Product showcase 2020: Freeze-dried Scottish peas, limited edition Minecraft breakfast cereal and DIY #bananabread mixes

Bake like a pro

Women-owned banana bread company GoNanas has launched banana bread mixes to capitalise on the banana bread at home trend during lockdown. According to the brand, banana bread has become the Official Comfort Food of the Coronavirus.

The Not Your Nana’s banana bread mix line includes Crackly, Original and Chocolate Chip, with seasonal Pumpkin Spice available from September 16. The mixes are all vegan, gluten-free and top allergen free.

With premade GoNanas’ mini loaves, muffins and cake pops flying off the shelves at select retailers in the US, GoNana’s cofounders Morgan Lerner and Annie Slabotsky launched the suite of mixes to allow people to enjoy their breads in the comfort of their homes.

Available online – along with variety packs, and subscriptions – as well as in Nordstrom Racks, on Amazon and other online marketplaces for an RRP starting at $7.99 for GoNana's banana bread mixes.

Scots rollout

Podberry – the UK’s first freeze-dried snack made with Scottish-grown peas – has secured two new listings with Lidl and Coop in Scotland.

Podberry’s Sweet Chilli, Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar varieties will be rolling out in 104 Lidl stores from the beginning of September (at a special price of 59p per pack for a two-week trial) and in 30 Co-op stores from November 2.

An exciting move for the brand – which is currently stocked in Morrisons, independents and available online – the new listings demonstrate a growing demand for healthy snacks with no compromise in flavour.

The entire range – which includes Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar, Sweet Chilli, ham Hock and Parmesan & Truffle variants – are vegan, high in protein, low in fat, gluten free and one of your five-a-day, along with being free from artificial colours, flavours and preservatives. The peas are frozen in less than two and a half hours from harvest and then freeze dried, not fried.

“It has obviously been a tough year for producers, but as things begin to return to normal, a purchase of Podberry is not only a unique, healthy and delicious snack for people to enjoy, but a way to support a Scottish business, too,”​ said Gemma Rae, commercial manager at Podberry.

Podberry is available in 20g packs with an RRP of £1pp.

French pâtisserie

Tipiak has unveiled a luxury Vegan Cocktail Selection – launching exclusively in the UK – which features a range of bite-sized vegan-friendly snacks.

The finger food assortment includes Almond Cream & Edamame Bean on Pea & Mint Muffins; Carrot, Lemon & Ginger Mousseline Mini Tarts; Sesame Hummus & Courgette Tagliatelle on Courgette & Pine Nut Shortbread; Sun-dried Cherry Tomato & Olive Tapenade on Curry Polenta Cubes: Guacamole & Almond on Walnut Crackers; Piquillo & Sweet Pepper Tomato Tarts; and Falafel Bites topped with Sesame Seeds.

The frozen canapes are packed on gold-coloured cardboard trays that are 100% recyclable. Each box contains 36 individual pieces across seven different varieties. Simply defrost before serving for maximum convenience.

“The new Tipiak Vegan Cocktail selection is a world first for us, bringing something unique to the table,”​ said Marie-Emmanuelle Chessé, international development project manager at Tipiak.

“The demand for vegan-friendly products in the food service sector and interest in plant-based items generally has grown enormously in the UK in recent times. The selection has been especially developed by our chefs, bringing together the finest ingredients and flavours to create a truly exquisite explosion of plant-based colour and flavour that has to be eaten to be believed.”​

Produced and hand-finished in France, the Tipiak ‘thaw and serve’ Vegan Cocktail Selection is available nationwide through frozen food wholesalers.

Get your crunch on

Soozy’s Grain-Free has launched a line of shelf-stable cookies, expanding its promise to make innovative nutrient-dense alternatives of favourites more accessible.

The grain-free and plant-based cookies are full of nutrient-rich ingredients like almond flour and cassava flour, are low-carb and low-sugar, as well as being certified vegan and made without gluten, grains, dairy, eggs and soy, and are naturally low-carb and low-sugar. Available in three varieties: Chocolate Chip, N’Oatmeal Raisin and Birthday Cake.

“We are beyond excited to be introducing our first shelf-stable product to consumers,”​ said Mason Sexton, cofounder & CEO of Soozy’s Grain-Free.

“We don’t think that consumers should have to sacrifice taste for nutrition, or nutrition for taste. We believe that they can, and should, have it all: a product that's nutrient-rich, tastes great and makes them feel their absolute best.”​

All of Soozy’s products are Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Glyphosate Residue Free and made without sugar alcohols, gums and stabilizers.

The new line of cookies expands upon the company’s portfolio that includes grain-free muffins and donuts. The cookies are packaged as four individually wrapped 2-cookie packs, available exclusively at Whole Food Market stores across the US for an RRP of $5.99.

Celebrating birthday – everyday

Little Debbie snacks has created a mini, anytime treat of the traditional birthday cake.

The pop-able muffin features the same birthday cake flavour as the iconic Little Debbie Birthday Cakes and comes with colourful confetti inclusions. The sweet treats are packaged in individual pouches, making them the perfect grab-and-go celebration for those everyday moments.

