KANSAS CITY — Food and beverage manufacturers and foodservice operators continued the trend in 2024 of introducing limited-time offerings intended to generate consumer interest, social media buzz and make people say, “wait … what?”

General Mills, Inc., for example, experimented with different applications for its Cinnamon Toast Crunch brand. The company partnered with Hormel Foods Corp. to launch a co-branded bacon product under Hormel’s Black Label product line. The bacon featured a sugary crust of “cinnadust” made from Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal to create a sweet and savory flavor combination.

General Mills also added Cinnamon Toast Crunch dessert taco shells under its Old El Paso brand in February. The shells combined the Old El Paso formula with the same “cinnadust” coating and were developed to be filled with foods like ice cream, cheesecake filling and bananas with whipped cream, according to the company.

“We love adding unexpected flavor combinations to our roster, and this collaboration between Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Old El Paso pairs the most valuable players from the cereal and taco game for a one-of-a-kind format,” said Jenny Jonker, brand experience manager for Old El Paso.

Mondelez International, Inc. and The Coca-Cola Co. introduced several Oreo and Coca-Cola mashups in August. The collaboration resulted in the Oreo Coca-Cola Sandwich Cookie, an Oreo cookie infused with the Coca-Cola beverage flavor and sprinkled with red edible glitter, and Coca-Cola Oreo Zero Sugar soda, which utilized the Coca-Cola Zero beverage formulation and added hints of Oreo cookie flavor, according to the companies.

“These types of investments not only enable us to stay top of mind for consumers, but also to strengthen partnerships with key retailers,” said Dirk Van de Put, chairman and chief executive officer of Mondelez, in an Oct. 29 conference call.

Condiment maker Hidden Valley Ranch partnered with Kellanova brand Cheeze-It to launch a sauce inspired by the popular cracker. The Cheezy Ranch product featured the flavor notes of Hidden Valley Ranch combined with cheese, according to the companies.

“Ranch fans never cease to amaze us with their creative twists on Hidden Valley Ranch,” said CC Ciafone, marketing director at Hidden Valley Ranch. “When we caught wind of them combining the irresistible flavors of Hidden Valley Ranch with Cheez-It crackers, we were blown away. We couldn’t be more thrilled to make this dream collaboration a reality.”