Food News of the Week: Just Salad’s Impossible Chicken, and Target Adds Jack O’ Lantern Cookies and Stuffing Flavored Snacks

Fall is ramping up at Target with new products that span the season, with Halloween cookie treats and stuffing flavored snacks. 

Uncrustables has a brand new PB&J sandwich flavor—its first in 10 years. And salads just got a major meatless chicken upgrade at Just Salad thanks to Impossible Foods.

Read on for more.

Food news

Who doesn’t love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with the crusts conveniently removed? Well, this week, there’s a new flavor—the first one in 10 years—of the classic sandwich from Uncrustables. 

Smucker’s

This fall, Smucker’s is rolling out its new Uncrustables Peanut Butter & Raspberry Spread Sandwiches as the latest addition features the brand’s signature soft bread filled with creamy peanut butter and sweet, seedless raspberry spread, offering a fresh twist on the beloved lunchbox favorite.

“Uncrustables were born from a simple, yet powerful goal: make snack and mealtimes stress-free. This commitment to simple solutions for busy lives has made Uncrustables a beloved lunch and snack staple for so many,” Chris Achenbach, Marketing Director at the J.M. Smucker Co., said in a statement. 

“That same commitment fuels our drive to constantly evolve and innovate,” Achenbach said. “New flavors that excite kids, convenient options for adults on-the-go—it’s all about delivering deliciousness, no matter how busy life gets.”

Available now at select retailers in 4-count and 10-count boxes, the Uncrustables Peanut Butter & Raspberry Spread Sandwiches will continue to roll out to major national and regional retailers throughout the fall.

Twizzlers

Trick-or-treaters this year are in for a bounty of treats, including from movie snack favorite Twizzlers. The candy company is getting into the Halloween spirit with a new shape: ghosts. 

Twizzlers ghosts are great for all of your seasonal festivities, from filling candy bowls to decorating desserts. The spooky little cherry-flavored candies have already been spotted at CVS stores but are also available at other retailers, including Walmart, Hershey’s website, and Amazon. 

Peet’s Coffee

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As the days get shorter, a boost to navigate this sleepier time of year is always welcome, and Peet’s Coffee is stepping up with a supercharged option: Ultra Coffee Concentrate. This new product is Peet’s first-ever concentrated espresso, crafted using the brand’s bold Espresso Forte blend to deliver a rich, full-bodied coffee experience right home. 

Designed for those who crave a barista-quality espresso without the hassle, Ultra Coffee allows you to elevate your at-home coffee game with just a tablespoon, mixed with your choice of milk—dairy-free, of course—or water. It can even serve as a base for creative coffee cocktails and desserts.

Ultra Coffee is available in eight-ounce bottles (16 servings) on Peet’s website starting September 27. 

Prefer to get your jolt from energy drinks and candy? You’re in luck because the two have joined forces in a collaboration we never saw coming. Nutrabolt, the company behind C4, has teamed up with The Hershey Company to infuse the taste of its iconic treats into a new lineup of C4 products designed to fuel your fitness performance with a sweet twist.

C4

The collaboration kicks off this month with the launch of C4 Original x Bubble Yum Pre-Workout and C4 Performance Energy x Jolly Rancher energy drinks, available in classic Jolly Rancher flavors such as Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, and Watermelon. The collaboration will also result in C4 protein powders in Reese’s Peanut Butter and Hershey’s Milk Chocolate flavors, neither of which are plant-based as they feature whey. 

Grocery news

One of our favorite fall activities is galavanting around the grocery store to see what’s new on shelves. Target is delivering a few exciting finds this year under its in-house brands Favorite Day and Good & Gather, which it constantly evolves to fit its customers’ needs.  

Halloween fanatics can pick up Jack O’ Lantern cookies, which come in gluten-free pumpkin spice and chocolate sandwich cookie varieties. On a savory note, Target is also stocking orange and black-hued tortilla chips that are salted and ready for dipping. 

Target

For stuffing lovers, there’s two new snack options to drool over from now until Thanksgiving: popcorn and wavy potato chips, both made with flavors that evoke turkey stuffing but without any animal products. 

Also at Target, shoppers will find a new selection of artisanal bread from the famed La Brea Bakery. Known for its high-quality, hand-crafted breads, La Brea Bakery has expanded its offerings with a range of Take & Bake products now available in more than 1,000 Target stores nationwide. 

