Rollout: The best of the month’s new food products

Suggested retail price is $3.89.

Whole-graining of the home oven

ConAgra Foods, Omaha, Neb., debuts Healthy Choice All-Purpose White Flour with Whole Grains. The launch combines two innovative brands: Healthy Choice and Ultragrain, the revolutionary new whole-wheat flour that bakes and tastes like white flour but contains 9g of whole grain per serving.

Available since 2004 only to commercial food manufacturers, Ultragrain flour is a great option for mom’s home cooking and baking and a simple way to add more whole grains without sacrificing cooking performance or flavor for even the most finicky eaters (kids).

With higher levels of fiber, minerals, B vitamins, phytonutrients and antioxidants, the flour compares favorably in taste with traditional refined all-purpose white flour, which typically has none of the bran and germ in whole wheat. Healthy Choice flour is made with 30 percent Ultragrain flour blended with enriched refined white flour.

Mixing Ultragrain with other flours already has emerged as an effective strategy for getting consumers to purchase and eat more whole grains. In fact, Sara Lee's fast-selling Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grains white bread and ConAgra Foods' popular The Max school lunch pizza have used Ultragrain flour blends. Scores of other products, including Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers, Lightlife's Smart Menu vegetarian entrees and ConAgra’s Kid Cuisine meals and El eXtremo burritos have enhanced their nutritional profile significantly and lost none of their flavor, nor favor with moms, kids and other consumers.

"This flour strikes the perfect balance, with the taste most Americans want and the whole-grain nutrition they know they need," says David Palfenier, president, ConAgra Foods Grocery Foods. “Americans will be flipping for whole grains as never before." And he adds, “Ultimately, a lot more Americans will get closer to the recommended amounts of whole grains in their diets than do today with refined flour or 100 percent whole-wheat flour.”

Suggested retail price is $2.29 for a five-pound bag.

Be-‘tween’ meal option

Hamburger Helper, a brand of Minneapolis-based General Mills, rolls out Hamburger Helper Microwave Singles, snack-size pouches geared for hungry tweens and teens.

Varieties include Cheeseburger Macaroni, Cheesy Beef Taco, Stroganoff and Cheesy Lasagna. The pouches contain everything to prepare a single-serving snack or meal but the bowl. Just add water, stir and microwave for approximately five minutes. Yes, even the shelf-stable ground beef is in there.

“Now consumers may enjoy Hamburger Helper anytime and anyplace where there’s a microwave handy,” says Tim Goldsmid, Hamburger Helper marketing. “We created single-serve portions to provide families with a convenient option that parents can trust and kids can feel empowered to make on their own. We’re proud to be the first to market with this innovative product that provides consumers with more choices between meals, at lunch time or for a quick dinner on the go.”

Suggested retail price for four packages is $3.29.