Hershey bills its newest entry into the candy bar category as “five layers of wow.”  Available now, the bar is a combination of sweet and salty, crunchy and chewy. Packaged as a two-piece bar, Take 5 has two pretzel pieces topped with peanut butter, a layer of creamy caramel, then crunchy, roasted peanuts—all covered in Hershey’s milk chocolate. The suggested retail price is 69 cents to 79 cents.

Take 5 is available in counter units and shippers and display-ready cases. Hershey is supporting the Take 5 rollout with in-store sampling and national television advertising that will debut early next year. The fully integrated marketing campaign also includes sponsorship of a NASCAR Busch Series Hershey’s Take Five racecar.          

New from Hershey’s Snack Division are Hershey’s Cookies available in Reese’s, York, Hershey’s with Almonds, and Almond Joy varieties. Each combines a crunchy chocolate cookie with creamy candy centers, all covered with Hershey’s chocolate. An added bonus is the fact that the cookies are formulated to contain no trans fats. They come packaged four cookies per single-serve bag.  

This new sugar-free breath freshener features tiny mint capsules, each with an even more tiny lemon flavor sphere inside. According to the company, contact with the mouth causes the flavors to release separately, creating a unique flavor sensation. The pocket-size plastic dispenser contains 24 drops and slides open to release one at a time. Twelve- and 24-pack displays are available.

Chile + Lime gum from Chargers Candy is simultaneously sour and spicy. It comes packed in Chargers’ signature battery-shaped tins, which hold .5 ounces of the gum, which is chile-coated with a lime center. Chile + Lime gum ships two 24-count displays per case and carries a suggested retail price of from $1.50 to $1.79. Chargers also offers the gum in bulk.

Gourmet popcorn, peanuts and toffee get drizzled with either milk chocolate or white fudge in this new snack item unveiled under ConAgra’s Orville Redenbacher’s label. Drizzlers come in a 7-ounce cup package or 2-ounce bags. The cups come in 12-count cases. The bags are shipped in 36-count cases or 6-count clip strips, packed six per case.

The newest Certs flavor is Glacial Breeze. It’s designed to deliver a bit more intensity than the current Certs roll flavors. The suggested retail price for Certs Glacial Breeze is 69 cents to 79 cents.

Taste of Nature has launched a popping version of its Cotton Candy Swirl confection in a Mylar bag. The grape-flavored cotton candy actually pops in the mouth of the person consuming it. The first SKU of Popping Cotton Candy Swirlz is a 2.5-ounce bag with a suggested retail price of $1.49. Cases are packed with 24 units inside. Clip strips and display-ready cases are available upon request.

Just Born is extending the Mike and Ike line with the rollout of Mike and Ike Tangy Twister. Tangy Twister features cherry, raspberry, citrus punch, pineapple and apple varieties, all with a high intensity flavor twist. Made with real fruit juice flavor, Tangy Twister is available to ship in January. Bold neon orange packaging complements the pumped-up flavor.

The makers of the Carbolite line of reduced-carbohydrate products have unveiled Spluge! candy bars also targeted to people adhering to low-carb lifestyles. The company bills Splurge! as the first low-carb, maltitol-free chocolate bar. As Carbolite Foods Vice Chairman Jeff Greder explains, the use of a sweetener blend (erythritol, oligofructose and fructose) yields a product that is “tummy-safe” for kids and adults, i.e. it does not produce the laxative effect or flatulence associated with maltitol. Each bar is flagged “Maltitol Free!” on the front of the vibrant red foil wrapper. Net effective carb content also is featured prominently on the front label.

Madelaine is extending its line of solid milk chocolate poker chips by minting new denominations. These $10, $50 and $500 solid milk chocolate disks are wrapped in colorful foil. They are a perfect complement to Madelaine’s original $5, $25 and $100 chips and mint truffle playing cards.

