“Fifty-four percent of consumers say they don’t have enough time to eat breakfast, they want easy, grab-and-go choices that are still low in sugar and simple carbs,” says Atkins CEO Monty Sharma. “We saw this as an opportunity to offer an interesting variety of breakfast options.” In addition to the shakes, the new Day Break line includes individually wrapped soft-baked breakfast squares.
The new Day Break products are available wherever Atkins products are sold nationwide. Shake varieties are: Creamy Chocolate, Strawberry Banana and Wild Berry. They come four to a pack and have a suggested retail price of $6.99.
San Francisco-based Double Rainbow Gourmet Ice Creams Inc., expands its super-premium ice cream line with organic options. Four varieties - Chocolate, Coffee, French Vanilla and Mint Chip - are part of the initial roll out. Sold in quarts with nationwide distribution, half-cup servings range from 220 to 250 calories and 13 to 15 grams fat.
New Orgain Healthy Kids, from Orgain, Irvine, Calif., is a children’s beverage based on the company’s proprietary organic protein blend that consists of whey protein concentrate and milk protein concentrate. The added bonus with these beverages is that they also contain 10 different organic fruits (acai, apple, banana, blueberry and raspberry) and vegetables (beet, carrot, kale, spinach and tomato), yet come in two traditional flavored-milk varieties: chocolate and vanilla. Each 8.25-fluid-ounce shelf-stable shake contains 200 calories, and delivers 8 grams protein, 2 grams fiber and 25 vitamins and minerals.
Established in 1945 by two Swiss entrepreneurs, Alpina is a leading dairy-producing company in South America with global headquarters in Colombia. In the United States, the company has offices in Miami and operates as Alpina Foods LLC. For almost 10 years, the company has been importing products such as Hispanic-style yogurt in drinkable and cup form, Hispanic cheeses, baby food and dulce de leche. Today, only the latter two are imported, with all other products produced domestically since 2010.
In April, the company announced plans to build its first U. S. manufacturing plant in Batavia, N.Y., which will initially be dedicated to yogurt production. This site was chosen because of its proximity to a supply of milk from local farmers, as well as the skills of local workers, according to the company.
Making parfaits just got easier for foodservice operators thanks to the Upstate Farms Lowfat Blended All Natural Vanilla Yogurt Pump Kit from Upstate Niagara Cooperative Inc., Buffalo N.Y. Sold in 5-pound tubs, the package features the coop’s proprietary dispensing system. The operator simply pumps down and the yogurt dispenses for easy layering with fruits and granola. This new format allows more consumers to enjoy this Gold Medal yogurt. Last year, soon after the yogurt was introduced, it received a perfect 100 by a panel of expert judges at the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest.
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noteworthy introductions
Just in time for iced tea season, Rooibee Red Tea, Louisville, Ky., is making its namesake product available in handy four packs of 12-ounce bottles. Also known as red tea, bush tea and redbush tea, this tea variety is known for its cool, sweet, refreshing flavor and concentrated antioxidants.
Frontera Foods, Chicago, introduces Salpica Cheddar Nacho Sauce with Roasted Jalapeños. This shelf-stable 8-ounce pouch of cheese sauce is ready to pour over chips after 30 seconds in the microwave.
international
Although vegetables have yet to make their way into mainstream U.S. ice cream products, they have made an appearance in Vietnam. Kinh Do introduces Green Bean Ice Cream, which is not made with the traditional Western green bean, but rather the mung bean - a legume best known in the West for its bean sprouts.
It would be hard to find an American who hasn’t heard of cottage cheese, but it would be even harder to find one who associates this cultured dairy product with the frozen dessert category. However in Hungary, cottage cheese is used as the base for FrieslandCampina’s new limited-edition Sour Cherry & Poppy Seeds Cheese Bar. Dark cocoa powder, sour cherry purée and poppy seeds provide more traditional dessert flavors.
Americans are far more likely to associate hemp with counterculture than nutrition, but that’s not the case in other parts of the world. Across Europe, hemp seeds are widely used as nutrient-rich additions to yogurt, cereal, baked goods and other foods. In Poland, Olma introduces Florian Active Probiotic Yogurt with Apricot and Hemp Seeds. In the United States, other seeds, especially flax, are often used in the same manner. Could hemp seeds be the next flax seeds, especially for open-minded foodies?
Contributed by Krista Faron, director of innovation and insights, Mintel Research Consultancy, Global New Products Database (GNPD). For more information call 312-932-0400 or visit www.gnpd.com.
Focus on Novelties
The inevitable finally happened: Greek yogurt got frozen. The Apollo Food Group LLC, Boston, a company formed by three childhood friends, a trio of competitive, spirited entrepreneurs, is the marketer of Yasso Frozen Greek Yogurt. (Yassou means hello in Greek.)
From the beginning, Amanda Klane, Drew Harrington and Scott Palmer prioritized the importance of creating a product of the highest quality with all-natural ingredients that offers consumers something both nutritious and delicious. Their drive and passion, combined with Klane’s knowledge of the food industry and Harrington and Palmer’s experience in product development, allowed them to be the first to market with a line of frozen Greek yogurt stick novelties.
Based on a number of dairy ingredients, including Greek yogurt with live and active cultures, the bars come in three flavors: blueberry, raspberry and strawberry. Each 75 gram novelty contains 70 calories, 6 grams of high-quality protein and no fat. The product debuted in March and is readily available in most mainstream supermarkets and club stores throughout the Northeast, as well as Midwest Costco Wholesale stores and select supermarket chains. At this rate, the product will likely hit the West Coast before the year ends.
The adult frozen novelty line - Magnum - is making its way to the U.S. marketplace after celebrating success elsewhere in the world for the past 20-plus years. Magnum was one of the first handheld ice creams targeted as a premium adult offering and today is one of the world’s leading ice cream brands, selling one billion units annually worldwide.
“As one of the most popular ice creams in the world, we’re thrilled to see the overwhelmingly positive reception Magnum is already receiving in the U.S.,” says Brian Manning, vice president of brand building in the ice cream division at Unilever North America, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., the maker of Magnum.
The bars come in six varieties, all of which include a thick coating of Belgian chocolate. The bars are wrapped in the brand’s signature golden foil packaging, and retail in 3-count multipacks with a suggested retail price of $3.99 or individually for a suggested retail price of $2.59.
Dove, also an ice cream bar brand targeted to adults, continues to welcome new flavor innovations year after year. From Mars Chocolate North America, Hackettstown, N.J., Dovebar Peanut Butter Swirl Ice Cream with Milk Chocolate is the most recent addition. The new product starts with premium ice cream and peanut butter swirl wrapped with Dove chocolate and roasted peanuts.
Also look for Butter Crunch Bars, a new addition to the “favorites on a stick” program. The bars are vanilla-flavored ice cream with a milk chocolate-flavored coating, both with chunks of crunchy chocolate peanut butter candy.
“Butter Crunch Ice Cream quickly became a favorite half-gallon flavor so it was only natural to offer it as a favorite on a stick,” Breed adds. “The coating is what really makes this bar outstanding. Instead of a simple chocolate coating, we kicked it up a notch and added the crunchy chocolate peanut butter candy pieces.”
Le Mars, Iowa-based Wells Enterprises Inc., introduces a new frozen novelty line sporting the sub-brand: Naturally. The company describes this line of bars (strawberry or vanilla bean ice cream coated in chocolate) and sandwiches (chocolate or vanilla bean ice cream between two chocolate wafers) as the perfect balance of taste and nutrition. With a short list of 100% natural ingredients, the novelties also have fewer calories and fat than standard novelties.
