Launches this month include quinoa pasta, probiotic bars and fava bean crackers while some manufacturers are gearing up for Halloween and Christmas with seasonal products.
Planet Organic claims to have created the UK’s first-ever raw chocolate snack bar with added probiotics, Biolive Crunch, tapping into the trend for microbiome-friendly food.
According to the retailer, each bar contains one billion colony forming units of the spore-forming probiotic bacteria strain, Bacillus coagulans GBI-30, 6086.
There are no approved health claims for probiotics in Europe – and Planet Organic is careful to avoid making any on-pack, merely stating the presence of the 'good' bacteria - but consumer interest in the subject is growing. In addition to the booming probiotic supplement market, fermented foods such as kefir, kombucha and sauerkraut are increasing in popularity.
Launched at the start of August, the bars are vegan, gluten-free and free from refined sugar.
They come in three flavours - Salted Almond, Goji & Pumpkin Seed and Mulberry Spirulina - each with a crunchy buckwheat coating and raw cacao inclusion.
Retailing for £2.50 (€2.79), Planet Organic says sales have already reached the thousands in the first month alone, making Biolive Crunch the best-selling product out of their 150 other snack brands.
UK company Easy Bean has expanded beyond its pulse-based ready meal range to the cracker category.
Gluten-free, wheat-free, high fibre and suitable for vegetarians, the savoury crackers are available in three flavours: red lentil & poppy seed; green pea & chia seed; and fava bean & poppy seed.
The crackers are an ideal accompaniment with cheese, it says.
The manufacturer also makes one-pot, bean-based meals in a range of ethnic flavours, such as Indian sambar, Thai edamame curry and African palava.
The crackers have been shortlisted for a Great British Food Awards, the winner of which will be announced this autumn.
French confectionery maker Lutti is gearing up for Halloween with a limited edition launch of four horror-themed products.
The range includes a Scoobidoo-themed mix of sweets "in Halloween colours" with, strawberry, blueberry and orange flavours. The recommended retail price is €1.79 for 175 g.
It also has a ‘Terror Mix Dooo’, fruit-flavoured candy assortment with spider, snake and skeleton shapes with a recommended retail price of €5.37 for 500 g and strawberry-flavoured vampire teeth, available in both fizzy and plain.
English tea company Pukka, meanwhile, is more focussed on Christmas with the launch of an organic tea advent calendar.
The calendar contains 24 individually-wrapped organic teas and herbal tea infusions. The company said the selection is inspired by Ayurvedic medicine and includes a range of teas to soothe, energise, protect and comfort.
The advent calendar will be available in France from 1 November onwards with a recommended retail price of €12.99.
Pukka products are sold in 40 countries around the world.
British meat company Heck Foods launched four vegetarian sausages at the end of August.
The range includes The Beet Goes On, made from beetroot, carrot, sunflower seeds and horseradish; Super Greens made with quinoa, kale, spinach and ginger; Bollywood Bites, which are a blend of cauliflower, pulses, seeds, herbs and spices; and Sweet Fusion with Thai pesto, sweet potato and sticky rice.
Approved by the Vegetarian and Vegan Society, the products are available across the UK in the supermarkets Asda, Waitrose, Morrisons and Ocado or from Heck’s online shop.
The company says they are dairy- and gluten-free, low in fat and sugar and a source of protein and fibre.
They are sold at £3 (€3.35) for a 225 g pack of six sausages.
French quinoa cooperative Quinoa d’Anjou has developed fusilli-shaped, gluten-free pasta.
High in protein and fibre, the twists are made with just two ingredients – quinoa and water – and can be cooked in five minutes. They have a nutty flavour, it said, and can be eaten hot or cold.
The recommended retail price is between €2.70 and €3 for a 250 g packet and the pasta is available in Système U supermarkets as well as specialist food shops.
Grown in the Loire valley, the Quinoa d’Anjou cooperative also manufactures a sugar-free breakfast cereal of puffed quinoa grain.
Family-owned French brand L’Épicurien has launched a range of fruit-based purees (coulis) that can be used as a culinary aid in desserts, sauces and salsas or in cocktails and fruit smoothies.
Free from artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, the coulis have a high fruit content of 85% and are available in four flavours: melon, mint & Espilette chilli pepper; orange, clementine & ginger; mango, coconut, passionfruit & coriander; and strawberry, redcurrant, yuzu & Kampot pepper.
Two products have protected designation of origin ingredients: French Espilette chilli and Cambodian Kampot pepper.
The products retail for €7.50 for a 220 ml bottle, and is available in specialist food stores or online.
