In this week's NPD Trend Tracker, we see how high orange juice prices have led to the development of mandarin orange juice, and the rise of generative AI has led to the creation of an AI cookbook. Furthermore, we see a rebranding from Mallow & Marsh, a UK launch for Löfbergs, an Asian range for Young's seafood, and an educational programme from Innocent Drinks.
Image Source: Getty Images/D-Keine
In this week's NPD Trend Tracker, we see how high orange juice prices have led to the development of mandarin orange juice, and the rise of generative AI has led to the creation of an AI cookbook. Furthermore, we see a rebranding from Mallow & Marsh, a UK launch for Löfbergs, an Asian range for Young's seafood, and an educational programme from Innocent Drinks.
Image Source: Getty Images/D-Keine
Launched on 7 February, Heinz has released an AI cookbook, which, the company suggests, ‘teaches AI to cook.’
Upon noticing many consumers’ dissatisfaction with AI-produced images of cooking, Heinz chefs partnered with a team of AI experts to produce a collection of curated prompts that aim to generate the best culinary responses from generative AI, including images and recipes.
The resulting book is a collection of 30 AI-generated images and recipes, paired with these expertly crafted prompts that created them.
The ‘recipes’ included in the book, from Roasted Cauliflower Dahl to Chicken Enchiladas, are all intended to include Heinz tomatoes.
“With over 50% of the general population admitting to using AI in their day to day lives, including for recipe inspiration and cooking instructions, we decided to put AI to the test. A culinary test. And, despite AI being able to speak all languages, write speeches, and launch rockets into space, we noticed that actually, when it comes to cooking, even AI needed some help!” said Caio Fontenele, Heinz New Ventures Director.
Image Source: Heinz
Coca-Cola-owned drinks brand Innocent is delivering an initiative to educate students on nutrition and health.
Launching today, “Smoothie Lab”, run in partnership with the Museum of Brands, includes a series of workshops for secondary school and college students on the product development lifecycle. Beginning with market research, the programme takes the students through selecting ingredients and checking nutrition claims to developing PR hooks and a visual brand identity. Furthermore, those who develop the best product and successfully pitch it will get to blend their own drink.
The program, which aims to teach more than 1250 school and college students across the UK, will take place at the Museum of Brands throughout this year.
“We’re on a mission to make sure more people can enjoy the delicious goodness of fruit and veg, and our new partnership with the Museum of Brands on the Smoothie Lab programme is a brilliant way to do that. Making our smoothies is as simple as putting our favourite fruits and veggies into a blender - but designing them is more complicated than that: nutrition, a strong visual identity and advertising all need to be considered. Giving an insight into the different factors that go into creating our little drinks could spark some big career dreams, and we hope it will inspire the next generation of budding food scientists and nutritionists,” said Helen Whitby, head of nutrition at Innocent Drinks.
Image Source: Museum of Brands
UK seafood brand Young’s is launching a new ‘Taste of Asia’ range, part of the company’s gastro brand.
These fish products can be served alongside noodles, salad, or rice, rather than just the traditional chips. However, they are all battered like classic fish and chips fish.
“We are always looking at new ways we can bring inspiration from the restaurant world to the frozen aisle, something which has helped drive the Gastro brand’s growth in recent years,” said Julian Fletcher, marketing director at Young’s Seafood.
“With consumers looking to introduce more seafood in their diet, and their growing interest in global cuisine, we’ve created four new products that offer an easy way to bring more taste and excitement to fish at mealtimes.”
The range includes Korean Inspired Chilli, Lime & Ginger Breaded Fish Fillets, (270g, £4.75 RRP), Thai Inspired Sweet Chilli Breaded Fish Fillets (270g, £4.75 RRP) and Breaded Fish Cakes (400g, £4.50 RRP), and Japanese Inspired Lime & Soy Tempura Battered Fish Fillets (270g, £4.75 RRP). They are launching in Iceland this month, followed by Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s. More listings will follow.
Image Source: Young's Seafood
Swedish coffee brand Löfbergs has launched across 600 outlets of Co-op, the UK supermarket retailer, offering the 100 year old brand’s Brazilian and Colombian blends to UK consumers. The range is also sustainable, and is certified by the rainforest alliance.
Both blends come in at an RRP of £4.25.
Image Source: Löfbergs
Chocolate-covered marshmallow brand Mallow & Marsh has rebranded, with its new look aiming to evoke ‘premium indulgence’, after extensive customer research pointed the brand in this direction and away from ‘permissible health’.
As well as rethinking the look, even the names of the products will be changed, with ‘vanilla marshmallows coated in milk chocolate’ becoming ‘milk chocolate over vanilla mallows.’ The brand will also release a new flavour range.
In the image above, we can see on the left the brand’s previous look, and on the right its new look.
“We know what makes Mallow & Marsh special and what sets us apart from our competitors – and that is quite simply, our quality. Made with the finest ingredients, including Belgian Fairtrade chocolate, each mallow is crafted and whisked to perfection, offering a unique texture which never fails to surprise and delight with each bite,” said Mallow & Marsh’s commercial marketing lead Jonathan Burr.
“Our brand is for quality-loving foodies who want an uncompromising, fulfilling treat. Mallow & Marsh provides a truly personal, substantial chocolatey indulgence to be savoured. Moving into premium indulgence, therefore, aligns perfectly with all our quality attributes.”
The 35g bag comes in at an RRP of £1.35, with the 100g sharing bag at an RRP of £2.65, and will be available in retailers such as Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Ocado, M&S and Boots.
Image Source: Mallow & Marsh
UK-based fruit juice brand Coldpress has announced the launch of its new mandarin orange juice. Made with Spanish mandarins and containing important vitamins such as B,D and E, the drink responds to both the growing popularity of juice in general and a spate of new troubles for orange juice prices in particular.
While juice was re-categorised as an ‘affordable essential’ last year, orange juice prices have climbed by 40% due to unpredictable weather patterns, a decline in US and Brazilian crops, and tensions in the red sea.
“Clearly the pioneering work of our HPP facility in Spain coupled with access to incredible local fruit means that our fresh tasting sweet mandarin really pops! It’s also worth noting that mandarins are a fantastic, low calorie winter fruit, jam-packed with beneficial vitamins and minerals. Alongside the all-important vitamin C, which ably supports one’s daily immune system function, mandarins contain enviable quotas of two antioxidant phytochemicals (beta-carotene and beta-cryptoxanthin) that your body turns to vitamin A, which supports good vision, a healthy immune system and positive growth development,” said Andrew Gibb, founder of Coldpress Foods Limited.
“The deliciously distinct sweetness of mandarins also supports our juice’s expanding ‘beyond breakfast’ appeal, a positive outcome (wider all-day family usage, mocktails….), fuelled by a growing appetite for healthier living offerings.”
The 750ml product will be available in Lidl and Aldi from 24 March and from Ocado in April.
Image Source: Coldpress