New product showcase 2021: Pump up summer with Sliced Sourdough, Banana Ice Cream, Veggie Buttons and Danish Crowns
Nutty about the new bars
Kellogg’s has expanded its Crunchy Nut offering with the launch of Nut Butter Bars.
Made with 40% nuts and real nut butter, the new bars marry the creamy softness of nut butter with the crunch of whole roasted nuts and chocolate and come in two variants – Cocoa Hazelnut and Almond.
The bars are gluten free, contain no palm oil and no artificial colours or preservatives.
“Knowing the popularity of the cereal, launching Crunchy Nut ‘Nut Butter Bars’ allows us to meet a wider range of consumer occasions and tap into the growing trend of nut butter,” said Susann Heinz, senior brand activation manager at Kellogg’s UKI.
“Crunchy Nut is regularly hailed as the UK’s favourite cereal and we’re confident fans will love this delicious snack as much as we do.”
The bars are available in a number of major UK convenience stores, including Co-op, for an RRP of £1.30.
Upping the beef
Wenzel’s Farm – an award winning provider of hand crafted, small batch meat snacks – has introduced two new variants to its popular Beef Jerky line. Joining the Original, Peppered and Teriyaki flavours are Smoked BBQ and Sweet and Spicy.
The Beef Jerky contains no artificial colours or MSG and is gluten-free, with 10g of protein per serving, which is only 90 calories. Using family recipes that have been handed down for generations, Wenzel’s Farm has been producing quality Wisconsin meat products since 1949.
“In the past year, our beef jerky has become a huge success,” said Mark Vieth, president of Wenzel’s Farm.
“The introduction of these two new flavours will significantly expand our offerings, and help meet the demand and desires of our customers.”
Available from selected retailers and online.
Bread made better
Bertinet Bakery is launching a category-first softer ‘sandwich-friendly’ sliced clean sourdough nationally across Sainsbury’s, as part of the retailer’s Future Brands Programme.
Following a successful launch into Waitrose a couple of years ago and Ocado earlier this year, the brand is rolling its new next generation White, Malted Wheat and Seeded Sliced loaves in 500g formats across Sainsbury’s stores in the UK.
“The success we have seen in Waitrose and Ocado and now launching into JS makes us all very proud and is aligned with our vison of making clean healthy sourdough breads more widely accessible and consumed by more people, not only foodies and early adopters,” said Dear Arbel, MD of Bertinet Bakery.
The new Bertinet Bakery sliced sourdough loaves are crafted using revolutionary new baking methods, with just flour, water and sea salt to ensure premium taste and a clean label. The brand has optimised the sourdough fermentation process to naturally enhance the prebiotics benefits, whilst using Japanese-inspired baking methods to soften the texture and extend the shelf-life without adding any further ingredients.
Bertinet Bakery Sliced Seeded Sourdough has an RRP of £3.95 (1.1kg) and £2.25 (550g), while the White Sliced Sourdough and Malted Wheat have an RRP of £3.50 (1kg) and £1.95 (500g).
For healthy growth
Baby snack brand Kiddylicious has launched a vibrant range of foods specially made for 3+ years to sustain category growth.
The range includes tot-friendlier alternatives to mainstream adult snacks, including Veggie Buttons, Popped Hoops and Fruity Drops to appeal to the untapped pre-school segment.
It is also designed to appeals to discerning parents. Portion-controlled for tinier tums and fit for little fingers, the fresh Kiddylicious range offers reassuring nutritional claims, including ‘low in saturated fat’, ‘packed with veggies’ and ‘over 95% fruit’.
Veggie Buttons are air-popped, not fried, are low in saturated fat and pack veggie-goodness in every bite: available in Mixed Pepper as well as naturally-sweet Butternut Squash and Beetroot flavour combs.
Popped Hoops are also packed with veggies, each serving providing a source of protein from lentils and rice, and is available in Cheesy and BBQ.
Fruity Drops are juicy jelly roundels made from 96% fruit and high in fibre, in Strawberry, Apple and Pumpkin as well as ever-popular Raspberry and Apple variants.
“Our commitment to improving on choices available to parents has fuelled growth,” said Twan Thord, MD of Kiddylicious UK.
“By enticing parents to stay in the category for longer, this first-to-market innovation is another example of us supporting parents when they need it most.”
Exclusive DTC roll out
KIND, the UK’s fastest growing healthy snack bar brand, is rolling out its first direct-to-customer (DTC) exclusive flavour - Dark Chocolate Ginger Almond.
Available from July, the latest limited edition launch will be available in packs of six from the company’s website for an RRP of £10 including P&P.
But fans need to be quick as the brand is only making 4,000 packs available.
Drizzled in dark chocolate with a hint of ginger spice, the new bar uses almonds as the main ingredient. It is gluten-free, high fibre and contains 52% nuts.
“We recognise the importance of having a strong DTC offering more than ever and are really excited to be able to launch our first exclusive flavour to our online customers,” said John McManus, UK marketing director of KIND.
“Since we launched our DTC website at the end of 2019 we’ve seen phenomenal growth of more than 1,000%. The website stocks the full KIND range as well as work from home bundles and subscriptions and now exciting limited editions. We can’t wait to see what people think of the Ginger flavour.”
Summer is easy
It’s summertime, which means families are looking for quick and easy eats so they can make the most out of the coming school holidays.
Quaker’s newest lineup of products does just that and has something for everyone.
Chewy Fruity Fun Granola Bars in Amazing Apple and Splendid Strawberry add more fun to the classic Chewy bars for a refreshing summer snack.
