OREO is sold in about 85 Developing Markets from China and India to Argentina and Mexico.

Mounting evidence suggests that chocolate is a great source of substances known to have many important health benefits.

Natural has been quite the hallmark of salty snack introductions of late, and Kettle’s Krinkle Cut Organic Roasted Tomato Potato Chips fall right in line.

Flavor Mill’s Baked Potato Chips are available in Cheddar & Sour Cream and Original varieties, but the true selling point will be their kosher certification and lack of gluten. Each 9oz package contains 3g of fat, no cholesterol or trans fat, and only 0.5g of saturated fat.

True North snacks launched amid quite a degree of fanfare several years ago, but the brand languished and eventually found a new owner: DeMet’s Candy Co. Today, the brand still promises “a guilt-free snack with no cholesterol, no artificial colors, no preservatives and no trans fats.” Recent months have seen a spate of new product introductions bearing the True North moniker.

Presenting at the 2012 National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Leadership Forum, the NACS vice president of research Dae Kim delved into the importance snack sales play to this retail market. Kim noted the per-store sales of snacks (candy, salty, sweet and alternative snacks) stood at roughly $2,500 in 1975 but were a stalwart $13,500 in 2010. And, “while snacks draw about 10% of c-store trips, snackers dominate impulse sales (accounting for about 35%).”

Quinn Popcorn takes an organic approach to snacks, promising “organic corn and non-GMO pure ingredients” in its “reinvented” microwave popcorn.

Quaker Oats may have long been a staple of cookie recipes in consumers’ kitchens, but the brand is finally gaining its own packaged cookie line.

Although new product introductions in confections and snacks generally wait until the Sweets & Snacks Expo in May, this year has already seen several high-profile launches and announcements. Just Born Inc. is taking a heated approach to sweets with an even hotter version of its Hot Tamales.