Chicago, IL, April 2002 -- Mintel's Global New Products Database has seen a great number of exciting new food product introductions in the past month.
Beer & darker colored
FABs
It seems beer is trying to get a share of the FABs market through flavor
and packaging developments. We recently reported on the repackaging of
the Grolsch pink grapefruit beer in the Netherlands - in PPS (Premium
Packaged Spirit)-style bottles. Now, two brands in the UK are introducing
"alcopop lagers". New from The Greenwich Meantime Brewery are three flavored
beers (Amba, Chocolate and Golden) hoping to compete with Premium Packaged
Spirits. More importantly, Holsten is launching Holsten Fusion. It is
a range of 5% ABV fruit beers (in apple, citrus and currant flavours),
targeted at 18-27 year olds. They are described as being easy to drink,
and not as sweet as regular FABs.
In the traditional FABs market, interesting flavors abound. The latest include key lime, watermelon and mango. These are the flavors to be found for the new Bacardi Breezer Twist drinks in the UK. Gin is making more in-roads in FABs. New in Thailand from Tis Worldwide is Mi5 with 5% ABV and made with a blend of gin, lime and lemonade. A packaging innovation is set to appear in the UK. HP Bulmer is to introduce a spirit based product called Storm, which is said to contain a device in the packaging that squirts a range of colored flavorings into the bottle when its screw top is opened. Darker colored variants are also appearing in the FABs market, for a more sophisticated touch. In the UK, the Red Square brand from Halewood International has been extended with the launch of a Black variety. It is flavored with wolfberry and is said to be the only black colored PPS on the UK market. And in Austria, Lenzmoser has introduced under the Jelzin brand, Blacky, a 5.5% ABV blackcurrant flavoured, "thirst-quenching" alcoholic drink.
Spirit malt beverage
boom in the US
As the spirit-flavored malt beverage market continues to grow in the US,
three more big-name brand players join the fray. Diageo will release Captain
Morgan Gold this Spring with the flavouring of the brand's Original Spiced
Rum. It is a tad more tame than the spirit and has a 5% ABV. Miller Brewing
will enter yet another beverage into the market, its fourth, this time
using Jack Daniel's, a Brown-Forman product, as its base. While Coors,
the number three brewer in the US, jumps into the spirit-based flavored
beverage fray with a new malt-based product.
A pricey "spirit"
beer
New in the US from Boston Beer is a beer called Sam Adams Utopia MMII.
It is a limited edition beer with a price tag of $100, and with the highest
proof known to man (48 proof, to be exact). It has a spicy vanilla, maple-syrupy
taste, and comes in a brew-kettle-shaped bottle.
Floral vodka
A touch of color and flowers is being added to a new vodka in the UK.
Facile & Co has extended its Seriously range with the addition of a Pinky
variety. It is pink in color and is formulated with flowers and natural
botanicals, giving it a "unique" violet scent and taste.
Water & herbal
drinks
The water market is becoming one of the most dynamic within beverages
as a whole. It is making important shifts including moves towards fortification
(offering supplements in a new way), and energizing lines with caffeine.
The latest enhanced waters include an Olympus Sport Nutrition branded
range in the UK with energizing qualities; and the Rocket Fuel brand (from
Food Brands Group), already used for coffee and vodka lines is now being
used for a new water laced with guarana and caffeine. Flavored waters
also continue to add growth to the sector. The latest flavored addition
is Danone Activ in the UK. The Activ range is fortified with calcium and
is now available in blackcurrant, apple and orange flavours. Healthy,
"near-water" style herbal drinks, popular in Japan, are also moving into
Europe. New in Germany from Almdudler under the Pro-Ego brand is Kräuter-Wellness-Getrank,
a lightly sparkling, healthy herbal drink said to promote a feeling of
well-being.
Orbit sweet news
The Orbit chewing gum brand from Wrigley is venturing into the Sugar Confectionery
segment. New in Austria, under the Orbit brand are Drops, sugar-free sweets
with tooth-friendly claims. They are said to help stimulate saliva production
and neutralize harmful acids after meals. They are available in Natural
Mint, Wild Mint, Orange Mint and Lemon Mint flavours.
More fruity & creamy
sweets
The popularity of fruity & creamy hard sweets such as Campino from Storck,
and Polo Smoothies from Nestlé continues with new entrants to the market.
New in France are Fruit-Tella fruit & cream sweets from Perfetti Van Melle
made with 6.8% crème fraîche and 3% fruit juice.
Carrot shaped chocolates
Lindt & Sprüngli, better know for premium and "sophisticated" lines has
taken a novelty route with its latest launch. It has introduced in Australia,
carrot shaped chocolates on sticks for Easter.
