Cookie and Cracker Manufacturers NAICS 311821

Jul 20, 2025 - Smaller is Cheaper

• Makers of cookies, crackers, and chips are downsizing package sizes to appeal to inflation-weary consumers with lower-priced options as a way to boost sales, The Wall Street Journal reported in July. While consumer-goods companies have long offered a range of package sizes to meet different needs – such as on-the-go snacking or portion control – affordability has become a priority. For example, WSJ reported that Campbell’s now markets smaller-sized packages of its Pepperidge Farm cookies and Goldfish crackers, with executives at Campbell’s seeing a 2.5-ounce grab pack of Goldfish, which retails for less than $2, as a sweet spot for consumers, according to WSJ. Also, Ritz Cracker and Oreo Cookie maker Mondelez recently rolled out smaller sleeves of those two items that retail for around $3. The company’s cookies and crackers category grew roughly 0.3% compared with a year earlier, largely because of the more affordable pack options, Mondelez executives said in late April.
• Consumers looking to reduce their sugar intake are checking labels for natural sweeteners that don’t skimp on taste or texture, Snack Food & Wholesale Bakery (SF&WB) reports. So called “clean-label” sweeteners include monk fruit, stevia, and organic date syrup made from concentrated date juice. Organic date syrup contains fiber, natural sugars (such as glucose and fructose), vitamins, and minerals and can substitute for sugar in cookies, cakes, muffins, and bread with sweetness and moisture-retaining properties, according to SF&WB. Tagatose – a naturally occurring sugar found in various foods – is 90% as sweet as sucrose while containing 60% fewer calories. In addition, tagatose has a low glycemic index (GI of 3), a ketogenic certification, and is non-GMO Project Verified. A bulking sweetener, tagatose delivers both sweetness and textural properties. Cookie and cracker manufacturers that innovate to cut sugar without sacrificing taste and texture are likely to gain new customers.

• A rule proposed in the waning days of the Biden administration would require food manufacturers to display new labels on the front of packages flagging key nutrition information on salt, added sugar, and saturated fat, The Wall Street Journal reports. The rule proposed by the Food and Drug Administration in January is meant to help US consumers make healthier dietary choices. The new labels, dubbed a “nutrition info box,” would appear on the front of packages, according to WSJ. The agency currently requires most packaged foods to display a nutritional label, usually on the back or side of the box. The FDA said it would accept public comments on its proposal until May 16. If the rule is finalized, food manufacturers would be required to add the new labels to most packaged food products three to four years after it takes effect.
• Producer prices for cookie and cracker manufacturers rose 0.6% in May compared to a year ago after posting a previous flat May-versus-May annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Employment by the industry grew 0.5% year over year in April, while average industry wages rose 3.7% over the same period to a new high of $22.88 per hour, BLS data show. With employment and wages at or near historical highs in April, payroll costs are outpacing growth in producer prices, putting pressure on industry margins.