FoodNavigator's weekly round-up of innovation and product development from across Europe features the launch of a new 'self isolation pack' that provides 14 frozen ready means using British game meat. We also hear about the launch of 'next generation' sports nutrition trail mixes and other exciting innovations hitting the shelves.
Pic: GettyImages-CharlieAJA
FoodNavigator's weekly round-up of innovation and product development from across Europe features the launch of a new 'self isolation pack' that provides 14 frozen ready means using British game meat. We also hear about the launch of 'next generation' sports nutrition trail mixes and other exciting innovations hitting the shelves.
Pic: GettyImages-CharlieAJA
UK-based Jude's is launching Little Jude's new scooping tubs in vanilla and chocolate flavours. According to the company, the tubs contain 30% less sugar than 'similar products', with 13g of sugar per 100g. This level is 36% below the Public Health England’s (PHE) sugar reduction targets for children’s ice cream products by 2020.
Chow Mezger, MD of Jude’s commented: “Now that we have kids of our own, we are on a mission to make delicious ice cream made with less sugar as accessible as possible. Over the past years we have launched lower sugar milk lollies and lower sugar rocket lollies for kids, and now we are excited to bring take home scooping ice cream to the range. The ice cream has 30% less sugar than comparable products, 36% less sugar than the Public Health England targets for sugar reduction by 2020 and added Vitamin D and Calcium for healthy bone development. Now families around the country can enjoy together eating delicious ice cream with less sugar.”
The company is also rolling out new lower calorie salted caramel minis.
Covered in Belgium chocolate and salted caramel pieces, Jude’s new Salted Caramel Lower Calorie Minis contain less than 95 calories per mini and are available to purchase in boxes of 6 x 50 ml.
Commenting on the SKU, Mezger continued: “We are delighted to launch Jude’s signature flavour, Salted Caramel, as a lower calorie mini bar. We continue to witness a growing demand from consumers nationwide for lower calorie ice cream that tastes delicious and, with only 95 calories per bar our new ice cream bars are the perfect after dinner treat.”
Finally, the company is rolling out a new vegan chocolate brownie ice cream, expanding its existing vegan range. Containing chocolate ripple and chunks of brownie, the new product is available in 460ml tubs.
Mezger concluded: “Following the fantastic launch of our Vegan Salted Caramel and Vanilla flavours in 2019, we are so excited to be adding this new product to the range. Our vegan Chocolate Brownie uses an oat milk base catering to those looking to reduce their environmental footprint. A study conducted by the University of Oxford* found that out of the milk alternatives, oat milk has one of the lowest environmental impacts (in terms of emissions, land use and water use) making it the perfect base for our vegan range."
Unilever's Wall's ice cream business is launching its first Twister shape innovation since the brand's launch in 1982.
Wall's Twisted 3ster features 'an innovative shape, bright colours and a unique combination of three delicious new flavours' – vanilla, strawberry and mango - according to the company.
"This new addition is one of a kind and carries Unilever’s Responsibly Made For Kids promise which gives parents reassurance around which ice creams children can enjoy," Unilever said.
Unilever’s ‘Responsibly Made for Kids’ promise means they are under 110Kcals per single-serve, include clear front of pack nutritional labelling and adhere to Unilever’s recently evolved responsible marketing and advertising to children principles.
The world’s only cheese Easter egg is 'back by popular demand'.
For a third year in a row, Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses is offering a Blacksticks Blue cheese Easter egg.
The Easter gift will be available from next month (1 April) in Waitrose, Booths, Selfridges and online at Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses, with an RRP of £4.
"Butlers use the same incredible quality blue cheese that’s lovingly handmade with 100% natural ingredients at their family-run dairy in rural Lancashire. A boundary-pushing cheese, Blacksticks Blue is made from milk that comes from family and friends within a 10-mile radius of the dairy giving it its famous creamy, mild, indulgent flavour," the company said.
Also hitting the shelves this year is a Butlers’ Cheester egg - a light cheddar cheese egg.
Upfield is launching a plant-based cream under its Flora brand.
