Rollout: The best of June’s new food products

In the bag – perfectly steamed veggies

Thanks to Clarence Birdseye, frozen foods were introduced to retail customers more than 75 years ago. Birds Eye Foods, Rochester, N.Y., rolls out another revolution in frozen food with the nationwide launch of Steamfresh, frozen vegetables that steam perfectly right in the bag.

Steamfresh heralds steam-in-the-bag cooking, a new concept for U.S. consumers, but it should catch on as steamed vegetables lock in nutritional benefits of vitamins and minerals. It provides an easy way to meet the new daily requirements for vegetables – recommended at 2½ servings per day. Using some patented technology, the fresh frozen vegetables go from freezer to microwave to table in just 5 minutes.

Birds Eye packages its flash-frozen vegetables in a specially designed bag. While microwaving, the bag puffs up under the pressure of the steam created within it. A patented vent releases the steam after it cooks the veggies, leaving them crisp, colorful and tasty.

“Steaming has long been thought of as the gold standard for vegetable preparation because of its inherent health benefits,” says Josh Weinstein, senior product manager of Steamfresh. “With the Steamfresh products, consumers will receive perfectly steamed vegetables with such ease and convenience that we believe the Steamfresh portfolio could quickly become a home meal-time staple.”

Each 12-oz. package serves about four people and is available in nine varieties: Broccoli Cuts; Super Sweet Corn; Cut Green Beans; Mixed Vegetables; Sweet Peas; Broccoli & Cauliflower; Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Carrots; Broccoli, Carrots, Sugar Snap Peas & Water Chestnuts, and Sweet Mini Corn on the Cob (four ears).

Suggested retail price ranges between $1.69 for plain vegetables and $2.29 for mixtures.

Lettuce puttin’ on the spritz

Dressing your salad has never been easier or more fashionable. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based Unilever introduces a line of Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers salad dressing, the season’s must-have salad accessory.

Designed for diet-conscious consumers who wish to regulate the amount of dressing they use, Wishbone Salad Spritzers are packaged in 7-oz. spray bottles with a custom spray nozzle that gives salad lovers more control than ever in adding the finishing touch to their salads. These light-tasting, refreshing vinaigrette dressings are available in three varieties: Italian Vinaigrette Dressing, made with a blend of white wine vinegar, and flavorings; Balsamic Breeze Vinaigrette Dressing, a blend of balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and garlic flavor; and Red Wine Mist Vinaigrette Dressing, blending cabernet sauvignon with red wine vinegar and oil.

“This is a true innovation in dressing salads,” says Dana Emery, marketing director. “The dressing is the final touch that makes a salad delicious. Wish-Bone Salad Spritzers dressings give salad lovers a new way to perfectly dress their salad with 1 calorie per spray.”

Kellogg makes granola pop-able

Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich., rolls out Kellogg's Granola Munch'ems and Special K Snack Bites, six single-serve pouches of bite-sized morsels perfect for busy, on-the-go consumers.

All-new Granola Munch'ems in two varieties – Honey Oat and Brown Sugar Cinnamon – are made with whole grains and several essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A and B6, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin and calcium. Each 130-calorie serving pouch provides a wholesome and delicious snack. The triangle-shaped pieces are easy to enjoy on the go – just pop and eat, with no messy crumbs.

"People love the great taste and nutrition traditional granola provides, and they want something that is convenient in today's increasingly on-the-go lifestyles," said Cheryl Dolven, nutritionist for Kellogg Snacks. "With new Munch'ems, consumers can enjoy a great-tasting, nutritious snack anywhere, anytime. We think this will change the way people think about granola and snacking."

For those refocusing their commitment to shape management, Kellogg adds Special K Snack Bites to its popular Special K line. Each 90-calorie pack features clusters of lightly textured, multi-grain Special K cereal with a touch of vanilla or strawberry flavors. Snack Bites also can be incorporated as a snack into the Special K Challenge, the two-week plan to help kick-start consumer's diets and their commitment to a long-term healthier lifestyle.

Suggested retail price is $3.39.

Frito-Lay controls its portions

Portion control is becoming the modus operandi for snack manufacturers. Frito-Lay North America, Plano, Texas, joins the fray with 100 Calorie Mini Bites, portion-controlled offerings of its Cheetos and Doritos snacks.

Varieties include: Baked! Cheetos; Doritos Nacho Cheese; Doritos Cool Ranch and Cheetos Asteroids. The Baked! Cheetos snacks also carry the Smart Spot symbol, which identifies those products that meet PepsiCo's nutrition criteria, based upon authoritative statements from the FDA and the Institute of Medicine.