The nutritional and health benefits of nuts, seeds and pulses are common knowledge, though consumers in general may not be aware of all the different foods that fall into this category.
Food firms are likely to market these ingredients by calling attention to their health credentials or the fact that they are a natural food.
Common terms used to describe them include "natural", "organic", "pure" and "selected". "Wholegrain" is another.
Many nuts are well-known, such as pistachios, walnuts, almonds, peanuts, cashews, brazil nuts, shea nuts, hazel nuts and even coconuts. Palm nuts, macadamia nuts and acorns are included too.
Popular seeds include cumin, sesame, pumpkin, rapeseed, caraway, lotus, coriander, fenugreek, castor and chilli, among others.
Linseed, ambrette seeds, poppy seeds, sapucaia nuts, bitter almonds, mustard seeds, candle nuts, areca nuts and carious seed and nut products feature heavily within the industry as well.
Mintel data, reported by Wales Online, shows that the nuts, seeds and dried fruit sector is seeing significant growth as consumers increasingly look to such products as healthy ways of keeping up energy levels.
Busy people, such as working parents, are believed to be especially drawn to them for this reason.
Michelle Strutton, a senior market analyst for the market research firm, has predicted the industry to stay strong in the future thanks to the wide understanding of the health advantages of these foods.
According to the firm, the sector is now worth £538 million annually and has seen sales rise by nearly 40 per cent in five years.
