Demand for snacks that promise comfort, new experiences, and wellness will drive snacking innovation this year – after a year of lackluster new product activity – as the U.S. ambles toward herd immunity from COVID-19 and the reopening of economies. Research firm IRI Worldwide says 2021 promises to be a “blockbuster year” for snacking innovation after 2020 saw drastically fewer new products. Last year’s near overnight shift to staying at home and repeated lockdowns helped drive dollar sales of snacking up 79 percent. But products designed for on-the-go and smaller pack sizes saw sales fall slightly with units down one percent and volume down 0.3 percent among total core snacks compared to a five percent and 10 percent increase in total store units and volume respectively. As more people become vaccinated and economies reopen, sales of on-the-go items and smaller pack sizes will pick back up, along with new product launches.

The general manager of Uxbridge, England-based Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) says the first half of 2021 will look pretty much the same as the second half of 2020: lockdowns and purchase of larger beverage packages. But Stephen Burgess expects that as the company moves further into 2021, and the COVID vaccines become more readily available, people will feel more confident about leaving the house, and sales of on-the-go packs will increase. “I am convinced those opportunities will come back,” Burgess added. For the first half of 2021 he suggested that the brand should ensure take-home packs are as affordable as possible. In fact, prices on 500 ml packs have already started to drop.

The company said it is laying off 2,200 workers – half of which are in the U.S. – as part of a larger restructuring aimed at paring down its business units and brands. As of the end of 2019, Coke employed 86,200 people worldwide. The restructuring process was accelerated by the pandemic, causing sales at places like stadiums and movie theaters to dry up due to lockdowns. Revenue fell nine percent to $8.7 billion in the July-September 2020 period. The company is also reducing its brands by half to 200. The layoffs won’t impact Coke’s mostly independent bottlers.

Hoping to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in the country, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI, Manila) has partnered with Unilever Philippines to promote proper handwashing in communities. CCBPI and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines (CCFPI) will be installing 37 handwashing stations across the country, specifically in high-traffic locations such as public markets and terminals. Half of the total funding was drawn from proceeds from a 2019 charity golf tournament, where Coca-Cola had raised more than Php 3 million ($62,190)