Health and convenience continued to be two of the mega trends shaping product development in the European grocery space, while manufacturers also sought to get us in the festive spirit with seasonal items starting to hit the shelves.
Health and convenience continued to be two of the mega trends shaping product development in the European grocery space, while manufacturers also sought to get us in the festive spirit with seasonal items starting to hit the shelves.
Young's Seafood wants to "revolutionise" the UK frozen ready mean scene with the launch of its Simply Steam concept.
The group wants to attract younger, health-conscious consumers with its low fat, high protein meals that cook in minutes. Simply Steam offers a complete fish meal that’s under 300 calories, containing no artificial ingredients and displays a full green traffic light GDA.
Young's also wants to put its "vibrant ingredients" in the spotlight through what it claims is a first for packaging in the freezer aisle: a fully transparent, vacuum sealed ‘Perfect Steam Tray’.
Simply Steam will first go to market in Tesco with two 'chef inspired' variants: Salmon Fillet & Sweet Chilli and Haddock Fillet & Parsley.
Each meal is suitable for one person and contains one fish fillet, a sauce, a portion of rice or potatoes and a variety of seasoned vegetables.
“This taps into a number of growing trends; higher protein meals, healthier meals and consumers’ desire to eat more fish. We’ve looked at the common barriers in frozen meals, such as concerns over quality, taste and visibility in packaging, and with Simply Steam consumers see exactly what they get; an easy way to balance taste and health that perfectly steam cooks in minutes," Yvonne Adam, Marketing Director of Young’s Seafood, said.
The new range will be available for £3 (€3.34), with a £2.50 introductory promotion.
East Frisian Tea Co is spotlighting ingredients sourcing with its new range of organic teas under the newly launched Meßmer brand.
“The origin and quality of raw materials is becoming increasingly important to consumers even with hot drinks and has long been a priority for Meßmer,” the company said.
It is therefore bringing “sustainable organic quality” to the shelves in Germany with the launch of three teas under the new brand: elderflower-mint, mango-melissa and orange-ginger.
The tea will be available with an RRP of €2.19 for a box containing 18 tea infusion bags.
The brand will be available nationwide at retailers including drugstores, hypermarkets and supermarkets.
UK healthy snacks start-up Abakus Foods is launching a range of Nut Stuffed Red Dates Snacks.
The new range of four SKUs is made of the superfruit Red Dates, or jujube fruit, each stuffed with almonds, walnuts, cashews, and a combination of mixed nuts.
Jujube fruits have been enjoyed for health and well-being in the Far East for thousands of years, Abakus said. The creamy and nutty flavour of the nuts complements the natural sweetness of the red dates. Each pack contains 70 kcal.
As well as the new SKUs, Abakus is introducing a smaller snack pack of their original Chewy Red Dates and Crunchy Red Date Crisps. The new packages highlight “no added sugar”, “no sulphites”, “high in fibre” and “a source of potassium” features,
The whole range is gluten-free, dairy-free, and suitable for vegans.
Helen Wang, Abakus Foods founder and director said: “We brought the Red Dates over to the UK last year and were absolutely overwhelmed by the positive response. Despite being largely unknown in the UK, people have quickly embraced the lovely sweet Red Dates, and our loyal following is growing each day. We are committed to bringing the highest quality products for the best value, and to make tasty and wholesome snacks more accessible to everyone.”
The new products retail at £1.19-1.49 (€1.33-1.66).
French biscuit maker Gacottes unveiled its seasonal range, which it describes as an “elegant and refined Christmas collection”.
The company is offering the Crêpes Dentelle “iconic duos” of dark chocolate, milk chocolate and milk with caramel. It is also rolling out a new flavour pairing this Christmas: dark chocolate orange.
Through its "Extra Gourmands” line, Gavottes will also offer two varieties of butter biscuit: dark and milk. The 200g sharing boxes retail at €7.50 each.
Finally, Gavottes is also delivering a line of savoury crackers for the Christmas season, with two new gourmet boxes.
UK snack brand Forest Feast has launched a range of dried fruit and chocolate snacks in a new pack design.
The Forest Feast Fruit Ball range includes four varieties: Mango & Coconut; Pineapple, Mango & Lime; and Milk Chocolate, Mango & Coconut.
The line comes in 100g sharing bags retailing at £3 (€3.34), while the Milk Chocolate, Coconut & Mango and Mango & Coconut variants also come in 30g individual bags, with an RRP of at £1.25.
Forest Feast also unveiled a new mascot, Livingstone the elephant, who will become the brand’s "visual identity".
Belgian frozen fruit group Dirafrost said it is stepping “outside its comfort zone” in an effort to refresh the growing smoothie market.
The company, which produces the Beartender range and IQF fruit, has created four smoothies that contain fruits and vegetables – as well as on-trend “add-ins” like spirulina, linden extract, bee pollen and Echinacea.
“Self-care, health and feel good are the keywords of this new concept,” the company explained. “Dirafrost has one more trump card. In the context of overall health, they offer the possibility to add probiotics to the smoothie portions. This lifts healthy smoothies to a next level. So these smoothies do not just contain vitamins and fibers, but also probiotics that contribute to a healthy digestive health and a healthy immune system.”
The smoothies will be packed in single-portion 150g bags, that can be put straight in the blender and mixed with fresh juice. The company is targeting food service operators with the concept.
France’s BIO PLANÈTE is rolling out a new variety of sustainable and responsibly sourced organic oil: cameline oil.
According to the company, cameline oil has a “high” content of unsaturated fatty acids, including omega 3.
The oil can only be used cold and BIO PLANÈTE suggested it is suitable for making salad dressings, including mayonnaise.
BIO PLANÈTE noted that 100% of the camelina sees it sources come from a local partner in southwest France.
It is available in specialised organic stores with an RRP of €7.19 for 250 ml.
Croc’Frais is launching a new range of organic flavoured olives and tapenades in France.
Croc’Frais sources its organic olives from the Mediterranean basin, where they are picked and sorted by hand. The company said that it is bringing its traditional know-how of olive flavouring to the new range, with a focus on ingredients of the “highest quality”.
The new line consists of three flavoured olive varieties: oriental, flavoured with ras-el-hanout and chilli; Provincial, flavoured with herbs from the Province region of France; and with garlic, flavoured with garlic and parsley.
The organic Croc'Frais range also has two tapenades with “simple and authentic recipes”: a green tapenade with herbs from Provence, and a black tapenade with garlic.
Chupa Chups is extending its line in Germany with the launch of Chupa Chup’s Sour Infernoals, an “extra sour” innovation.
The new SKU is targeting teens and its launch has been timed to coincide with Halloween.
National confectionery distributer CGF Brands, which imports Chupa Chup’s to Germany, said that a 95g pack will retail at €1.39. The line will be distributed in drugstores, hypermarkets and supermarkets throughout Germany.
The launch is being supported by an online marketing campaign, the group noted.
