The secret reason your favorite foods are getting crunchier and gooier

Texture is becoming nearly as important as taste for consumers, pushing food and drink companies to develop products that are crunchier, gooier, creamier and chewier.

The growing focus on “mouthfeel” — the food science term for how something feels in the mouth — has inspired products including Starbucks’ air-whipped Aerocano iced espresso, PowerCrunch wafer-style protein bars and Trolli Gummi Popz, which remain soft and chewy when frozen.

“It’s not just about flavor anymore. People are thinking about the whole experience,” said Tana Davila, chief marketing officer at Dutch Bros Coffee, which offers drinks topped with whipped foam and liquid-filled popping spheres.

The trend is global. Stretchy yogurt is gaining popularity in China, Swedish candy maker Cloetta has introduced marshmallow-centered Sprinkled Foamies with crunchy shells, while Paris bakers have embraced the “crookie,” combining a crisp croissant with a gooey chocolate chip cookie.

Consumers often do not realize how much texture influences what they enjoy, according to Patrick Kalotis, executive vice president at ingredient supplier Ingredion.

“You know, ‘This drink is fizzy’ or ‘I love the creaminess of the yogurt,'” Kalotis said. “They think they’re talking about taste … but they’re actually describing texture.”

While foods such as Japanese mochi, Turkish ice cream and Taiwanese bubble tea have long played with texture, interest has surged in recent years.

Online searches for terms including “chewy,” “soft,” “gooey” and “melt-in-the-mouth” are growing rapidly, according to market research firm Mintel.

Jenny Zegler, Mintel’s principal strategist for food and drink, said the Cronut helped reignite interest in contrasting textures more than a decade ago. More recently, layered treats such as Dubai chocolate and social media videos emphasizing the sounds of crunchy or creamy foods have accelerated the trend.

“Consumers are gaining new expectations for the experience of a product, and texture is the perfect way to deliver that,” Zegler said.

The pandemic also intensified interest in texture as COVID-19 temporarily robbed many people of their sense of taste and smell, according to Shannon Weiner, senior director of consumer insights at candy maker Ferrara.

Ferrara launched Nerds Gummy Clusters in 2020, combining a soft gummy center with a crunchy Nerds shell. Its success helped inspire increasingly complex candies, including freeze-dried Skittles and Gummi Popz, which combine chewy candy with a fizzy center.

Restaurants are also under pressure to improve texture, particularly as food delivery grows.

McDonald’s altered the recipe for its McCrispy chicken strips after customers complained they were not crisp enough. Ingredion, meanwhile, has developed potato starch coatings designed to keep French fries crispy for 30 minutes and is working to extend that to 45 minutes.

Manufacturers are also trying to make products healthier or cheaper without sacrificing familiar textures, including additives that preserve the creaminess of reduced-sugar yogurt.

Despite growing consumer interest, food companies may still be underestimating texture as a selling point. Mintel found that 59 percent of packaged foods launched in the U.S. this year did not include a texture description on their packaging.

“In a lot of ways, texture is one of the most powerful and yet somehow underrated parts of the food experience,” Kalotis said. “It makes a snack more satisfying.”