The new lineup features three popular options: French Dinner Rolls, French Twin Pack Baguette, and French Sandwich Rolls, allowing customers to enjoy the bakery’s signature flavors and textures right from their own ovens.

LaBrea Bakery

“Our Take & Bake line is about delivering the same exceptional quality and taste that our customers have come to expect from La Brea Bakery, but with the added convenience and enjoyment of baking it fresh in their own kitchen,” Jonathan Davis, La Brea Bakery’s Culinary Innovation Leader, said in a statement.

Crafted with La Brea Bakery’s original sourdough starter and four ingredients, these Take & Bake breads are available in Target’s bakery section and through the Target App for local delivery.

And if you’re headed to Trader Joe’s, you’ll be excited to know that Sweet Cinnamon Filled Korean Pancakes (Hotteok) have made their triumphant return to the frozen section. 

“When strolling through the streets of Seoul on a still, chilly morning, among the many sights to see, you may encounter the scent of fresh hotteok being served straight from the grills and fry pans of street vendors,” Trader Joe’s describes the treat. 

While the pancakes can come with savory stuffing, Trader Joe’s chose to stick to the original sweet cinnamon version as “a delicious way to bring the sweet sensations of a Seoul street scene to your very own kitchen.”

These delightfully plump treats are great for breakfast or dessert and can be popped into the air fryer for a quick late night treat or stuffed with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream. 

Restaurant news 

Fast-casual chain Just Salad is upping its salad game with the addition of Impossible Foods’ plant-based chicken to its menu. Known for its commitment to sustainable offerings, Just Salad is incorporating Impossible Chicken From Plants as a new protein option across its locations nationwide. 

Just Salad

This plant-based chicken will be featured in popular menu items like the Southwest Crunch salad and Vegan Chipotle Wrap, and is also available for Build-Your-Own orders.

The move comes as part of Just Salad’s fall menu launch and will make the plant-based chicken a permanent fixture, alongside less sustainable, animal-derived options. 

Havredals

For more plant-based chicken news, we’re looking at the New York City metropolitan area, where an exciting new option has just become available to foodservice operators. Swedish plant-based food company Havredals has launched its fava-bean-based meat line, including chicken and beef alternatives, throughout the region. 

Havredals’ fava-bean meat alternatives are crafted with a blend of fava beans, peas, and oats from regenerative farming, and are free from soy, gluten, and GMOs. The company has seen strong demand for these products, which offer a nutritious and sustainable alternative to traditional meats. 

Following its successful debut in Virginia earlier this year, the brand’s plant-based products are now distributed by Performance Food Group (PFG) and are available to foodservice providers across New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.

Pepsi Dig In

Las Vegas is getting what might be its biggest headliner yet: beloved Atlanta chain Slutty Vegan, which is making its Vegas debut as part of Pepsi Dig In’s third annual Restaurant Royalty Residency. 

This unique platform is designed to elevate and support underserved restaurants by providing them with business growth opportunities and increased visibility. Now, through this collaboration with MGM Resorts International, Slutty Vegan and five other eateries from across the country are set to bring their standout dishes to the Las Vegas Strip for an exclusive, limited-time residency at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino and Luxor Hotel & Casino.

Starting September 21, food lovers in Las Vegas will have the chance to experience Slutty Vegan’s iconic Fussy Hussy burger—a plant-based patty loaded with pickles, vegan cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, and special sauce on a vegan Hawaiian bun—without having to travel to Atlanta. 

Pepsi Dig In

“Las Vegas is a culinary destination where people go to taste the best of the best,” Pinky Cole Hayes, CEO and Founder of Slutty Vegan, said in a statement. “It’s an honor to be joining Pepsi Dig In alongside an incredible lineup of talented restaurateurs, and to be bringing Slutty Vegan’s iconic burger to Las Vegas for the first time exclusively to MGM Resorts.” 

“The real winners here are the foodies who have so many delicious reasons to keep coming back,” Cole said.

As part of the partnership, from September 21 through October 18, visitors to Slutty Vegan locations can enjoy a complimentary Pepsi Zero Sugar with their meal (while supplies last). 

Food lovers can also enter for a chance to win a Las Vegas getaway for two by posting a video on Instagram highlighting their favorite hometown dish—perhaps Slutty Vegan’s Sloppy Toppy?