Bob Tullio’s Product Perspective: Jack Link’s is on target with new products, new formula for 2021

The Product – Jack Link’s 100% Beef Sticks - Committed to brand innovation, this fast-growing snack company gives operators a healthier product to sell and new flavors that consumers crave.

Every operator has heard this two-fold request from clients: Can you please get us healthier snack foods that will satisfy our employees?

While accommodating that request is no easy task, Jack Link’s 100% Beef Sticks now provide a solution that operators and their clients will love.

A healthier approach

Meat sticks offered by Jack Link’s have always been a delicious and satisfying snack. Now the company has reformulated its 100% beef sticks, making them more appealing to health-conscious consumers while introducing two new beef sticks that has industry experts quite excited about the product launch.

Introducing Zero Sugar and Wild Heat 

Jack Link’s newest 100% Beef Sticks are a testament to its commitment to brand innovation.

» Zero Sugar - 100% Beef Sticks. Just launched in 2021, this new beef stick is sugar free, meeting the intense consumer demand for such products.

» Wild Heat - 100% Beef Sticks. Also launched in 2021, these hot and spicy sticks are a perfect fit for the growing segment of consumers who crave what “wild heat” has to offer.

Sticks dominate the category

Meat sticks are currently experiencing rapid growth. A recent study by Nielsen shows that “sticks” are outselling other meat snacks by a 3-to-1 margin. Monte Farrar, national accounts manager at Jack Link’s, said that consumers are choosing meat sticks for several reasons, including an interest in high-protein diets.

“Portability is another big reason for the success of meat sticks,” said Farrar. “They are cleaner on the hands, easy to enjoy on the go and there has been quite a bit of brand innovation, like our two new products.

“Studies show that consumers want less sugar and more protein, by an overwhelming majority,” he added. “Our Zero Sugar beef stick is a perfect match to what consumers are asking for.”

Rapid Growth

Jack Link’s 100% Beef Sticks were already a fast-growing product in the meat snack category, experiencing tremendous growth in a one-year period. The company’s 100% Beef Sticks are part of a successful three-tier meat stick product line:

1. Fastest Growing - Jack Links 100% Beef Sticks
2. Largest Segment - Jack Links Wild (sticks with beef, pork and chicken)
3. Emerging Premium Segment - Lorissa’s Kitchen (the company’s 100% grass-fed beef sticks)

Now a healthier choice in 2021

The new labeling of Jack Link’s 100% Beef Sticks will spell it out in dramatic fashion – the new formula is big news. “Our new label reflects the changes and consumers will notice,” Farrar said.

The new formula is all about ingredients that have been removed. What is missing in the new formula? Nothing that health-conscious consumers will miss and nothing that will change the great taste for which Jack Link’s is known. Removed:

• Corn Syrup
• Dextrose
• Sodium Erythorbate
• Sodium Nitrite
• BHA
• BHT
• Colors (caramel, red 3, annatto)

“We have cleaned up the ingredients, going from 14, down to eight. With these changes, Jack Link’s is leading the way in our industry,” Farrar added.

Bob’s Perspective: Why Jack Link’s makes more sense than ever for operators

According to Farrar, the account reps at G&J Marketing and the largest food distributors in the industry are openly excited about the reformulated Jack Link’s 100% Beef Sticks and its two new flavors. 

There are plenty of reasons for operators to be excited, as well.

Jack Link’s is the answer

Remember the original question that is commonly posed by clients? Can you please get us healthier snack foods that will satisfy our employees? Jack Link’s just delivered the answer. The reformulated Jack Link’s 100% Beef Sticks, along with a Zero Sugar version, just moved its popular and satisfying products into the BFY, “better for you” snack category.

Just follow the science

Multiple industry studies suggest that Jack Link’s 100% Beef Sticks will be embraced by micro market users.

Cleaner, Reformulated Product – Clearly a BFY snack choice

• Over 50% of consumers are buying from the BFY snack category.
• 67% of consumers and 84% of millennials choose meat snacks as a meal substitute.
• 75% of consumers avoid certain ingredients as part of a healthy lifestyle.
• Zero Sugar – Those words on the label resonate with consumers
• 84% of consumers are actively working to reduce or eliminate sugar from their diet.
• Zero sugar product launches have grown by over 200% in the past five years.
• Protein snacks lead the way for consumers who are seeking to reduce their sugar consumption.

Wild Heat – Targeted at the huge millennial market, who loves spicy foods

Hot and spicy foods appeal to the vast majority of U.S. consumers.

One in four consumers are eating more spicy foods than they did one year ago.

Farrar points to the top criteria that drives the selection of a snack product:

• Natural ingredients
• Well-known brand
• Calorie count
• Single-serve packaging
• Higher level of satisfaction

Looking at his list, there is no question that Jack Link’s 100% Beef Sticks belong in every micro market and pantry service location. What really convinces me is the great taste and high level of satisfaction that the product delivers.

Warning! The Wild Hot is appropriately named. Of course, I am not a millennial, but that target market will love it.

For more information about Jack Link’s 100% Beef Sticks and the entire line of Jack Link’s protein snacks, contact your local representative at G&J Marketing and Sales, or reach out directly to Monte Farrar at (813) 748-1167 or [email protected].