Research suggests that overall eating habits—and thus nutritional status—would improve if people snack now and then. And that’s good news. Who doesn’t like an occasional snack? It’s no wonder marketers of snack foods, ranging from sweet confections to whole-grain crackers, continue to roll out innovations in a category that appeared saturated years ago.

Nestlé has become the first major confectioner to remove artificial colors, flavors and preservatives from its entire range.

Confectionery producers have begun replacing much-debated synthetic colors with natural colors.

The Sweets and Snacks Expo displayed the latest and soon-to-come snacks and confections, with some capitalizing on new flavor combinations, some eschewing trends entirely and some returning to their roots.

Seasonal offerings are nothing new in the confectionery aisles, with virtually every holiday having a corresponding packaging from candy manufacturers around the country.

Jelly Belly is no stranger to fusing flavors. The confectionery giant has jelly beans in the flavors of popular alcoholic beverages (its Cocktail Classics line includes Mojito and Pomegranate Cosmo), jelly beans with sour fruits and Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans, centered around the sweet treats (and sometimes tricks) from the Harry Potter universe.