“Birthday Cake Mini Muffins were the obvious next choice when expanding our Mini Muffin/Brownie lineup,”​ said Erica Harrison, Little Debbie product manager.

“Birthday Cake is a top flavour in the Baked Sweet Goods category and we have seen great success with our Little Debbie Birthday Cakes. So, by taking the successful elements from a fan favourite and ‘mini muffin-ising’ them, it made for a colourful addition to the brand that the entire family can enjoy.”​

According to brand owner McKee Foods, a Little Debbie product is purchased more than 50 times per second in the US and Canada. Little Debbie snacks are baked fresh and delivered from its bakery to wholesale distributors.

Indulgent moments

pladis is expanding its £19m McVitie’s Cake Bar range with the launch of McVitie’s Moments Brownies – the category’s first fully chocolate-enrobed brownies.

Available in Double Choc Fudge and Creamy White Choc flavour variants, McVitie’s Moments Brownies comprise a chocolatey brownie topped with milk chocolate ganache or white chocolate cream and smothered in McVitie’s’ milk chocolate.

“Historically, cake has under-indexed against the evening consumption occasion, where consumers often want a little reward or indulgence at the end of the day,”​ said Claire Hooper, head of Marketing, Cake at pladis UK&I.

“However, indulgence is a key trend in the category and growing numbers of shoppers now tuck into cake during typically indulgent moments – whether that’s as an evening treat or a during moment of ‘me-time’.”​

McVitie’s Moments Brownies are available in a pack of five individually wrapped bars for an RRP of £1.85 across major retailers. Packaging is recyclable through pladis’ partnership with Terracycle.

Just desserts

Magnolia Bakery has launched a fun and educational DIY Banana Pudding Kit, so aspiring bakers can make their own version of the bakery’s popular treat.

The kits – which make 16 servings – are filled with vanilla pudding mix (Jell-O brand), sweetened condensed milk, Nilla Wafers, Magnolia Bakery pudding cups and spoons.

The pudding for the month for September is a Salty & Sweet Banana, made with chocolate covered pretzels, mini chocolate chips, salted caramel drizzle, Oreo cookie pieces and the signature banana pudding.

It’s available throughout the month in-stores and through local delivery and nationwide shipping through Goldbelly starting September 1, for an RRP of $24.99 + shipping costs.

Morning snacks

Mondelēz International is expanding its legacy brand Bournvita into the morning snacking space, another foray after Bournvita Biscuits.

Bournvita Fills is a nourishing breakfast cereal that provides the nutritional benefits of Bournvita of strong bones, strong muscles and active brain.

 “For more than 70 years, our products have delighted consumers, both at an emotional and a functional level. Bournvita continues to play a crucial and trusted role in consumers’ lives,”​ said Deepak Iyer, president, India, Mondelēz International.

“A few years back, the brand extended successfully into morning snacking occasion with the launch of Bournvita Biscuits. Today, as part of same strategy, the brand is expanding its presence in the morning snacking occasion through the launch of Bournvita Fills – an easy-to-eat and nutritious snack that can be had with or without milk. We see tremendous opportunity for this product and are excited about the role it will play in the lives of our consumers.”​

Bournvita Fills is initially hitting the shelves in the markets of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra – to be followed by a pan-India launch in the coming months – for an RRP of Rs 10 for the 18g pack and Rs 170 for the 250g pack.

Get a taste for Minecraft

Gamers can now experience Minecraft’s ever-changing landscape with a brand-new platform: breakfast.

The limited-edition Kellogg’s Minecraft Creeper Crunch Cereal features cinnamon-flavoured bites and green squares of ‘Creeper Bit’ marshmallows that evoke Minecraft’s famously pixelated block look. Each box includes a code that unlocks one of 10 in-game clothing items – typically only available by purchase – allowing the Minecraft community to customise their characters.

“Minecraft players seek to experience the imaginative, adventurous spirit offered within the game,”​ said Kayleen Walters, GM of licensing and partnerships at Mojang Studios.

“Partnering with Kellogg’s is the perfect opportunity for our community to extend the vibrant creativity of the game they already eat up — and it gives them a literal taste of Minecraft in real life.”​

Kellogg's Minecraft Creeper Crunch Cereal is available online and in stores across the US for an RRP of $3.99 for an 8oz box and $5.69 for a 12.7oz box.

Simply sweet

Sweet Street is rolling out freshly baked Manifesto individually wrapped cookies and bars made from simple ingredients and designed for grab-and-go consumption.

Made with only pure cane sugar, cage free eggs and sustainably grown chocolates – Sweet Street ensures that farmers and their families are taught better farming practices, helping them protect their land for future generations.

The seven irresistible treats include:

• Salted Caramel Crunch Manifesto Cookie
• Sandy’s Amazing Chocolate Chunk Manifesto Cookie
• Zoe’s Crush Manifesto Cookie (Certified Gluten Free)
• Toffee Crunch Manifesto Blondie
• Peruvian Chocolate Manifesto Brownie
• Honduran Chocolate Manifest Brownie  (Certified Gluten Free)
• Chewy Marshmallow Manifesto Bar (Certified Gluten Free)

Available through wholesale distributors in the US.