Here are some of the new food product introductions registered by Mintel’s Global New Products Database this past month around the world.
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Vanilla & chocolate FABs
Attempts to market milk-based FABs persist. Past attempts include Super Milch in
Germany (a 5.5% ABV vodka milk shake drink) and Moo in the UK (a 5% ABV
milkshake “alcoholic dairy cooler”). A more recent attempt has been made in New
Zealand by Independent Liquor which has launched Vodka Mudshake Chocolate with
5% ABV. Independent Liquor has also added another interesting flavour addition
to the New Zealand FABs market: vanilla. This again has been added to vodka to
create Platinum Vanilla & Vodka. Both products come in single serve glass
bottles in multipacks of four.
Sugar-free Red Bull
It’s about time, some healthier consumers may say. Red Bull, the popular energy
drink is finally being launched in a sugar-free version in the UK and the US.
The UK line which has been picked up in retail still contains high energy
caffeine and taurine, but is sweetened with aspartame and acesulfame K. This
development will no doubt encourage others to follow suit and boost the
sugar-free segment of the market.
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By GlobalDataCheesy ice cream
The Asian ice cream market yet again surprises Western consumers by using savoury
ingredients in an otherwise sweet treat. The latest savoury addition is cheese.
New in the Philippines from Nestlé is Puto Bumbong comprising a macapuno
(“mutant coconut”) flavoured ice cream with rice cake and cheese bits!
Vitamin fortified sweets
For a while now, a healthy slant has been given to the sugar confectionery
market by fortifying lines with vitamins and minerals. We have also seen some
functional moves predominantly from niche players (e.g. Function prebiotic
sweets from Zile). Such healthy moves continue, and it is interesting to see
these developments from leading brands such as Fruit-tella. The new Fruit-tella
Plus line in Italy, from Perfetti Van Melle, comprises soft sweets with real
fruit juice and enriched with vitamins B, C and E as well as calcium.
Vitamin drinks
We continue to see a growing trend towards fortified beverages (juices in
particular) to boost the diet with vitamins and minerals (rather than through
taking tablet/capsule vitamin supplements). Many such launches have already
been reported in North America, but the latest has appeared in Ireland. New
under an aptly named, Vitz Liquid Health label, is a range of low sugar, no fat,
low calorie “daily vitamin boost” juice drinks available in two varieties. The
Tropical Tease Multi Vitamin Defence variety is fortified with vitamins A, C, E,
B6, B12, H and B5, and is designed to replace lost nutrients and “defend against
the hazards of modern living”. The Bursting Berry Boost Vitamin & Ginseng Energy
variety is enriched with vitamins C, B6, B3 and B5 as well as folic acid and
ginseng, and is said to add zing to consumer’s day.
Mars pushes cocoa benefits
Mars is again promoting the antioxidant and heart-health benefits of cocoa beans
through a new company division, The Positive Food Company. The company is set to
introduce a number of healthy cocoa snack products, the first of which is
Positively Healthy Cocoa Drink. The single dose (85ml) chilled milk drink is
said to be high in natural cocoa antioxidants and is marketed with the tagline
“top up your body’s defences”.
Blueberry potato snacks
Blueberry, a fruit touted for its antioxidant health benefits, is making a
surprise appearance in the savoury snacks market in China. New, from Lianhua
Foods, under the Cadina potato chips brand, are blueberry-flavoured potato
sticks!
KitKat Caramel & Coffee Twix
New flavours continue to be added to the leading KitKat chocolate biscuit
countline from Nestlé in an effort to maintain interest in the brand. The
latest is a caramel addition to the Chunky format in Australia. The new variety
has a smooth caramel layer over the wafer and is covered in milk chocolate.
While the Twix biscuit countline from Mars is now available in a coffee-flavoured variety in South Korea.
Jam with bamboo fibre
Added value is being given to a new strawberry & rhubarb jam in Italy with the
addition of fibre from wheatgerm and more unusually from bamboo fibre. The new
Menz & Gasser line is called Frutta & Fibra and comes in a glass jar.
A tasty way to five a day
Consumers in the UK are increasingly being encouraged towards eating five
portions of fruit and vegetables a day, as recommended by nutritionists.
