This week's edition of the FoodNavigator new product trend tracker features an innovative solution from Kinnerton to allow consumers with nut allergies to enjoy the hazelnut taste of chocolate, while Bahlsen has teamed up with Baileys to make a 'truly indulgent biscuit'. Here are some innovation highlights from around Europe.
Image: Getty/tiero
This week's edition of the FoodNavigator new product trend tracker features an innovative solution from Kinnerton to allow consumers with nut allergies to enjoy the hazelnut taste of chocolate, while Bahlsen has teamed up with Baileys to make a 'truly indulgent biscuit'. Here are some innovation highlights from around Europe.
Image: Getty/tiero
Kinnerton’s chocolate brand Nomo has launched a nut-free ‘Hazelnot’ bar in the UK to appeal to customers with allergies.
According to the brand, the Nut Free Hazelnot Choc Bar has been carefully developed so that all chocolate lovers can enjoy the taste and texture of hazelnuts. Made with crunchy cocoa nibs, rice crispie pieces and natural nut free flavour, the launch means “anyone with a dietary intolerance, nut allergy or restriction will never have to miss out on the great taste of nuts ever again,” said Kinnerton.
Emma Perrett, Senior Innovation and Brand Manager of Kinnerton Confectionery said: “Ensuring that no one misses out is the corner stone of our brand and one of the reasons we have gone to such extraordinary lengths to create a Nut Free Hazelnot choc bar. We know that some people can’t enjoy great tasting nut chocolate, and that all consumers should have a variety of choice and flavour at every occasion.
“One of our aims at NOMO is to develop mainstream flavours that we know customers will love regardless of whether they are vegan or have a food allergy and so we are delighted to offer this new delicious nut flavoured, but completely nut free, chocolate to the market.”
The bar is available from UK supermarket Asda for an RRP of £2.00.
Benecol has rebranded its cholesterol-lowering product portfolio with a ‘clean and fresh’ new design.
The range, which includes yogurts, yogurt drinks, spreads and cereal bars, will be gradually rolled out in the new branding from May 2020 in all UK major supermarkets.
Benecol said the new packaging aims to bring the fresh taste of the functional foods to life. The product efficacy message – that they are ‘proven to lower cholesterol’ – will also be highlighted more prominently as part of the new design.
Benecol Brand Manager, Jennifer Coates, said: “Benecol has been leading the way in the cholesterol management category by continuously innovating for over two decades. We are very proud of our great-tasting portfolio which is proven to lower cholesterol and believe that this new branding underlines that message completely, whilst also conveying the quality of the foods.
“Benecol aims to educate and encourage people across the UK to make small and easy switches to their daily routines and help them lower their cholesterol, by demonstrating that a balanced diet can still mean delicious food too.”
UK canned food company Princes has announced a £10 ‘Hero Pack’ of the brand’s family favourite products that will be available for purchase and delivered free of charge to Blue Light Card holders including NHS staff, those working in the Emergency Services and Armed Forces personnel during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Ruth Simpson, Group Director Foods & Marketing at Princes, said: “Along with the nation, we have been truly humbled by the work of those on the front line during the coronavirus pandemic. It’s clear that they will have little time to shop, and so we wanted to create a service that would deliver a special selection of our favourite products direct to them. We hope the range of products provides peace of mind that they will be able to make nutritious, convenient and tasty meals outside their working hours.”
The bundles will initially include three cans of tuna chunks in spring water, tomato and herb mackerel sizzle, mackerel fillets, reduced salt corned beef, peach slices, black cherry fruit filling and Princes orange juice.
Orders can be placed online with delivery expected within three days.
Swedish grocery retailer Coop, in association with food producer Grön Ko, is offering a new round, 300-gram, pack for chilled ready meals.
“The new pack is smaller than the ones already in the range, and therefore costs less to purchase and produce. This means we can offer products of the same high quality, but at a lower retail price for the consumer,” said Jesper Malm, Strategic Buyer Private Label, Coop Sweden.
Coop currently has around a dozen products in Micvac packs in its private label range, and many more for other brands. One of the meals in this new pack is mushroom risotto by Grön Ko, which was launched in mid-April.
“Micvac packs make it possible to sell fresh convenience food that’s as similar to homemade food as possible. Also, thanks to the cooking technique, products in Micvac packs have a long overall shelf life, which helps us to prevent wastage,” added Malm.
Micvac added it is also seeing increased demand for different pack sizes.
“Fresh convenience food is one of the fastest growing categories in Swedish grocery retail. Consumers are looking for a wider range and variety of dishes, as well as different pack sizes. We see this as a natural progression in being able to offer our customers more sizes, so as to meet the increase in demand,” said Malin Brodén, Marketing Director at Micvac.
German-based Seeberger has added roasted almonds, Brazil nuts, walnuts and unsalted roasted cashews to its range of unsalted organic snacks, called BIO.
The flavours are available in German supermarkets at a RRP from €3.45. The nuts join the brand’s existing flavours: Fruity Brazil Nuts, Berries Nuts, Gourmet Mix, Protein Mix, Cashew-Mango and Mango.
UK meat alternatives brand Meatless Farm has replaced soya with pea protein in its sausages and burger patties, which it said will deliver taste and texture that are even more like meat.
Morten Toft Bech, Founder of Meatless Farm, said the products are designed to tempt even more meat eaters to trial and adopt its meat-free products.
He said: “Since launch, our purpose has been to help people eat a little less meat in order to create a more sustainable food system. Taste and texture are the biggest barriers to trial for meat eaters which is why we are very excited to launch our meatiest recipe yet. We’ve seen a shift in consumer attitudes towards plant-based food, it’s not a vegan niche but becoming a mainstream movement. More than seven out of ten people make repeat purchases of our products and we are predicting that as more people try our great products even more will buy them again and again.”
UK yogurt maker Yeo Valley has introduced ‘Super Thick Kerned Yogurt’ which the firm says is naturally high in protein and low in sugar and fat thanks to it being strained up to nine times, creating the thickest and creamiest yogurt yet in the Yeo Valley range.
The product also features the brand’s first ever pot made from 100% recycled and recyclable plastic and card.
Yeo Valley ‘Super Thick Kerned Yogurt’ will be rolling out nationally over the next two months beginning with Morrison’s. The MMRP is 450g at £2.75 and 850g at £3.75.
Size formats are 850g, 450g and 170g in two fat varieties, 0% and 5%.
German family-run biscuit company Bahlsen has teamed up with drinks brand Baileys to bring out Baileys Squares Strawberries & Cream in the UK.
The company said the limited-edition product has been designed to tap into demand for ‘truly indulgent biscuits’ within the category, while also aligning with the iconic British summertime flavour combination of berries and cream, that consumers ‘know and love’.
The new biscuit is composed of a smooth centre layer infused with the taste of Baileys Strawberries & Cream, sandwiched between a light wafer biscuit and a continental milk chocolate square.
Julien Lacrampe, Trade Marketing Manager at Bahlsen said: “Through the success of the Special Treats category we’ve witnessed the increasing consumer appetite for truly indulgent biscuits and we’re thrilled to be able to expand our offering to continue to meet this demand. Marrying together two much loved treats, that are Bahlsen biscuits and Baileys Strawberries & Cream, we’re confident that this new product launch will become a firm favourite amongst consumers.”
Bahlsen Baileys Squares Strawberries & Cream are available in UK supermarket Waitrose from late April in 125g packs (12 biscuits) with an RRP of £1.79.
