The Productscan food review has noted some unusual new entrants into food markets across the world this month, including square watermelons and sausages filled with goji berries.
In the US, the Fizzy Fruit Company has launched grapes that have been injected with carbon dioxide, making them fizzy. The company said the product, originally developed for schools but now being introduced in the retail market, is 100% natural apart from the carbonation.
While on the subject of strange fruits, in the UK Tesco has added square watermelons to its range. Square watermelons, which are grown in plastic boxes in order to shape them, were originally developed in Japan, but Tesco’s are imported from Brazil. They are grown square in order to make them easier to store and cut.
The goji berry, which has been gaining in popularity in both Europe and the US, has made a further entry into the market, with US company Fabrique Delices launching frozen Pheasant Sausage containing goji berries. The berries have been dubbed a “super-food” because of their alleged health benefits including being able to fight heart disease, cancer and even boost libido.
Another “super-food” which is attracting attention is camel’s milk which is rich in vitamins B and C and is said to have ten times more iron than cow’s milk. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is reportedly trying to increase interest in the product in the west. Camel’s milk is consumed widely across the Arab world, and features in a range of products such as the recently launched Al Ain Dairy Camel Milk Ice Cream in the United Arab Emirates.
For the less health-conscious, Rex’s Outrageous has launched a new chocolate and peanut snack in the US, called Road Crew Crunch. Designed to look like the various materials put into road construction, the range features bizarre flavour names such as Asphalt, Gravel, Mud and Sand.
In Japan, Kyodo Nyugyo has launched a melon and coconut flavoured Meito French Yoghurt, with added egg, a product not usually featured in yoghurts but which is said to give the product a rich and pure flavour.
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