Rollout: Best New Products of March 2008

Flavors include Mountain Medley, featuring naturally sweet sundried cranberries and raisins, almonds, pecans, whole sunflower seeds and a pinch of coconut; and Orchard Spice is made with apples, sweet spices, pecans, raisins and whole flax seeds.

While health is playing a growing role for 90 percent of consumers in choosing their meals and snacks, they are looking for flavor and portion control, too. Kashi created its granola for people who want to eat a great-tasting granola with equally great nutrition. With 220 calories per serving, 300mg of ALA omega-3s and Kashi’s signature blend of seven whole grains and sesame, both varieties are sure to appeal to a range of nutritionally aware consumers.

For details, go to www.kelloggsfoodawayfromhome.com.

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Exceptional sides, simplified for foodservice
Boise, Idaho-based Simplot introduces UpSides savory side dishes, delivering on-trend flavors that satisfy consumers’ desires for more adventurous culinary experiences. UpSides products offer operators an opportunity to menu more sophisticated and indulgent sides often deemed too challenging to prepare from scratch and provide consistent taste, texture and appearance.

Higher consumer expectations, combined with rising labor and food costs, have created the need for operators to consider new menu items, while still offering creativity. All inspired by chefs, the savory side dishes line include UpSides Multigrain Blends, deliver a combination of exotic grains, colorful vegetables and distinctive herbs. UpSides Polenta Cakes, combine coarse-grain cornmeal with authentic cheeses and complementary seasonings for an aromatic, flavorful side, in two easy-to-use first-to-market formats: quarter sheets, for customizable shapes, and pre-cut rounds. Gourmet Pasta Blends add bold flavor and flame-roasted appeal to any menu. They provide operators versatility, operational ease and heat-and-serve convenience, while optimizing margins.

“Simplot’s new UpSides savory side dishes meet consumer demand for indulgent, unique sides, helping to boost repeat business while optimizing total plate profitability,” says Danny Bawcom, director of New Product Development and Marketing. “UpSides products virtually eliminate the time commitment, preparation of multiple ingredients and steps required to produce these side dishes from scratch, allowing operators to menu new, on-trend dishes they otherwise would not have been able to offer.”

Contact www.simplot.com.

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Soft serve ice cream goes all-natural
West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Archibald Frozen Desserts, introduces ready-to-serve All Natural Premium Soft ice cream, In addition, Archibald is partnering with Clarinda, Iowa-based dairy Naturally Iowa Inc. to ensure the market's first and only dairy-produced, all-natural soft ice cream will contain the purest flavors possible. A dairy market innovator, Naturally Iowa was the first dairy to package its organic milk in compostable corn-plastic containers. It uses no rBGH or steroids at its dairy farms.

Flavors include: Vanilla Supreme; Homemade Vanilla Lite; Chocolate Supreme; Double Chocolate Chunk; Lemon Cream; Peanut Butter Cup; Cafe Mocha; Cinnamon; Strawberries & Cream; Chocolate Chip; Chocolate Chip Mint and Cookies & Cream.

Distributed "ready-to-serve" nationwide, the premium soft ice cream is dispensed through Archibald's patent pending table-top EROS machine, which creates an efficient, profitable and integrated solution for clients/point of sale. Archibald, long known for its best-in-class dispensing platform and integrated solution, continues to differentiate itself from its competitors with the all-natural product line and is now poised for an organic product strategy down the line.

“The demand for all-natural products is enormous and growing across all food and dessert categories,” says said Basil Bennett, CEO at Archibald. “We are delighted to partner with Naturally Iowa to bring the first all-natural premium soft ice cream product line to the market."

Contact www.archibaldfrozendesserts.com.