Leftovers is our look at a few of the product ideas popping up everywhere. Some are intriguing, some sound amazing and some are the kinds of ideas we would never dream of. We can’t write about everything that we get pitched, so here are some leftovers pulled from our inboxes.
Pop-Tarts collabs with Liquid Death on citrus pastry
Canned water brand Liquid Death is teaming up with Pop-Tarts for another sweet collaboration.
Pop-Tarts Liquid Death Squeezed to Death Frosted Orange infuses the breakfast pastry with a citrus jam inspired by Liquid Death's orange soda flavored sparkling water. The limited-edition pastry will be available in November at participating retailers.
The collaboration is the second for Mars-owned Pop-Tarts and the fast-growing Liquid Death. The two brands teamed on a strawberry Pop-Tart-flavored Liquid Death iced tea earlier this year.
“Pop-Tarts has always made room for a little fun with flavor, and our partnerships let us take that spirit somewhere unexpected and give fans a fresh twist on a familiar favorite,” Kim Holowiak, director of growth and marketing for Pop-Tarts, said in a statement. “Limited-time collaborations, like this one with Liquid Death, offer a new way to experience both brands.”
Food and beverage brands are increasingly linking up for unique collaborations that either span categories or bring together competitors. Ferrara-owned Trolli linked with PepsiCo's Mountain Dew on gummy worms and sodas that combined flavors of both brands. And Hershey and Mondelēz International teamed up for the hugely successful innovations of Reese’s Oreo Cups and Oreo Reese’s Cookies,
Pop-Tarts, the nostalgic breakfast brand founded in 1964, wants to bring in younger consumers through new innovation and collaborations with brands popular with Gen Z. The pastry partnered with BuzzBallz, for example, and recently released a protein-enhanced Pop-Tarts.
— Laurel Deppen
Bachan's goes beyond sauce with Japanese mayo
Japanese barbecue sauce brand Bachan's is launching an umami-forward mayonnaise for its first innovation outside of sauces.
Bachan's Japanese Mayos will be available exclusively at Whole Foods and come in three flavors: original, spicy, and black garlic. The mayonnaise, made from egg yolk and rice vinegar, is described as having a silky texture with a tangy and umami taste.
"Whether you're dipping, drizzling, spreading, or mixing, our Japanese Mayos are made to make every bite better," Justin Gill, Bachan's founder and CEO, said in a statement.
Bachan's sales for the quarter ending June 30 increased 8.7%, according to owner Marzetti Company, which purchased the brand for $400 million earlier this year. Marzetti sees Bachan's as a key driver of growth in fiscal 2027, with plans to accelerate innovation and marketing.
The brand also plans on introducing a wing sauce with tamari-based flavors and a "rich savory depth," according to David Ciesinski, Marzetti’s president and CEO.
The extension into Japanese mayo comes as global flavors and fusion cuisine become more popular with adventurous consumers looking to experiment.
Kewpie, which created the first commercial Japanese mayo in 1925, is experiencing surging growth in the U.S. This prompted the company to open a new Tennessee factory that will allow it to expand production capacity by up to three times current levels.
— Sarah Zimmerman
That’s it. grabs a handful of granola
That’s it. is hoping granola is the next “it” thing for the popular fruit bar maker.
That's it. Fruitola Fruit Granola has no sugar and four ingredients and is available in banana, cinnamon, strawberry and blueberry flavors. It's also loaded with 16 grams of plant-based protein and 7 grams of fiber from fruit per bowl. That's it. Fruitola Fruit Granola will be sold exclusively at Target.
“Flip over most bags of granola and you’ll find a long ingredient list and a lot of added sugar. That’s not health food; that’s dessert with misleading marketing,” Dr. Lior Lewensztain, founder and CEO of That’s it, said in a statement. “We didn’t set out to make another ‘better-for-you’ granola. We set out to make the cleanest granola on the shelf, with four simple ingredients and meaningful nutrition from 100% real fruit.”
Lewensztain founded That's it. in 2012 after realizing during medical school that only one-third of Americans consume the fruit needed in their daily diets.
The plant-based bars, which are meant to help increase fruit consumption, are a key part of the brand’s 2026 goal of delivering 1 billion grams of fiber from fruit to consumers across its portfolio, a target it's currently on track to exceed.
Granola has become an increasingly popular category for food makers.
WK Kellogg’s Kashi cereal expanded into the granola aisle with a gut health version while Catalina, a maker of better-for-you snacks and cereals, and cereal startup Magic Spoon, have entered the category with protein versions in recent years. Ferrero, which owns WK Kellogg, doubled down on the segment with the purchase of better-for-you oatmeal and granola brand Purely Elizabeth in August.
Consumers have increasingly gravitated to granola not only because it’s convenient and portable, but because of its textures, variety of flavors and health benefits, such as fiber and protein. The granola market is expected to increase its market size from $9 billion in 2022 to nearly $12 billion in 2032, a compound annual growth rate of 3%, according to data from Marketresearch.biz.
— Christopher Doering
