NEW YORK – A strong market trend toward healthy foods and drinks is driving a flood of new snack and beverage products have been designed for consumers who are looking for healthy items to buy, writes Tetra-Pak President and CEO Brian Kennell in a recent Huffington Post Business blog.

The new products include gluten-free snacks, yogurt with low sugar content, whey-protein energy gummies, and chocolate candy with healthy fruit and nuts inside.

Food and beverage manufacturers are also changing ingredients in their existing products to make them healthier, such as by eliminating artificial colors in cereal and getting rid of high fructose corn syrup in drinks.

Giving customers healthier options can lead to higher food and beverage sales, since many customers say that they consider how healthy a product is when deciding whether or not to buy it. A 2015 Nielsen survey of 30,000 people showed that 90% of shoppers said they would pay higher prices for healthier products. Euromonitor International estimates that by 2017, foods and drinks that customers perceive as healthy will generate $1 trillion in sales worldwide.

The cover story of this month’s NACS Magazine, shares more insights on the connection between healthy options and retailer profitability in “Blending Health & Convenience.”