Chewy Mini Dipps – in Birthday Blast and Summer Night S’mores flavours – will become your go-to indulgent snack for families on-the-go.
Quaker Rice Chips are popped to perfection and give a flavour-packed bite in both Sour Cream & Chive and Farmhouse Cheddar variants.
Rice-A-Roni Heat & Eat are convenient rice pouches featuring in blend of herbs, grains and spices that is ready in just 90 seconds in the microwave. Available in Herb & Butter, Garlic & Olive Oil and Spicy Spanish.
Quaker’s newest products are available from local US grocery stores and select online retailers for an RRP of $3.29 per box of Fruity Fun Granola Bars; $3.99 per box of Mini Dipps; $2.29 per bag of Rice Chips; and $2.19 per pouch of Rice-A-Roni Heat & Eat.
Sprouted goodness
Seeded bread pioneer Burgen has launched two new loaves in its Sprouted Grains range – Soya & Linseed and Oat & Quinoa – sold in sustainably sourced recyclable packaging, an ‘environment-first’ move away from the standard plastic bread bag.
The launch of the new loaves is a response to increasing consumer demand for plant-based options that are positive choices for the environment and offer added health benefits, but do not compromise on taste.
Burgen’s Sprouted Grains range uses one quarter sprouted wholegrain flour. When a grain sprouts, changes take place that impact how the grain behaves when milled and used as a flour. These changes also make the grains attractive to the healthy-eating crowd, offering a source of fibre, protein and vitamins B12 and D.
“Our delicious new Burgen Sprouted Grain loaves are designed to deliver in response to the demand for healthier bread that’s good for you and better for the planet,” said Peda Alabi, Burgen brand owner.
“These new loaves offer sprouted grains, recycle at home paper packaging and a 575g loaf to minimise food waste, allowing consumers to make bread a positive choice one loaf at a time.”
The new Soya & Linseed and Oat & Quinoa Burgen loaves will initially be available in Sainsbury’s, Nisa and Ocado for an RRP of £1.50.
Nice cream
Move over banana bread.
Banana Scoops has launched the UK’s first ice cream made from bananas.
The vegan, dairy-free treat is made from creamy bananas sourced from Costa Rica, and blended with dates for natural sweetness, counting as one of your 5-a-day with only 156 calories for half a tub.
The treat is available in recyclable 500ml tubs and comes in three variants – Banilla, Chocolate and Raspberry – all made in the UK and available on Ocado and Planet Organic for an RRP of £5.49.
Me-time treat
Pladis has expanded its £9.9m McVitie’s V.I.Bs range with an Indulgent Chocolate Cherry variant.
Each digestive biscuit has been golden-baked and is coated in a layer of chocolate cherry flavoured chewy caramel and topped with McVitie’s milk chocolate.
“We’re encouraging shoppers to enjoy some much-needed me time with a cup of tea and a biscuit that’s a permissible indulgence,” said Emma Stowers, McVitie’s marketing director at pladis UK.
“Our McVitie’s V.I.Bs are already encouraging ‘everyday treat’ shoppers nationwide to trade-up and treat themselves, whilst helping retailers boost revenue in the process.
“Since launch, McVitie’s V.I.Bs have had a key role in welcoming new shoppers – particularly younger shoppers – to the McVitie’s brand. In fact, McVitie’s V.I.Bs over-index with under 45s compared with Everyday Treats sub-sector as a whole,” she added, noting that pladis research found 74% of shoppers between the ages of 16-34 are looking for more flavour innovation.
“What’s more, cherry flavoured products are hot property at the moment – and NPD incorporating this flavour grew by +23% over the past year.”
McVitie’s Indulgent Chocolate Cherry V.I.Bs has launched into Tesco for an RRP of £1.79, with a larger roll-out to follow.
Scorchin’ hot!
The masters of flavour at Pringles are peeling back the onion with the addition of a fourth new fiery flavour to its Scorchin’ collection – Sour Cream & Onion.
Adding to the collection that includes Scorchin’ takes on classic BBQ, Cheddar and Chili & Lime, the new variant packs all the bold, tangy flavours fans know, but kicks it up notch with a spicy heat from smoky cayenne pepper that builds over time.
“We know that unique and spicy flavours are the top two things Zillenials look for when trying new snacks, and those qualities happen to be a specialty of ours at Pringles,” said Gareth Maguire, senior director of marketing for Pringles.
“The debut of Pringles Scorchin' Sour Cream & Onion gives a kick to the classic tangy and zesty Pringles flavour — and gives those looking for some spice in their life another reason to enjoy the new Scorchin' collection."
Pringles Scorchin' Sour Cream & Onion is available in the snack aisles of select retailers across the US.
Fit for royalty
On its mission to share the bakery cultures of the world, Bridor has again taken inspiration from Scandinavia.
The French bakery manufacturer has added modernity and originality to the Nordic classic by developing an even more indulgent Danish Crowns, and follows the launch earlier this year of its Ultra Kanel Swirl with Swedish origins.
The pastry retains its iconic shape, laminated look, and light, crispy texture thanks to a unique lamination technique that alternates up to 27 thin layers of margarine and pastry. It is then left to rest for a long period of time to allow the topping flavours to deepen.
The Danish Crown is available in three versions, all of which are suitable for vegans, including Cherry & Flax Seed Crown, Vanilla & Chopped Hazelnut Crown and Orange & Chopped Hazelnut Crown.
Fun fact: Danish pastries were invented in Denmark over 150 years ago by Austrian bakers while local bakers were on strike. They quickly became popular in the country, leading to the development of new recipes and the addition of sweet toppings and fillings – a recipe of success for the world famous pastry that is so popular today.
