You know I love my snacks and sweets. I had the opportunity to attend the National Confectioners Association (NCA) Sweets & Snacks Expo again. This was my twelfth year attending. The show moved to Las Vegas this year. Since my mom lives there, I went so I could visit her after the show. The brands capitalized on the Vegas location with a lot of fun slot machines, Elvis, neon and more. The vibe was colorful, loud and a lot of fun. [Check out my Instagram post and reel here and see my story highlights under Swts & Snks ’26.]
Since my first show in 2014, the percentage of healthy snacks and candies with organic ingredients has grown exponentially. There are still tons of traditional candies, but snacks are bigger and the healthy trends are very visible.
The show halls are open for three days. I went for days 1 and 2. There were 1,000 vendors. They had the “Start Up Street” highlighting small brands less than 3 years old and an expanded “Specialty Market” focusing on transparency, “free from,” organic, premium, fair trade, gourmet, etc. This is my jam! I also love to get some nostalgic treats and see what the big companies are doing.
2026 Trends:
- Nostalgic snacks and treats and “big flavors) are definitely in!
- There are many healthy options and better for you versions of old favorites, too.
- In the BFY (better for you) side, there were a TON of added protein salty snacks, added fiber, priobiotics in treats, real-food/clean energy bars and lots of dates (coated and enrobed in chocolate).
- Swedish candy is still IN! And I am here for it.
- Popular flavors – Overall sour flavors and spicy options abounded. Dubai chocolate and pickle flavors are still VERY popular.
- There was a LOT of caffeine – in gum, gummies and other coffee based treats.
- Many companies are celebrating America’s 250th birthday with patriotic snacks, too.
Day 1
I started in the Press Room for the media briefing. I went into the hall and started on the low numbers – like everyone else. It was a zoo. So, I went to the other side which had some great small brands.
On the way across, I grabbed all of the flavors of Hi-Chew (a ton!) and got a fun mascot pic! Then I grabbed some of my favorite chocolate almonds from Sconza and some Haribo. I stopped by Katjes (pronounced Cat-yes if you were wondering) for vegan gummies – the new cats and octopi are SO cute. I also stopped by and grabbed some Bubs and tried some potato chips from Bon Bon (and got a sample of their candy to go). Swedish candy is still on trend and I LOVE IT!
I went nuts for the marketing of Big Timmy’s Trail Treat. Pun intended. They also have a pouch for raisins – so you can leave them out or toss them in – genius! I met the team from Dirty Gut – a probiotic chocolate. Another trend I like – functional chocolate! I got a good laugh from Unfortunate Cookie – mine said “Good things comes to those who are not you.” – HA! I met the team from Party Pump – a “mom made,” cashew butter squeeze pack for on-the-go energy. Stay tuned for more on these. To round out the BFY start ups, I found two new chewing gum brands – Milliways and NOMS.
I stopped by at Power Up to grab some of my fave trail mixes. I saw that Pecan Nation has a new trail mix so I grabbed a sample to try. Dates are in and I saw Kitchen and Love’s new chocolate enrobed dates so I grabbed some to try. Nostalgic snacks are in so I grabbed some dehydrated marshmallows from Mallow Pop– think the best part of the Lucky Charms in a snack pack plus added probiotics! Then I grabbed some more Swedish Candy from Sockerbit! I noticed Graceful Cookie’s Strawberry Milkshake Cookie in the Press Room – it won an Innovation award and they gave me one to try.
I grabbed some faves from Every Body Eat and drinkable konjac jelly from Tastelli – 2 of my local faves. Then I stopped by to see my friends at Unite Bar, Dar Baklava and Sugar Bliss. I grabbed some of my fave corn based crackers from Craize, too!
I checked out new functional food bars from Mushimi. Then, I grabbed some faves from Tosi and Unreal Snacks. I checked out Mate Fruit Bars new (grown-up) look and grabbed a few to try. I stopped by to see my friends from Undercover Snacks and grabbed some of their Wicked treats for my niece. I got a sneak peek (and taste test) of Vermont Smoke & Cure’s new A1 and Lea and Perrins beef sticks. More info on those coming soon but spoiler alert, they’re delicious.
I found some new functional snacks and beverages. They’re Nature’s Garden Probiotic FruiChias fruit bars and Jan’s Prebiotic Sparking Lychee Drinks. I also grabbed two on trend items to try – Simply Sours from Simply Gum and Snackish high protein potato chips. Snackish is from the founder of Smart Sweets and they use the potato skin and rice protein for added nutrition. I said hi to my friends at Henrietta Said and grabbed some peanuts and some Golden Hour snack bars from their sister brand.