Herbal chocolate
Chocolate has long been said to be an aphrodisiac. Now in the US, K Sensual
is trying to prove it with its Herbal Chocolate for Women. The confections
contain horney goat weed and other suggestive ingredients. A box of 14
pieces, or seven doses, retails on the internet for $50.
Milkybar & Rolo
extend again
Recently, there has been much NPD for the Nestlé-owned Milkybar brand,
with attempts to attract older consumers. For example, we have seen the
launch of Milkybar Chunky and Milkybar Munchies in the UK. Now, in Australia
is a new Milkybar Creamy tablet bar for adults, in Creamy White, Creamy
Caramel and Milk & Cookies varieties. The Rolo chocolate brand from Nestlé
is also being extended again. It has already appeared in biscuit format
and more recently in "little" formats. Now, new in the UK is a Rolo chocolate
sponge cake with a soft toffee filling.
BN Biscuit joins
chocolate aisles
United Biscuits' popular BN range of sandwich biscuits in Europe is moving
into the chocolate sector. New in the Netherlands are BN character shaped,
"laughing" white and milk chocolates enriched with calcium.
Flavor & format
developments for snacks
The savory snacks market continues to surprise us with interesting flavor
and format developments. In the Netherlands, a premium touch is being
added to the Lay's brand with the use of a named cheese variety. New there
from Smiths Food Group (PepsiCo) are Mediterraneas Greek feta cheese flavored
crisps also made with olive oil. In Asia, unusual fruity flavors are being
added to savory snacks. For example, new in the Philippines from Regent
Foods are mini ball-shaped corn snacks with a melon flavour, and also
flavored with yogurt.
Functional ingredients have also appeared in potato snacks this month.
New in Spain from Celigüeta are two functional ranges, Chip Sport and
Snack Fibra. The first range includes carrot flavored snacks with phosphorous
and prebiotic fibres. The latter includes yogurt flavored potato rings
with calcium and fibre to improve intestinal balance; and cheese flavored
crinkle cut crisps with active bifidus and prebiotic fibre.
New formats have appeared in the UK. New under the United Biscuits-owned
Hula Hoops brand are Shoks. They comprise mini Hula Hoops packaged in
novel foil cube packs - a first for the sector - to stand out on shelves.
They are available in Full-On Onion, Bigtime Saucy and Totally Cheesy
flavors. And the Golden Wonder Wheat Crunchies brand is venturing into
the dipping sector, with the launch of Duets. It comprises an ambient
snack and dip combo using longer versions of the Wheat Crunchies snacks.
The ambient dips are available in sour cream & chives, salsa, and onion
& garlic varieties.
Functional & coffee
yogurt
High functional activity continues in the yogurt sector. In New Zealand,
new under the De Winkel brand from New Zealand Dairy Foods is a yogurt
drink in Antioxidant (with blackberry, boysenberry and strawberry), and
Energising (with passionfruit, banana, apricot and spirulina) varieties.
Also in New Zealand, from Naturalea are herbal yogurts in varieties such
as Echinacea, and Grapeseed & Forest Berries. A more adult variety has
also been added to a new Ecke des Monats range of dual compartment yogurts
in Germany from Müller. It comprises a coffee flavored yogurt with a separate
serving of Italian amarettini biscuit pieces. Also if interest in the
dairy sector is the Tropicana and Müller venture into the dairy-based
smoothies segment in the UK. While in Brazil, the Yakult brand is becoming
even more functional. New there is Yakult 40, claimed to contain five
times more lactobacillus than traditional Yakult.
More colorful
ketchup
Available for a limited time and in limited production of one million
bottles, Heinz is making kids point and stare in ketchup aisles in the
US with its Heinz Mystery EZ Squirt Ketchup. The popular ketchup, which
already comes in green and purple, will come in three more colors for
a limited time, Passion Pink, Awesome Orange, and Totally Teal. The mystery
is that the color is unknown to the consumer until it has been purchased.
Interesting flavors are also appearing in ketchup. New in the Philippines
from California Manufacturing from Lady's Choice is a banana & tomato
blended ketchup.
On-the-go breakfast
for kids
Ennis Foods is extending its convenient "on-the-move" breakfast concept
(Rumblers) with varieties for children. New in the UK are Breakfastables,
with fresh milk and popular children's cereals such as Frosted Flake and
Choco-Surprise, cereal parcels with a chocolate and hazelnut filling.
They are packaged in dual compartment plastic pots with the milk and cereal,
and also enclosing a plastic spoon.
Relaxing breakfast
cereal
Breakfast cereals are also having an effect on mood and well-being! New
in Austria from Milupa under the Gittis brand are two meusli lines including
a Relax variety enriched with B vitamins, hops, melissa and acerola to
promote calmness and an even temperament.
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