FROM the viral Dubai chocolate to Mini Moons, if there’s a snack you want then then Amy Jones – a self-confessed snack-hunting expert – can find it.
The 26-year-old from Cheshire and mum-of-one runs a TikTok account called @newfoodiefinds, where she posts all the newest and most exciting finds from supermarket favourites like Lidl, Aldi, M&S and Tesco.
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She wants to be the first to spot new food finds before they go viral and she’s racked up millions of views on her videos, which include a low-down on the best bakery items at Lidl and a shop that sell surplus McDonald’s stock.
After leaving her digital marketing job to have her baby, Amy said she was spending hours going around shops like M&S and Home Bargains.
“I thought you know what, I know everything about TikTok and I spend my days doing this already, so I can try to monetise this. And that’s how it came together,” she explains.
“And obviously I love food. Food’s my life.”
One of her top finds so far has been the Trebles crisps found in Asda – which she says is “one of the best things I’ve put in my mouth”.
Although Amy admits she’s not a huge crisp fan, she says the Spicy Paprika snack was so good she ate the packet in one go before having a chance to make a video.
Shoppers are obsessed with hunting down “viral” food products and retailers love it too, helping to boost their sales and profits.
For example, the M&S freshly baked cookies, which went viral after they were revamped and became “even more moreish”, and the Lidl Dubai chocolate which sold out almost immediately on the supermarket’s TikTok Shop.
Supermarkets like M&S and Aldi in particular have been creating products they hope will be shared thousands of times on TikTok and Instagram – and drive hungry customers to their stores.
For Amy, running her account is now a full-time job.
It involves hours of trawling the shops for content and meticulously planning her week.
Helpfully for us, she’s shared some tips that can help the average shopper get their hands on new foodie finds before they get snapped up…
Know what days to go
Amy regularly visits the supermarkets and discount stores near her to keep tabs on new finds – but she’ll plan which days she goes carefully.
The Cheshire-based mum says some supermarkets have a particular day they drop new products.
Lidl and Aldi, for example, release new selections on Thursdays.
Aldi might release a range of a particular cuisine like Mexican or Italian, while Lidl has a “Flavour of the Week”.
Look for the green label
Other supermarkets drop new items more sporadically – but there are still ways you can spot a new food find.
Amy says if you’re in M&S, you should look at the price tags.
If the tag is green, that means it’s a new product.
If you look out for these labels, you can get ahead of the trend and try the items before they go viral.
Follow your favourite brands on social media
Amy also keeps tabs on what’s new by following all her favourite brands on social media.
This includes the big supermarkets like Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda – but the TikToker also recommends following food brands like Pepsi, Coke and Walkers.
“The first place they will launch something will always be on their social media,” Amy says.
Sign up to newsletters
Some of the supermarkets like Lidl and M&S don’t tend to stock many branded products, so another way to keep up to date is to sign up to their newsletters.
These will often tell you about new product launches.
Amy also recommends picking up the magazines that supermarkets have in-store.
Another benefit of this is they often promote the discounts that will be coming up in the next week.
Amy’s top snack finds
THESE are some of Amy’s top picks from the supermarkets and restaurants she trawls.
Ikea, Mashed Potato Hot Dog – “It’s a total game changer. It’s carb on carb which I love, but the contrast of creamy mash, juicy sausage, and crunchy onions just works.”
German Doner Kebab, The GDK x Doritos Loaded Doner KeBag – “The meat is surprisingly light, not greasy and heavy. The crunch with the soft meat and sauces hits just right.”
Asda, Seabrook Trebles Spicy Paprika crisps – “It has so many layers to one crisp that it’s soft yet crispy all at once. Every bite feels like a mix of textures. The spicy paprika is perfectly hot but not overpowering. I didn’t even film a video because I ate them all on the drive home.”
M&S, Dippy Egg Filled Hot Cross Buns – “Perfect. The sweetness of the filling and richness of the chocolate make it so moreish. I ate all six in one sitting.”
Aldi, Belgian Chocolate Ganache Raspberries – “The chocolate ganache has a light, crisp flavour that’s not too rich, and the white chocolate with the filling gives summer dessert vibes.”
How to find supermarket deals
Amy isn’t just about finding new snacks to try – she’s also constantly on the lookout for good deals.
One of her biggest tips is to get familiar with when your local supermarket puts out its yellow sticker deals.
Her local Asda tends to reduce items at about 4pm, while Aldi does so between 1.30pm and 2pm.
She also says you should be aware of when supermarkets bring out good seasonal deals.
“With Easter decorations and stuff like that, sometimes they will bring out all of last year’s stock and sell it cheaper to get rid of it before the new stock comes in,” she says.
When it comes to seasonal food, the best thing to do is wait until the day after the holiday season is over.
“You get it all so much cheaper,” she says.
“At Christmas they were selling massive bags of candy canes for £2.50 which were normally seven or eight quid.”
Another tip is to keep an eye out for the big sales events that different shops do.
For example, Asda has a Sports Week event where toys are cheaper, while other supermarkets have baby events.
Again, this is a good reason to look at the newsletters and magazines inside stores to see what is coming up.
