In this week's NPD Trend Tracker, we have a medical drink to help children with disease-related malnutrition and an educational programme to help children learn about food waste. We also have a dandelion-spiced rum, condiments that help metabolic health, gut-health boosting dairy-free yoghurt, and a major crisp company being stocked with British Airways.
In this week's NPD Trend Tracker, we have a medical drink to help children with disease-related malnutrition and an educational programme to help children learn about food waste. We also have a dandelion-spiced rum, condiments that help metabolic health, gut-health boosting dairy-free yoghurt, and a major crisp company being stocked with British Airways.
Image Source: Hiroshi Watanabe/Getty Images
Danone-owned health and nutritional care firm Nutricia has launched a medical drink to help paediatric patients. The drink is composed of a mix of real fruit and vegetables, formulated with the intention of mitigating disease-related malnutrition and faltering growth in paediatric patients.
Malnourishment can prevent children from growing properly, and one in two hospitalised children are malnourished. Created through a collaboration between parents and younger patients, Fortini + Mix Multi Fibre aims to help malnourished children grow. Providing one third of their five-a-day, the drink supports children who have a wide range of medical conditions.
“We know the role that food plays, not only in terms of health, but also socially and emotionally. And this is no exception for younger patients with specific medical nutritional needs. When nutritional intervention is needed, the lack of naturalness can be frustrating for both younger patients and their parents”, says June Zhang, VP of Categories, Brands and Innovation Specialized Nutrition at Danone.
“We are pleased to pioneer our first medical nutrition drink with a balance of real fruit and vegetable ingredients, empowering patients’ needs, Healthcare Professionals recommendations and parental wishes.”
The drink is now available in the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and Sweden.
Image Source: Nutricia
UK-based Warner’s Distillery, known for producing gins, has launched its first rum. The rum uses farm-grown dandelion root to provide its flavour, evolving from a 2019 project using only ingredients from a bee’s flight through Warner’s farm.
Discovering that dandelion root delivers a warm spice when roasted and distilled, the makers of Warner’s Distillery now cultivate 600 square metres of dandelions, which are then roasted in their local coffee roasters and form the base of the rum. Each bottle of the rum supports 750 bee flights.
Beginning with a white Caribbean rum base, the brand uses, alongside dandelion root, smoky black cardamom, cinnamon, pink peppercorn, overripe bananas and discarded orange peel to provide the rum’s flavour, with cassia and sarsaparilla alongside more dandelion and orange peel added post-distillation.
“Every now and again manna falls from heaven and lands in a bottle and we’re so excited to finally let this amazing liquid out of the bag!” says Co-Founder, Tom Warner. “In true Warner’s style we’re crafting innovative flavours from nature while also creating the most amazing tasting spirit. We’re all very proud of where we’ve ended up with our first-born rum – uniquely spiced by the British countryside. We love it and we can’t wait to see what you think.”
“In the process of building this innovative liquid we’ve learned just how versatile and sustainable the humble dandelion is,” adds Co-Founder Tina Warner. “It is a hardy plant that some may call a weed and in addition to the number of pollinators it supports, the plant itself has multiple uses and we’re excited to be the first to put it into a super-premium spirit.”
The brand launched exclusively with Greene King on 17 October in more than 150 Chef & Brewer restaurants and on Greene King’s website, and will soon be available in independent shops.
Image Source: Warner's Distillery
UK kifir brand Biotful Gut Health is launching its Oat Kifir Yor-Gut range, a range of dairy-free oat yoghurts optimised for gut health.
The product, which comes in two flavours, vanilla and cherry, is made with fruit, liquidised gluten-free oats used for natural fermentation, and billions of live vegan cultures. The product also contains calcium, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D, but no added sugar.
“After two years of meticulous product development work, to deliver the perfect combination of taste, texture and clean plant-based nutrition for everyday, we couldn’t be more excited to launch our Biotiful Oat Kefir Yor-Gut range,” said Biotful Gut Health CEO and co-founder Natasha Bowes.
