This year’s top 50 food packagers list includes the biggest and brightest names in food. From Nestle to Tyson, General Mills and Campbell Soup Company, our list features all of the big household names, as well as some of the smaller ones. Each year these companies are launching new products and new packages to keep their names on consumer’s minds. Some new product innovations stir up more media attention than others, but they all aim to keep their brand relevant in today’s shifting landscape.

Cracker Jack'D, a brand from PepsiCo's Frito-Lay division, this year unveiled Energy Trail Mixes as a new addition to its on-the-go offerings. Available in two flavors – chocolate flavored cherry and mixed berry – the new trail mixes feature a unique packaging structure. The package holds the fruit pieces in a separate pouch within the larger pouch, keeping them tasting fresh while ensuring the granola and nuts stay crunchy apart from the fruit. The consumer can open the fruit pouch and then mix all of the contents together. The snack is perfect for the on-the-go consumer, a consumer group that is growing each year.

As consumer demand drives more new product offerings like on-the-go packages, this demand can also bring back “retired” packaging. Chef Boyardee^®, a brand of ConAgra Foods, Inc. has announced the return of easy-to-open “pop top” lids on all its canned pasta dishes. The company states that this decision was made in response to strong feedback from loyal fans. In the spring of 2013, Chef Boyardee phased out pop top lids on its canned pastas, underestimating their popularity among consumers. With many Chef Boyardee enthusiasts clamoring for their return, the decision was made earlier this year to reinstate pop top lids.

Consumer demand is also responsible for bringing back a full-size candy bar that has recently only been available in a miniature size. This year, the Hershey Company is selling the Krackel Milk Chocolate with Crisped Rice Bar, a long-time consumer favorite, as a full-size offering. The candy bar, which has only been available in Hershey's Miniatures Assortment bags for nearly 20 years, is now available as a "standard" 1.55-ounce bar, a 4-ounce "XL" bar, and a 6.5-ounce "Giant" bar.

"We always look to give our fans more of what they want," says Howard Sherr, Sr. Director, Hershey's Brand. "We heard over and over that Krackel is too delicious to just keep in our Hershey's Miniatures Assortment – we had to bring it back as a full-sized chocolate bar." 

Fans of the smaller-sized Krackel bar can still find it in Hershey's Miniatures Assortment, which has been re-launched with newly redesigned primary and foil packaging.