For families looking to create meals at home that are new and different, they need look no further than Borden Singles Sensations. The cheese singles are unique ingredients for sandwiches and casseroles that transform an ordinary meal into something sensational. Borden Singles Sensations are available in three varieties: Applewood Bacon Cheddar, Sun-Dried Tomato Basil and Southwest Pepperjack.
As at-home meal preparation rises, families look for variety without costing extra. According to the NPD Group, Port Washington, N.Y., sandwich consumption has increased 4.6% over the past four years, with consumers now eating at least one sandwich every three days.
“Adding zesty flavors to sandwiches, entrees or side dishes can make a big difference for families that are choosing to prepare more meals at home,” says Mark Korsmeyer, president of Dairy Food Products, a division of Dairy Farmers of America, Kansas City, Mo. “Borden Singles Sensations add creativity, plus they won’t pinch your pocketbook.”
Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Inc., Burlington, Vt., a Unilever company, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is rolling out an array of new ice cream flavors for summer 2009, including a new spin on single-serve cups: Flipped Out! Sold in packs of two 4-ounce cups, consumers can eat out of the cup, or “flip it out” onto a plate for a gooey extravaganza. Flipped Out comes in three varieties: Flipped Out Cookie Dough is vanilla ice cream with gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough on top of chocolate chip cookie pieces and topped with chocolate fudge; Flipped Out Peanut Butter Chocolate is peanut butter swirl ice cream and fudge chips on top of fudge brownie pieces and topped with chocolate fudge; and Flipped Out Vanilla Fudge Brownie is vanilla ice cream with brownie chunks on top of fudge brownie pieces and topped with chocolate fudge.
New pint flavors for the brand include: Chocolate Macadamia, Orange & Cream, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Triple Caramel Chunk and Mission to Marzipan. The latter deserves a description: Sweet cream ice cream with almond cookies and a marzipan swirl.
New Taza to Go is the first gourmet, rich and creamy, liquid drinking chocolate made with real cocoa selected from the finest harvests and reconstituted milk. Besides being a delicious drink on its own, it adds an easy gourmet flair to fondues, desserts, baked items and drinks. Made in Spain by Chocolates Valor S.A., this aseptic premium chocolate drink comes in 13.5-ounce and 30.4-ounce pouches with easy-pour spouts. It can be purchased online at www.valorchocolate.com and will soon be available in select specialty stores nationwide.
The new frozen novelties include Ice Cream Candy Bar, Giant Mint Ice Cream Cone, Giant Mint Ice Cream Sandwich, Cookies & Cream Cup and Peanut Butter Delight Cup. The cheese line includes: Natural Reduced Fat Medium Cheddar Cheese Slices, Natural Reduced Fat Pepper Jack Cheese Slices, Natural Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese Slices and Reduced Fat Pepper Jack Slices.
“Weight Watchers is helping redefine sensible lifestyles by bringing lower calorie food alternatives to the table, especially for women who continue to seek out delicious portion- and calorie-controlled food choices that don’t taste like ‘diet food,’” says Hugh Dever, director of licensing, Weight Watchers International Inc., New York. “The success of these products and expansion in the categories, in spite of a tough economy, speaks to the popularity of the brand. We look forward to offering more Weight Watchers food products to consumers to help them continue to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.”
Dairy Foods now offers Dairy Product Innovations (www.dairyfoods.com/dpi), an e-newsletter focused on new dairy products and new products and services from dairy industry suppliers. Subscribers receive Dairy Product Innovations monthly with the occasional special installation or themed issue focusing on specific niches like artisan cheese or organic and natural foods. To subscribe, visitwww.dairyfoods.com.
Focus on Ready-to-Drink Tea
The specialty tea industry, or tea from a single origin, is the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. tea industry, according to the Tea Association of the USA, New York.However, it is important to not confuse fastest growing with the biggest segment, according to Joe Simrany, president of the association. This happens to be ready-to-drink (RTD) tea, which has been posting double-digit growth in recent years and will continue to flourish thanks to aggressive efforts by the leading soft drink companies.
Almost no “real” tea (grown from the Camellia sinensis) is grown in the States. Imports of black, white, green and oolong have been growing in volume at an annualized rate of 3% to 5% during the past 10 years. Black tea accounts for the majority of imports (81%), followed by green tea (17%). Together oolong and white tea make up about 2% of tea imports.
Inko’s LLC, New York, the first and only beverage company solely dedicated to producing 100% all-natural RTD white teas, adds its 11th flavor to its product line up: Inko’s Lemon White Tea.
As with all the company’s sweetened, bottled beverages, Inko’s Lemon White Tea has 56 calories per bottle and only 5.8 milligrams of caffeine per bottle. Fifty-six calories makes Inko’s one of the lowest, if not the lowest, sweetened teas on the market. And, at less than 6 milligrams, Inko’s caffeine content is on par with a cup of decaffeinated coffee.
“The subtlety of white tea creates challenges when blending in all-natural flavor, especially one as strong as lemon,” says Andy Schamisso, founder and president. “In our humble opinion, our newest offering has a sublime, almost lemon-peel hint that in no way overpowers the delicacy of the base tea.”
Over the years, consumers enjoyed the fun, quirky Snapple personality without realizing that premium teas are used to make every bottle of Snapple. The brand’s new formula heightens the flavor derived from the tea leaves, uses sugar as the sweetener and reduces the calories in some cases up to 20%.
“We want to ensure Snapple continues to be the Best Stuff on Earth,” says Bryan Mazur, vice president of marketing for Snapple. “These changes to the formula and packaging come with one goal in mind: deliver the same great product, just make it even better.”
The great taste of Snapple is not the only thing that is being refreshed. The outside of the bottle also reflects the goodness on the inside by continuing to focus on its all-natural ingredients. Snapple will retain its clever and light-hearted brand personality, but with a more premium, mature execution. Gone will be the old logo and packaging, replaced with a sleeker bottle and label design that speaks to its new formula. The new graphics also highlight that Snapple is made from healthy green tea and tasty black tea leaves. The new packaging serves as a friendly reminder that Snapple has always been and always will be made from the Best Stuff on Earth.
Snapple RTD teas are available in 16-ounce glass bottles, 6-packs and 12-packs at convenience stores, grocery and major retailers nationwide.