I tried Dry Brew “Waterless” Coffee. I’ve been carrying one around since last year to try! It’s very tasty. I checked out new chocolate pieces from JoJo’s – BOLO for these perfect BFY treats. I played a slot machine game from The Only Bean until I won [Get 15% of your order with code OBERICAFINDS15] and grabbed some edamame snacks. Then I chatted with the Chifles team. I fell in love with these plantain chips in Ecuador. They have some new varieties and some cooked in avocado oil. So good! I grabbed some faves and new products from Skinny Dipped. I grabbed some fruit snacks from The Froot Thief for my fave kid testers.
I saw my friends from South 40 Snacks who I met a few years ago They shared their new Craft Bars (fruit and nut) in four flavors. BOLO for these in Whole Foods nationwide in the weeks ahead. [Use code ERICAFINDS for 10% off South 40 Snacks online.]
I grabbed some on trend flavors of lower sugar candy from Blobs – Sour Watermelon and Spicy Mango Guava. I got a rainbow of Chomps of great vibes from their team! I tried delicious mints from Refresh (and admired their brand refresh, too!) I checked out Hippeas Protein Chips and grabbed a few flavors to try. I professed my love AGAIN to True Dates – especially the sour varieties. I tried their Sport line with added protein (still needs a bit of work!) I grabbed some of TruFru’s new flavors of chocolate covered dehydrated fruit.
I then went up to the Press Room for a Happy Hour. Enjoyed meeting a bunch of new creators and comparing notes!
Day 1 Haul
Day 2
On Day 2, I went on a mascot quest and I think I nailed it! I made it through most of the Specialty Market and Start Up Street and a few big brand booths on Day 1. So, I finished up the Specialty Market and hit the big brands (and picked up a lot of candy faves.)
I grabbed some Built Sour Puff Bars. I met the team from Circ Protein Bites. They have an awesome resealable package of energy bites – that won’t stick together. They have great ingredients, too. Excited to try these! I tried my hand at Tony’s Chocolonely’s claw game (not a winner) but they hooked me up with some of their new filled chocolate anyway. I threw some footballs to try to win some Snickers Footballs. They took pity on me – haha. I grabbed some Big League Chew and MEG (military energy gum) caffeinated gum from Ford. Extra is on trend with Sours – I grabbed two kinds to try.
I did a few laps around Sconza Chocolates. They had the perfect sample size of chocolate covered almonds in delicious varieties. I checked out Maeve’s Virgin Dirty Shirley bar – a bit sweet but I love this brand. I did a taste taste of the spiciest chocolate from Slap Ya Mama. It was actually delish! I grabbed some clean energy gummies (more caffeine) from Proper Wild and chatted with them about the space (I’m a caffeine expert – LOL). I admired Hershey’s 250 patriotic look. I tried some delicious dehydrated fruit, smoothie crisps from Hapinest. These are great for kids and grown-ups. Stayed tuned for more on these!
Pur Gum got in on the sour trend. I swung by to try That’s It’s new (on trend) high fiber bars and grabbed some original fruit bars for the road. I tried Kickballz Caffeinated Gumballs – each one is 100mg and they taste good! I grabbed some Rev Gum’s electrolyte gum and caffeinated gum just in time for warm weather miles. I checked out Jora’s Belgian Chocolate enrobed dates. They look amazing! I chatted with my friends from Goetze’s and grabbed a bunch of my fave Cowtales. This is my most requested treat to bring back for friends!
I grabbed lots of fun innovations from Ferrera, Hershey’s and Mars and didn’t get a ton of pics. I checked out more chocolate covered dates and new Mediterranean treats from Kitchen & Love. I played Ritter Sport’s slot machine and got a bunch of their chocolate. I love the mini’s especially the new Milk Chocolate with Pistachios. I grabbed some Dr. Pepper TicTacs to try. [This was my most requested thing to try from my Instagram stories- do you agree?] I checked out new BFY flavors from YumEarth. I got all of the new cookies and snacks from Rip Van Wafels. I tried most of these at Expo West and love them! Finally, I checked out Certs new sour mints. On trend and very good! I can’t wait for these to come out.
I said goodbye to my friends and headed out. It was really fun to catch up with so many people that I know in the natural space and to try some new sweet treats, too! There were a ton of nostalgic candies that brought me a lot of joy, too!
Day 2 Haul:
Stay tuned for some great giveaways in the weeks to come! I promise I will share the majority of this haul.
What do you want to try most? What is your favorite candy or snack?
Please note: I was provided with samples at no cost in exchange for an honest review/mention. I was not otherwise compensated for this post. I received a free entry to the Sweets and Snacks show as a member of the “media.” All opinions are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you use these links, I’ll receive a small commission.