New product tracker: PepsiCo, Mr Kipling and Welch’s spread the holiday spirit, Kellogg’s goes bananas and Pringles gets wavy
Beef it up with Le-Vel Thrive Bites
US health and wellness brand Le-Vel has released a range of single-serve beef snacks.
Thrive Bites are made from US pasture-raised cattle that are fed a vegetarian diet of alfalfa, hay and corn. The snacks contain no preservatives, fillers, or added hormones or antibiotics.
Available in three variants – Black Pepper & Sea Salt, Savory Garlic and Sweet & Spicy – Thrive Bites are 98% fat-free, contain only 70-80 calories per serving and contain 8g of protein per serving.
Founded in 2012 by Jason Camper and Paul Gravette, Le-Vel reached a milestone earlier this year of $1.5bn in lifetime orders.
It’s the best time of the year with Quaker Oats, Cap'n Crunch and Cracker Jack
PepsiCo is bringing back popular breakfast offerings for the 2018 holiday season, including two Quaker Gingerbread Spice cereals and Cap’n Crunch’s Christmas Crunch cereal.
Quaker’s Gingerbread Spice Instant Oatmeal is made from 100% whole grain oats, while the Life Cereal comprises a multigrain combo of oats, wheat and rice; both cereals flavored with gingerbread spices.
Cap’n Crunch’s Christmas Crunch cereal is a corn and oat cereal with red and green pieces shaped like stars, snowmen, Santa hats and other holiday shapes.
The snack giant has also released a range of limited-edition Rold Gold pretzels and Cracker Jack popcorn.
The Rold Gold Dipped Pretzels are available in Classic Chocolate-Dipped Tiny Twists and Peppermint-Dipped Snowflake varieties; the Holiday Rings are designed to be the base for holiday creations and the Festive Shapes – exclusively available from Walmart – are shaped like snowflakes, trees, candy canes and bells.
Cracker Jack Holiday Sugar Cookie Popcorn combines candy-coated popcorn with green and red sprinkles.
Kellogg's Frosted Flakes goes sweet on bananas
Kellogg’s is releasing two new flavors of Frosted Flakes early in the new year.
According to the company, the Honey Nut Frosted Flakes is ‘made with a blend of real honeys, brown-butter notes and a nutty flavor crafted to perfectly complement the toasted corn flakes fans enjoy.’
It added its Banana Crème Frosted Flakes – available for a limited time only – are ‘golden, crunchy flakes coated with sweet frosting flavored with ripe banana, cream and vanilla’ that delivers ‘a banana cream pie experience in a bowl.’
It’s feeling a lot like Christmas with Welch's Fruit Snacks
Welch’s has also entered into the holiday spirit with the release of Christmas snacks.
Welch’s Fruit Snacks Christmas-themed box and pouch feature Christmas-styled graphics and pieces in seasonal shapes, including an ornament, Christmas tree, snowman, Santa Claus and a snowflake.
The fruit snacks are made with real fruit, are gluten-free and fat-free, and contain no preservatives.
Welch’s Mixed Fruit Christmas Snacks are available at Walmart, Target, Walgreens, CVS, Christmas Tree Shops and other US retailers for a RRP of $1.00 for a 5-count box with 0.5oz pouches.
Oats, but not porridge for UK consumers
Nestlé Cereals has launched a new Oat Cheerios breakfast cereal range in the UK that is enriched with vitamins and minerals, including calcium, vitamin D and C, and folic acid.
The cereals are made from British-grown whole grain oats and are said to have the same taste and texture of Cheerios.
According to Nestlé Cereals, 97% of British consumers agree that oats are a healthy option, but more than one in five do not like porridge – so the cereal has been designed to target those who want the benefits of oats without having to eat porridge.
Oat Cheerios are now available in selected UK stores and will be rolled out nationally in January for a RRP of £2.59 for a 375g pack.
Mexican wave with a Jalapeno kick
Pringles is launching Pringles Wavy potato chips next year.
According to the snack company, the chips are ‘a new twist on the iconic Pringles Original crisp’ with a ‘thick, wavy texture’ meant to ‘deliver a bold crunch and big flavor in every bite.’
Available in four flavors – Classic Salted, Sweet and Tangy BBQ, Applewood Smoked Cheddar and Fire Roasted Jalapeno – the chips are meant to evoke summertime grilling.
Pringles Wavy chips will be available in grocery stores and other retailers starting in January for a RRP of $1.79 for a 4oz can.
Jaffa Cake Nibbles: The social explorers’ snack
UK snacking company pladis is launching a Nibbles variant for its McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes brand, consisting of a sponge with an orange centre coated in milk and dark chocolate in a bite-sized format.
According to the company, the new format is targeted at 18-34-year-old ‘social explorers’ who are passionate about food, and will be accompanied by the rollout of a new pack design for Jaffa Cakes to ‘refresh and modernize the brand by emphasising its distinctive and playful cues, such as the zesty orange.’
Jaffa Cakes Nibbles will be available from January 7 in 39g packs for a RRP of £0.69 and 100g packs for a RRP of £1.50.
All I want for Christmas from Cadbury Cakes and Mr Kipling
Premier Foods has extended its Cadbury Cakes and Mr Kipling ranges for the festive season.
Two new seasonal editions of Cadbury Cakes have been launched, including a festive twist on Cadbury’s traditional chocolate gateau.
The Cadbury Chocolate and Caramel Reindeer Cake is a chocolate sponge filled with caramel cream, covered in Cadbury chocolate and topped with a white chocolate Rudolph plaque.
The Cadbury All I Want for Xmas 12-cake selection box includes Mini Rolls, Festive Cake Bars, Festive Flake Cakes, Mini Yule Logs, Caramel Cakes and Roses Strawberry Dream Cake Bars.
The Mr Kipling range has also received some seasonal spice with a 6-pack of Stem Ginger Slices and an 8-pack of Candy Cane Slices.
Available from retailers nationwide for a RRP of £3 for the Reindeer Cake; £4 for the 12-pack selection box; £2.29 for Mr Kipling Stem Ginger Slices and £1.50 for Mr Kipling Candy Cane Slices.
