

“Manufacturers can tap into this trend and give consumers a warming seasonal twist on traditional chocolate flavors. For example,  chipotle chili in a seasonal product launch can be a great way of heating things up as the weather turns colder,” Pessani continues.

He adds that other warming flavors like apple cider, caramel apple and cinnamon are spicing up Halloween-themed chocolates.  

“Seasonal celebrations provide an opportunity to trial exciting new flavors and formats with customers for a short time,” he says. “For consumers, it’s a chance to experiment with something different and a fun and novel way to enjoy the holidays through delicious seasonal treats.”

Innova Market Insights data indicates that over 57% of global consumers love to sample familiar favorites with an innovative new twist, and seasonal celebrations provide the perfect opportunity for manufacturers to deliver this. 

Meanwhile, nostalgic flavors are also a trend that manufacturers can tap into to bring consumers flavors that they know and love.

“According to Innova Market Insights data, 48% of consumers seek out familiar flavors in food and beverage purchases. However, post-pandemic, as consumers have become more adventurous, there’s also been a recent boom in the trend of ‘Newstalgia’ — with brands mashing up retro flavors in more modern formats to offer a perfect blend of old and new.”

The reconfiguration of customer favorites has become more commonplace, with a rise in limited-edition ranges, according to ofi. 

Examples include Bourbon’s mysterious sour candy and Lindor’s Jack O Lantern truffles in Japan, to KitKat’s breaking bones skeleton bars in the US. “As well as flavor, cocoa ingredients can create novelty through color to catch the eye of consumers,” adds Pessani. 

Meanwhile, companies are seizing the opportunity provided by seasonal holidays to innovate and trial exciting and experimental new concepts with consumers for a limited-time period. 

“We’ve seen limited-edition activity explode in recent years, with seasonal product launches like the Starbucks’ Spook-a-ccino Midnight Mocha Frappuccino or its Pumpkin Spice latte. We’ve experimented with spiced white chocolate, using cocoa butter with chai spices, building on the familiar cinnamon flavors.”

“Spooktacular” NPD for 2023
This year plenty of spooky offerings are haunting supermarket shelves, from Boo Batter ice cream to bat-shaped chicken nuggets. 

The Halloween spirit has taken over Cold Stone Creamery, an American international ice cream parlor chain, as it re-launched its Boo Batter ice cream, a pitch-black version of its established Cake Batter ice cream. This ghostly flavor is back for October. 

Meanwhile, chicken nuggets that “bewitched” consumers in 2022 are making a comeback. Tyson Foods announced the return of its Halloween-inspired nuggets following the high demand from last year’s limited-run consumer giveaway.Back by popular demand, Tyson Foods is giving fans “a spell-binding treat” with the return of Spooky Nuggets.

Each 27-ounce bag includes 100% white meat chicken nuggets in three festive and frightful shapes: pumpkins, bats and ghosts. 

Finally, UK retailer Marks and Spencer is upping the ante in spooky offerings with an array of spooky sweet treats. 

Think gory zombie eyeballs, white chocolate yummy mummies, sour spiders and fruity creepy carnival — a mix of jelly skulls, hearts and flowers, freshly dug up and ready to boogie.

M&S also launched Frankenstein Faces, “creepily crunchy” snacks in a sweet and smoky barbecue flavor.

Meanwhile, its Hallow Scream Munch is a mix of milk chocolate malt balls, white chocolate popcorn, dark chocolate coated pretzels, milk chocolate pretzel clusters and crunchy sugar-coated milk chocolate.

By Elizabeth Green