Hillshire aims to change the snacking game

NEW YORK -- A variety of food aficionados are helping Hillshire to launch Snack Week, a week-long celebration of snacking and the launch pad for the new Hillshire Snacking brand of premium snacks.

Snack Week kicked off with a VIP launch event, co-hosted by Andy Cohen and other culinary experts, including Chef Dale Talde of "Talde" restaurants, New York mixologist Julie Reiner and two top food bloggers.

"Being a foodie and living in a city with an amazing food culture has elevated my snacking game," said Cohen. "I've spent enough time around food and the culinary world to know when I spot a trend. The Hillshire Snacking brand is a game-changer."

The event united the experts to help launch the Hillshire Snacking brand and highlighted curated pairings and snack ideas using the products, all coming to life in a series of videos to be released during Snack Week.

"Just as Restaurant Week celebrates culinary experiences, Snack Week celebrates the snacking experience and the elevated role snacking plays in people's lives," said Megan Huddleston, director of marketing for the Hillshire Snacking brand. "Snacking is no longer an afterthought. It's an opportunity to go on a 15-minute culinary adventure, and Hillshire Snacking products set a new bar with interesting flavor pairings and quality ingredients you'd never expect from a packaged snack. We created Snack Week to celebrate how the boundaries of food culture have expanded to include snacks."

Videos capturing the results of the snack collaborations will be released on hillshiresnacking.com and via the brand's Facebook and Instagram channels starting Feb. 1, the beginning of National Snack Food Month.