Kettle extends healthy crisp range
range, which offers consumers a healthier alternative to standard
crisps, sales of which are suffering in the anti-obesity backlash.
Salt and Malt Vinegar flavour will be available from this month and joins the newly-introduced Bakes range - which, according to market analysts ACNeilsen was the fastest growing new product in the better-for-you sector last year. The new flavour adds to the existing Crispy Bakes Tomato, Basil & Green Peppercorns and Mild Cheese & Sweet Onion varieties. Kettle's brand manager Samantha Garnham said: "Consumers love the existing range, but we've been getting a lot of requests to come up with a flavour using the classic salt and vinegar combination. "Vinegar flavourings represent the second biggest segment in the 'better-for-you' category, so the new variant is a huge opportunity to strengthen the range, making Crispy Bakes an even better performer for retailers." The healthy products are made from lentil flour and baked rather than fried. According to the company, the crisps contain less than 100 calories and 10 per cent fat per 24g bag. A report, published in February, from industry researchers Key Note shows that sales of salty snacks fell 3.3 per cent between September 2004 and May 2005. With a greater number of consumers turning to healthy varieties of traditional indulgences, the market for such products has boomed and Kettle is well placed to take advantage of the trend thanks to its leading position in the luxury end of the crisp market. Figures from market analyst group AC Nielsen and trade magazine the Grocer show Kettle chips is the UK's fastest growing bagged snack brand with sales up 29.7 per cent and year on year brand growth of £11 million (€16.2m).