Retailer Sainsbury, for example, markets a range of processed foods under the
banner Way to Five, each labelled as containing one or two of the daily
recommended portions. Branded products including soups and canned vegetables now
also carry an indication of their fruit/vegetable content in easy to follow
portions.
Solero, the Unilever-owned ice cream brand, is even following this trend.
Solero Getfruit! ice cream is sold in a one litre tub, described on-pack as “ice
cream to help you reach 5 a day”. It is available in varieties including
strawberry & raspberry, apple & blackcurrant, and tropical. The back of the
pack lists “5 good things” about the ice cream, including that it is made with
45% real fruit, has no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, and is a
good source of vitamin C. An additional panel describes how the product can
help you reach “5 a day”, as each 125ml serving of ice cream contains half a
portion of fruit.
Salad dressing for kids
One of our predictions in the US for 2003 was that there would be more
traditionally adult products targeted to kids. And now we have a few to back us
up. From Annie’s Naturals comes three varieties of Organic Salad Dressing truly
targeted to kids. Tutti Fruitti, Pizza Pie, and Zoom flavours are brightly
coloured in orange, red, and purple and are certified organic.
Microwaveable Doritos
A novel snack chip product is now available in the US from Frito-Lay. Doritos
Toppers Tortilla Snacks are microwaveable snack chips that deliver bold flavour
when warmed. The chips come in two microwaveable trays, but can also be eaten
straight from the pack. Ultimate Taco, Cheese Pizza, Pepperoni Pizza, Cheddar,
and Cheddar & Quesadilla varieties are retailing in supermarkets.
Green tea sodas
Steap Green Tea Sodas in the US are all-natural sodas that claim to be the first
soda marked with the new USDA certified organic seal. Moreover they combine
healthy green tea with popular sodas such as cola. The soda is brewed using
Ceylon green tea and comes in Cola, Lemon Dew, Raspberry, Orange, Key Lime, and
Root Beer flavours. Green tea is also an ingredient in Cricket Green Tea Cola
from Cricket Cola, available in regular and diet versions.
More than just a water
Who would have ever thought that water could contain ingredients that aid common
ailments? Well, Shannon Minerals of Limerick certainly did as it launched its
Tri na nog Functional Waters into Canada. The lineup includes Boost, to fight
colds; Osteo, to promote breast and bone health; Slim, to help curb appetites;
Mineral Max, to restore antioxidants; Cardio, to reduce critical blood fats;
Effervescent Get Up & Go, for men; and Detox, a peach-flavoured beverage for
women to aid recovery from hangovers.
Dissolving candy
In the US, Jakks Pacific (the Malibu-based toy maker) has launched Tongue Tape
described as a candy version of the dissolving breath-freshener strips popular
with adults (such as Wrigley’s Eclipse). Sources have said that the product is
set to begin showing up on select toy store shelves. This “kid version of an
adult product that’s also fun to collect” is the company’s biggest launch of a
non-licensed toy. The product is said to dissolve quickly in your mouth, but
leaves a lasting flavour. The various flavours are housed in plastic containers
similar to those of the breath fresheners, but with different cartoon-like
decorations, each sporting a giant tongue that reinforces the names: Growlin’
Grape, Lip-Lemony-Lemon, Cherry Pit Stop, Blue Ratsberry, Cinna-Bomb, and
Ooh-Ooh Orange.
Low-carb bread becomes more mainstream
As the Atkins diet surge continues, lower-carb bread is moving from an expensive
specialty product to a $2 loaf that can be picked up in mainstream supermarkets.
The newest offering in the US, Nature’s Own Premium Wheat, promises half the
carbohydrates of regular bread. The Nature’s Own reduced-carbohydrate bread has
60 calories a slice, the same as traditional varieties. Soy protein replaces
wheat flour to trim the carb count, but not the calorie count.
Sprite Remix to hit stores in late spring
Coca-Cola has announced that it will launch in the US Sprite Remix, a new line
extension of America’s number one lemon-lime soft drink. The new beverage will feature a new tropical version of Sprite and will be launched with a unique graphic
treatment of the signature Sprite logo. Rollout is scheduled for late spring
2003, in which it will initially be available in 20-oz. bottles and will be
available in additional package sizes later in the spring and summer.