The new product, Flora Plant, targets chefs and catering professionals.
According to the company, it performs like dairy cream and is good for cooking, pouring and even whipping.
Alan Black, Head of Marketing, Upfield Professional commented: “Flora Plant is a game-changer for the foodservice industry. Not only does it cater to those following a vegan diet, Flora Plant helps chefs overcome the challenge of managing allergens, which if not handled extremely carefully, can lead to a loss in customers, or even worse, criminal prosecution.
“At Upfield, we create great-tasting plant-based foods – and Flora Plant is no different. It can be enjoyed by vegans and dairy cream lovers alike. We believe following a vegan diet, or a diet that requires the removal of specific allergens shouldn’t mean compromising on taste, and with FLORA Plant, operators know they can serve delicious dairy-free dishes to all consumers with total confidence.”
Wild and Game, the not-for-profit company putting game on the menu across the UK, has released a special self-isolation pack of frozen game meals.
The box will be delivered straight to your door and is designed to get people through self-isolation. Each £25 pack provides 14 days of dinners.
The pack contains TWO EACH of:
- Steak and Pheasant peppercorn pie
- Pheasant chilli with cheesy mash topped pie
- Pheasant cottage pie
- Country Steak Pheasant and ale pasty
- Country Pheasant Cajun Pasty
- Country Pheasant Chicken and Mushroom Pasty
- Country Pheasant and Peppercorn Past
The products arrive frozen but will keep in the fridge for 5 days, the company noted.
Steven Frampton, co-founder of Wild and Game said: “The UK has found itself in an unprecedented situation and we recognise that as a retailer of frozen food we are able to offer something for the many people who are self-isolating. We’ve put together this cut-price pack with the aim of helping people to avoid supermarkets by having Wild and Game products delivered straight to the door. We hope we will be making self-isolation less of an ordeal by making mealtimes enjoyable.”
Sports nutrition brand Acti-Snack has announced the launch of seven new nut and trail mixes designed to 'naturally fuel the body and promote recovery'.
Designed in partnership with performance nutritionists and adventure athletes, the brand is centred around tailored plant-based products.
Lorna Cooke, a leading Irish sports nutritionist at Sports Medicine NI, has been involved in the development of the product. “Acti-Snack has embraced the ‘food first’ approach to fuelling and recovery but has also concentrated on only using natural ingredients which is fantastic. Being ‘food first’ ensures that athletes are better fuelled to reduce risk of injury and improve competition performance.
“What sets ACTI-SNACK apart from traditional protein snacks is the natural nutrition approach as well as unique flavour blends which reduce the problem of flavour fatigue that can be a real issue for endurance athletes.”
Speaking about the launch, Bronagh Clarke, Marketing Director at Acti-Snack, said: “We are an active tribe of runners, cyclists, climbers and health fanatics, who have made it our mission to be the next generation of sports nutrition snacks.
“We noticed a real gap in the market for healthy sports nutrition and protein snacks that aren’t filled with artificial sweeteners or pseudo health credentials. We set out to create real food snacks that would fuel athletes and those passionate about being healthy to go further and faster, and still deliver great taste and satisfaction.
“We worked with athletes from a variety of disciplines, as well as consulting certified performance nutritionists to understand what athletes need to energise and reenergise their bodies. The ACTI-SNACK range is hand-crafted and baked and is designed with protein front and centre to help build muscle mass. However, we know athletes need much more than that. We’ve also considered broader micro and macro nutrients that are needed for performance such as potassium, magnesium and iron to fight muscle fatigue. The products are all vegan, gluten free and 100% natural.”
The range is designed to answer different need states, with high energy mixes to fuel athletes before and during an event or training, to all-natural recovery mixes, to low sugar Keto mixes.
New products include:
- The ‘Energy’ mix in two flavours; Salted Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter.
- The ‘Natural’ mix in three varieties; Natural Nut, Fruit and Nut, Nut and Seed.
- The ‘Keto’ mix is the first accredited Keto snack in the UK and Ireland and comes in two flavours; Salt and Apple Cider Vinegar and Buffalo BBQ.
