How can brands encourage children to eat ‘healthier’ snacks? Nestlé’s approach is to create breakfast cereal in the shape of a bear, Cadbury is shrinking its portion sizes to cut calories, and Kellogg is personalising covers on Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies.
Swipe through the photo gallery for the latest innovations in bite-sized NPD.
Pic: GettyImages/petrenkod
How can brands encourage children to eat ‘healthier’ snacks? Nestlé’s approach is to create breakfast cereal in the shape of a bear, Cadbury is shrinking its portion sizes to cut calories, and Kellogg is personalising covers on Corn Flakes and Rice Krispies.
Swipe through the photo gallery for the latest innovations in bite-sized NPD.
Pic: GettyImages/petrenkod
Nestlé Cereals is bringing a new breakfast cereal product to children in the UK – one that comes in the shape of a bear.
NAT Bears come individually wrapped in 32g portions. When placed in a bowl and mixed with milk, the bears crumble into a breakfast cereal. Two SKUs are available as of today (16 September): Honey and Chocolate.
Nestlé has stressed the breakfast cereal is made with ingredients from ‘natural origins’, and do not contain artificial colours of flavours. The cereal product is high in fibre, with more than 50% whole grain per serving.
“We know that parents are looking for a cereal that is both tasty and high in fibre for their kids at breakfast time, and we’re confident that our new NAT Bears fit the bill,” said Gharry Eccles, Vice President UK & Australia, Nestlé Cereals.
“NAT Bears come as pre-portioned, individually wrapped bears – you just add one bear to a bowl of milk, and it makes a bowl of tasty cereal.”
A pack of six NAT Bears have an RRP of £2.89 and are currently sold in Sainsbury’s. From November, the cereal will also be available in Tesco.
Image source: Nestlé
pladis-owned McVitie’s is launching a 2020 Halloween range in preparation for 31 October.
Five limited edition products have recently become available in the UK. These include Jaffa Cakes Zesty Orangey Cake Bars, which have an orange and purple filling, Jaffa Cakes Fruity Blackcurrant Cake Bars, with a blackcurrant filling, and Digestives Cinder Toffee Flavour Slice.
McVitie’s Funny Bones Chocolate Cake Bars, comprised of sponge topped with chocolate cream encased in chocolate, and the brand’s Funny Bones Sticky Toffee Flavour Cake, have also been rolled out.
pladis has made significant progress in sugar and calorie reduction of late, and its Jaffa Cakes Zesty Orange Cake Bars are following this trend – coming in at 97kcal per serving.
Elsewhere in the McVitie’s range, pladis has reformulated its McVitie’s Original Digestives to contain 9% less sugar and 5% less salt.
McVitie’s Rich Tea biscuits, Original Hobnobs, Milk Chocolate Digestives, and Dark Chocolate Digestives, have also been reformulated to cut sugar content.
Image source: pladis
The maker of Digestives and Hobnobs is rebranding its Crispy Slices to Go Ahead! Fruit Slices, together with a ‘new and improved’ taste.
pladis said the slices are made of the same crispy biscuit and fruit filling, but the new slices are ‘even tastier’ – with a ‘mouth-watering new jam’ and real sultana pieces.
“We’ve really made the range’s fruity flavour the star of the show in each product, which will help solidify its position in the healthier snacking aisle,” said marketing controller at pladis UK & Ireland Christopher Owen.
“We know consumers respond particularly well to snacks with fruit in the product name, and with the product’s fruity aroma and sultana filling, it certainly delivers on the brand-new name.”
Go Ahead! Fruit Slices are available in three flavours: Apple & Sultana, Raspberry, and Forest Fruit.
Multipacks of 5 or 6 have an RRP of £1 in Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Image source: pladis
Kellogg UK is personalising its cereal boxes as children head back to school. The concept is targeting parents of children aged from six to 10 years old, and are available until 30 November 2020.
When consumers collect codes from three promotional packs of Kellogg’s cereal products, including Coco Pops, Corn Flakes, and Rice Krispies, they can then upload a photo and a personalised message online.
Kellogg will then personalise a cereal box sleeve, including the child’s name, age, and their favourite cereal box cover.
Kate Stokes, senior brand manager at Kellogg’s UK, said the company sees the return to school as an opportunity. “Last year in the ‘Back to School’ time, we saw in increase in sales across our cereal portfolio and this year we are hoping that will be bolstered by our new on-pack promotion.
“This is the first time we have introduced personalised sleeves in the UK and we’re excited to see consumers engage on a personal level, with our much loved brands.”
Image source: Kellogg UK
UK brand Fruit Bowl is launching a new SKU: Dino Yogurt Eggs. The ‘eggs’ are made from raisins covered with yogurt in either pink, blue, or green.
“Ahead of the launch of Dino Yogurt Eggs, we’ve listened to our customers and conducted significant research into what parents want,” said Fruit Bowl’s group marketing manager Susanne Fraser.
“This showed key insights into a need for ease, convenience, portioning and great tasting, real fruit products that engage children on their level too. We know, as parents ourselves, that we want to offer the very best items that our children will realistically eat, which is why we have created Dino Yogurt Eggs – a product made to keep both parents and children happy.”
The ‘eggs’ are launching into Morrisons this week, and into Waitrose before the end of the month. Multipacks containing five 20g packets have an RRP of £2.
Image source: Fruit Bowl
Mondelēz International-owned Cadbury is reducing number of calories in all multipacks sold in the UK by the end of 2021.
Rather than reformulate to cut calories, the brand is reducing the products’ portion size.
According to the confectionery giant, the voluntary move will see 10 billion calories removed from the UK market every year.
By the end of 2020, Mondelēz aims to have all Cadbury chocolate and wider biscuit products typically bought by parents for children to under 100kcal. These include Fudge, Curly Wurly, and Chomp.
Louise Stigant, UK managing director at Mondelēz International, said the business recognises it must play its part in tackling obesity, ‘without compromising on consumer choice’.
“That is why we have been focusing on the areas we know will make the greatest impact and have been backed up by consumer research and nutritional science.”
The managing director added: “A focus on portion control is recognised as one of the most effective ways of helping people balance their calorie intake.”
Image source: Mondelēz International
