• FOOD & DRINK
Eat Like A Kid Again: 9 Brands Reimagining Your Childhood Faves
Reviewed by Amanda Hitchcock
Last Updated December 2021
For these 9 food-and-drink brands, fresh, innovative takes on your favorite childhood flavors are a recipe for success.
The Trend: Feeding Your Inner Child
It’s no secret that everyone loves a good throwback. And in today’s rapidly changing environment, sometimes it’s the past that provides the most comfort. At The Fascination, we’re exploring a tasty new trend of cool, crave-worthy food-and-drink brands that are channeling childhood nostalgia to encourage healthier eating habits and reintroducing fresh takes on some of childhood’s most unforgettably fun flavors.
The research, to be completely transparent, has been pretty damn delicious.
As the world rushes to adapt to the next normal, emerging food and beverage brands are using the power of the past to put the flavors you loved as a kid back on the menu — in a way that’s better for your health and more practical for your lifestyle.
Big CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) is a huge business, valued at nearly $1 trillion in 2020 — and expected to expand significantly from 2021 to 2028. These upstarts are looking to disrupt the decades-old household names with healthier alternatives, by re-introducing the familiar flavors of childhood.
The rise of these new, nostalgia-wrapped snacks shows the eagerness of brands to address and resolve real and current problems in a way that’s palatable, approachable, and fun — all while building community and engagement on common ground.
Magic Spoon Cereals
If you like Frosted Flakes, you’ll love Magic Spoon.
With up to 12 times the protein of today’s most popular, traditional cereal brands, and up to 90 percent less sugar, Magic Spoon is on a mission to upgrade the most important meal of the day and deliver a better kind of box cereal — for adults and kids, alike. Plus, if you want to try it out, get $5 off your first order with code THEFASCINATION.
Partake Foods Treats
Partake Foods is serving up a delicious, allergy-friendly wakeup call to the food industry as a whole. Though Partake found its start in gluten-free, vegan, top 8 allergen-free cookies, their 5-in-1 Baking Mix, which recently launched, allow those with dietary restrictions and common allergies to enjoy a variety of their favorite snacks, sweets, and morning meals — worry-free.
“Researchers suggest that when we associate foods with happy memories, the effects are profound, impacting how good we think foods taste as well as how good those foods make us feel.”
— TIME Magazine
Snow Days Pizza Bites
When we saw Snow Days’ claim that they’ve “taken all the unnatural things out of pizza bites,” we were genuinely curious. What would even be left? Turns out it’s a nutritious super-snack; packed with organic, grain-free, grass-fed goodness — while retaining everything great about the poppable pizza bites you remember.
“…Many consumers are falling back on a mixture of comforting and healthier options at home. Anxieties caused by uncertainty around the pandemic have produced a tendency to fall back on familiar branded products, especially ones that remind the consumer of their childhood.”
Ryan Whittaker, GlobalData — Food Business News
Olipop Soda Tonics
Not only do Olipop’s sodas have 2-5 grams of sugar (as opposed to the 39+ grams of the usual sugar-packed soda brands), they also contain 9 grams of fiber and only 3-5 grams of net carbs. All of that, wrapped into 45 calories of sweet, bold, fizzy, flavor that’s way better for your digestive and overall health.
Nuggs "Chicken" Nuggets
It looks like a chicken nugget. It’s crispy and crunchy like a chicken nugget.In fact, everything about Nuggs’ chicken nuggets tastes just as good as the original, but is designed to be better for you— since these chicken nuggets are entirely plant based.
Immi Instant Ramen
Remember those late-night bowls of ramen in college? Well, they’re back, but with a major upgrade. Immi is on a mission to create a flavorful, healthier, more authentic alternative to instant ramen — so that everyone can enjoy the best parts of this nostalgia-inducing classic without the consequences.
“71% of consumers enjoy things that remind them of their childhood, as nostalgic flavors like birthday cake, S’mores, and peanut butter have gained immense popularity in a range of applications. “
Mintel — Nutritional Outlook
Alec's Ice Cream
Made with real, organic ingredients like natural egg yolks, raw cane sugar, pasture raised dairy, and real fruit — and without common nasties like high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavoring, and food dye, Alec’s Ice Cream just tastes great, naturally. So we (and your body) won’t judge when you inevitably go back for seconds.