“With closest to the creamy dairy yogurt experience yet clean and sustainable ingredients list (significantly less saturated fat, less starch and no gums compared to the existing product in the market), we are proud of truly stand for our mission to make Gut Health accessible to all, in the simplest and most delicious way.”
Image Source: Biotful Gut Health
The startup fu:di launched its range of condiments this month, which aim towards improving metabolic health. Replacing sugar with a blend of plant-based sweeteners, seed oils with ‘healthier alternatives,’ and reducing net carbohydrates, the brand aims to provide alternatives to a wide range of existing condiments.
The brand includes classics such as ketchup, mayonnaise and brown sauce, Greek, French and Dorset salad dressings, and even a range of Thai sweet chilli sauces. More NPD is planned for later in the month.
“We believe eating healthily and eating well can be one and the same,” said founder Tom Redwood. “Whether you’re living with diabetes, starting a ketogenic diet, reducing your sugar intake or just looking for a banging new ketchup for your burgers, we’re here for you. We’ve created a ketchup that you can dip, dollop or dunk ‘til your heart’s content without the hidden sugar. Mayos that are full of flavour, not seed oils. Salad dressings that will take you straight back to your favourite French bistro, Greek taverna or Dorset picnic. No compromise, just joy. We want to kickstart a new generation of health, shining a light on the hidden sugar in everyday foods and offering clean alternatives that hero flavour, flavour, flavour.”
The condiments are available at werefudi.com and Amazon at an RRP of £3.49 or £4.99
Image Source: fu:di
Collaborating with charity Social Farms and Gardens and chef and social media star Max La Manna, Germany-based food subscription company HelloFresh is launching ‘CurrEATulum,’ a curriculum based on teaching children in the UK about food waste and sustainability.
The initiative, which is teacher-approved, will involve a range of activities, including crafts and quizzes designed to resemble a school curriculum, all aimed at helping children gain awareness of where their food comes from, and how to cut down on food waste.
The launch will be marked by Manna, who is also an award-winning author, teaching a class of children in North London community garden Sufra in hopes to inspire them to care more about food waste.
“Our goal at HelloFresh is to eliminate surplus food from our entire supply chain, that starts with our suppliers and ends in our customers' kitchens at home,” said Adam Park, CEO of HelloFresh.
“It's a big mission but one we’re passionate about. Wasted food is not only wasted time, effort and expense, it’s a wasted meal at a time when budgets are tight. This is in addition to GHGs released as methane when food ends up in landfill - it ultimately costs us all.
“We’re already making great progress at HelloFresh, our business model means we source our ingredients directly from the producers and deliver to our customers without any costly detours that increase wastage, storage and packaging costs. I’m thrilled to be sharing some of our learnings with the next generation through our new partnership with Max, and our continuing commitment to Social Farms and Gardens with HelloFresh Gardens.’
Image Source: HelloFresh
UK-based snacking company Made for Drink has secured a listing on British Airways flights. Bringing to realisation a collaboration that was already in the works when Covid-19 struck in 2020, the brand will stock four flavours on BA flights:
- Baron Bigod Cheese & Onion Crisps (35g)
- Dorset Sea Salt Crisps (35g)
- Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt Crisps (35g)
- Chorizo Thins (18g)
“To get our hospitality and travel profile back to where we left it in 2020 has been a burning ambition for the team for some time now,” said Dan Featherstone, Made for Drink’s founder.
“Ultimately it was worth the wait, because our NEW improved short haul arrangement (covering all flights of 8hrs and under out of Heathrow & Gatwick -circa 3,000 flights a week) means British Airways will be throwing its weight, not only behind our flagship Chorizo Thins but 3 English Heritage lines (Baron Bigod, Dorset Sea Salt and Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt), raising invaluable awareness for a sublime Suffolk brie, hand-harvested salt from Chesil beach but most important of all urgent conservation funds for English Heritage’s extensive 400 site estate.”
Image Source: Made for Drinks
