l To capture a slice of the growing adult snacking market Waissel's has introduced Mediterranean flavour potato crisps from Vicente Vidal, a leading Spanish producer. Anchovy and Smoked Ham, both with added olive oil, come in 125g packs and join the Spanish company's Original, Crinkle Cut and Chip Sticks range. l Crinkle cut crisps are synonymous with Seabrook Potato Crisps, says the company, which has 17 crinkly varieties ranging from Worcester Sauce to Mexican Chilli. Its four bestsellers come in a multipack of six, while its top three lines now come in a larger 50g bag. It also produces straight and ridged cut crisps in 31.8g bags. Best known in the area from the Midlands to the Scottish Borders, the company is trying to strengthen its foothold in the rest of the UK. l Jordans Oven Baked Chips are targeting the healthy snack market which, the company says, has grown 25% in the past 12 months (ACNielsen). Its crisps come in tomato & herbs, sour cream & chives and paprika variants and, as they are oven baked instead of fried, are claimed to be lower in fat than most chips. l Scottish crisps producer Highlander Crisps breaks with multipack convention by offering eight packs to the bag instead of the usual six. Its crinkle cut crisps are widely distributed in Scotland and it supplies Iceland, Safeway and Waitrose nationally, with a trial planned in Morrisons. l At the very top end of the market is Terra Chips from the US, imported by Empire Food Brokers. Since their debut in 1998, the upmarket range, which includes crisps made from sweet and blue potatoes, parsnips and exotic root vegetables, have gained listings in Sainsbury, Waitrose and Tesco. l Made from rice and corn, Quaker's Snack-a-Jacks comes in a Crispy bagged format for the snack market and claims to have 10% less fat than other bagged snack products. Quaker says Crispy's healthy proposition has pushed sales of the variant to £21m, with 244.4% year-on-year growth. This year the entire brand is being heavily supported with TV advertising and other marketing campaigns. l Cereals have moved into the snacking market with the Big Cereal Company's four sweet varieties ­ Apricot Bites, Chocolate Bites, Maple Minis and Caramel Waffles ­ two of which claim to be 98% fat free. They come in single bags at rsp 35p and in a variety pack of six at rsp £1.59. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}

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