Premium Belgian chocolate bar manufacturer Chocolove has introduced chocolate bars in a new form that features bite-sized squares, each with Chocolove’s trademarked heart insignia. The bar wrap is designed to resemble a letter, complete with a “stamp.” Each package contains a love poem, and the cocoa content is prominently featured on the package. Chocolove offers the bars to retailers in a “slide-rite” 12-pack carton.  The 3.2-ounce bars have a suggested retail price of $2.49.

Unica extends its line of value-added gums with new X-It Sugar-Free Gum formulated with green tea and what the company bills as “an advanced whitening formula.” It’s available in peppermint and spearmint varieties and comes packaged in recloseable tins. The gum has a suggested retail price of $1.99 and comes in 12-count displays packed 12 per case.

New Wanderfuls are fruit-flavored candy wands that come in fun, twisted shapes geared specifically to seasonal occasions.  

Also new from Sherwood Brands are Magic Dips Lollipops with Popping Candy Dips. To enjoy them, you lick the fruit-flavored pop and dip it into the Magic Dips pouch. Your pop will be covered with sweet Magic Dust that will begin popping when you put it in your mouth. Strawberry, grape, lemon and watermelon flavors are offered.

Sherwood Brands has added sugar-free versions to two of its most popular lines. Sugar-Free Pirate’s Gold Coins are individually foil-wrapped chocolates in the shape of gold coins packaged in a mesh pouch. One serving contains 3 grams of carbs.

In addition, the company’s five-flavor line of individually wrapped Cow Toffees now has two-sugar-free additions. Sugar-Free Soft N’ Chewy Dairy Butter and Hard Butter N’ Cream Toffees both come in 2.5-ounce bags.

Flix Candy/Imaginings 3 will tap into the cool cachet of Lil’ Bratz dolls with several items for Valentine’s Day 2005. Offerings include Lil’ Bratz Pop Flipper, which combines a lollipop and plastic doll figure for a suggested retail price of $1.99 and Lil’ Bratz Sticker Dispensers, which feature a candy-filled tube topped by a Lil’ Bratz collectible figure. Twenty-five Lil’ Bratz stickers are included with the item, which carries a suggested retail price of $2.99 to $3.99.

This new company has unveiled four popcorn snacks targeted to consumers seeking better-for-you snack offerings. Varieties include KettleCorn, SantaFe, SinNamon and BeeNutty! The snacks all start with air-popped gourmet popcorn and feature added ingredients such as ground cinnamon, roasted peanuts, diced bell peppers and pumpkin seeds. The snacks are made without sugar, trans fats and preservatives.      Two pack-types are offered—a single-serve, 2.33-ounce foil bag and a 3.75-ounce carton with an interior foil bag.

Vanilla Chill is the newest addition to Cadbury Adams’ Dentyne Ice line-up. Vanilla Chill began shipping in December. Cadbury Adams marketers report that a strong program of advertising and support is planned for the Dentyne Ice brand in 2005, including distribution of more than 12.5 million samples to consumers.

David Roasted and Salted Sunflower Seeds now come in a 4.5-ounce travel cup designed for on-the-go eating occasions. The cups come shipped in a six-count open stock case. According to the company, it will soon introduce unique product merchandising displays for secondary placement near the front of the store in the salty snack section.

Momints liquid-filled mints now come in two new formats. Momints SuperTube features 15 eight-count tubes encased in a super-size tube for a suggested retail price of $9.99. Momints Pouch Tube is an eight-count clear tube of Momints encased in a translucent pouch. The suggested retail price is 50 cents.

Starting in January, Just Born will replace its Super Hot Hot Tamales chewy cinnamon-flavored candies with the re-named Hot Tamales Fire. A more extreme cinnamon-flavored candy, it comes packaged in 1.1-ounce, 2.12-ounce and 8-ounce packages.

Hot Tamales will also boast more “kick,” i.e. a more intense cinnamon flavor. New packaging graphics illustrate this hotter taste with a searing fireball and a spiced-up Hot Tamales logo. Hot Tamales are available in a 2.12-ounce bag with a suggested retail price of 69 cents.