SNYDER’S OF HANOVER PRETZELS

Information updated December 2023

Snyder’s of Hanover is a Pretzel company owned by The Campbell Soup Company.

Snyder’s makes a claim as “one of America’s favorite pretzels” and notes they “look forward to many more years of pretzel pride”. (Source: Campbell’s Snyder’s Web site 12/23)

COMPARISON TO HOMEMADE: Homemade Pretzels consist of a simple combination of the following: Flour, Salt, Water, Oil, Yeast and Baking Soda. We’ll keep this in mind as we look at what’s inside different Pretzel offerings from Snyder’s of Hanover.

Let’s see what’s in the “basic” versions of Snyder’s Pretzels >> Mini, Sticks and Rods. (Source for ingredients: Campbell’s Snyder’s Web site 12/23) These three products do not contain the exact same ingredients, particularly in terms of Added Sweeteners. The Mini contain Added Cane Sugar plus Tapioca Syrup in the Malt, the Sticks contain Tapioca Syrup and the Rods have no Added Sweeteners. All three of them are made using Canola Oil.

Shown below, PRETZEL COMPARISON: Here’s a snapshot of Snyder’s Mini Pretzels vs. a Closest To Homemade® brand — Unique Snacks Splits — which are Non-GMO Project Verified and Kosher certified >> these Unique Pretzels are made with Unbleached Wheat Flour and Sunflower Oil with no Added Sweeteners and no Syrups. (Source: Unique Snacks Web site 12/23)

GLUTEN-FREE PRETZELS: Snyder’s also makes Gluten-Free Pretzels including these Mini Pretzels below which include Palm Oil, Cellulose Gum, Dextrose, Sunflower Lecithin and Citric Acid >> these ingredients are Not In Kitchen when making homemade gluten-free Pretzels.

Dextrose is the type of Sugar from which candies like Smarties are made.

ABOUT CITRIC ACID: Citric Acid is a Chemical Preservative recognized by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration in a class with Sodium Nitrite. Unless it specifically states ‘Naturally-derived Citric Acid’, Manufactured Citric Acid is not made from Citrus Fruit. Rather, it is made in a laboratory using Aspergillus niger (a.k.a. Black Mold). (Sources: U.S. FDA 2023; National Library of Medicine U.S. Institutes of Health) Read more here:

MANUFACTURED CITRIC ACID

In addition to the Gluten Free Mini Pretzels, there are other Snyder’s products which contain FDA-recognized Chemical Preservatives:

Some of Snyder’s flavored Pretzel Pieces are banned at Whole Foods for Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and other Flavor Enhancers which Whole Foods cite as “Unacceptable in Food”. (Source: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 12/23) The following three Snyder’s Pretzel Pieces each includes four ingredients banned at Whole Foods >> Buttermilk Ranch, Jalapeño and Hot Buffalo Wing.

Below is a closer look at Snyder’s Buttermilk Ranch Pretzel Pieces which contain not only the banned ingredients noted above but multiple ingredients which are Not In Kitchen™ such as Corn Syrup Solids, Maltodextrin, Dextrose, Citric Acid, Malic Acid, Lactic Acid, Caramel Color and Yeast Extract which is yet another Flavor Enhancer; Yeast Extract is not the same thing as Yeast >> you will note that Yeast is listed separately (it’s between the Corn Syrup Solids and the MSG).

Here’s a look at what’s inside Snyder’s Butter Snaps Pretzels where ‘Butter’ is not listed as an ingredient >> the Butter Flavor comes from Natural Flavor (Enzyme Modified Butterfat).

On the Snyder’s of Hanover Web site, it states their Gluten Free Honey Mustard & Onion Pretzel Sticks are, “Made with finest premium ingredients” which include Sugar as the 5th ingredient, Dextrose as the 7th and Honey Powder as the 17th ingredient >> each serving contains 2 grams of Added Sugars.

These “finest premium ingredients” from Snyder’s include several items we don’t have in our home kitchens such as Dextrose, Palm Oil, Sunflower Lecithin, Maltodextrin, Cellulose Gum, Commercial Natural Flavor and Citric Acid.

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE PRETZELS: Here are some Pretzels which are Closest To Homemade with no MSG, no Added Flavors or Colors, no Added Sugar, no Soy or Canola and no Chemical Preservatives. These include Non-GMO Project Verified Pretzel Crisps >> this product contains a small amount of Sugar; Non-GMO Project Verified Unique Snacks Splits and Pretzel Shells — just the crunchy outside — with no Added Sweeteners. (Sources: Brand Web sites 12/23)