At the onset of the pandemic, Golden West Food Group introduced Meat District, a retail line of case-ready, butcher-crafted fresh meats to help home cooks prepare restaurant-style protein. The brand started with burgers, sausages and wings made with unique inclusions and marinades. It is now expanding with a range of flavorful tri-tips ready for the grill.
The tri-tip is a triangular cut of beef from the bottom sirloin sub-primal cut and averages about 5 lbs. Produced and packaged in Los Angeles, the new tri-tip angus beef comes in five varieties: Rosemary Porcini, Sweet & Smokey, Roasted Chile, Steak House and the classic Santa Maria recipe. While chefs throughout the Santa Maria Valley region of California have created their own unique spins on this classic rub, the basic recipe includes garlic, black pepper, cayenne and achiote paste, which is red and made with annatto seeds, cumin, pepper, coriander, oregano, cloves and garlic. It adds a sweet and spicy, slightly smokey flavor to the rub.
The brand also added a new 8-oz. patty to its burger lineup, growing it to 11 varieties. The new “Shaq” is made with angus brisket, chuck and short rib.
At the National Assn. of Convenience Stores (NACS) annual expo held in early October in Chicago, Mars Wrigley U.S. shared insights from its recently announced “Accelerating Impulse Moments” platform to “shape impulse throughout the shopper journey and provide an effective retail experience, be it at curbside pick-up, online or in-store.”
The company rolled out a number of new products and line extensions, including M&M’S Crunchy Cookie, which feature a crunchy center covered in milk chocolate and enrobed with the colorful, iconic M&M’S candy shell; Skittles Sour Gummies, which are an extra-chewy version of the sour, candy-coated fruity Skittle; Starburst Airs, which is a next-generation aerated gummy candy in classic Starburst flavors; and Twix Salted Caramel, which is just what the name states.
“Mars Wrigley is more focused than ever on delivering on-trend product innovation, production and packaging that drives sales and grows the total category,” says Tim LeBel, president of sales at Mars Wrigley. “We have our pulse on what motivates consumers to make a purchase and at NACS, we’re excited to have given attendees a sneak peek at new flavors and formats delivering on these needs.”
The Urgent Company is rolling out Modern Kitchen Animal-Free Cream Cheese. This is the second product from the company, the first being Brave Robot Animal-Free Ice Cream, which debuted in 2020. Both are made with Perfect Day animal-free milk protein.
The cream cheeses come in three chef-inspired flavors—Harissa Pepper, Spring Onion + Chive, and Strawberry—and are naturally lactose free, hormone free and cholesterol free. The animal-free cream base is made of water, coconut oil and non-animal whey protein. It is stabilized with non-GMO modified potato starch and non-GMO modified corn starch and fortified with potato protein. The spreads come in 8-oz. tubs and carry the descriptor: made from plants and flora. There’s also the disclaimer: Contains milk allergen.
“By applying science and technology, we’re able to make better versions of the same dairy products consumers love,” says Paul Kollesoff, co-founder and general manager at The Urgent Company. “And, of course, it’s more sustainable than other options on the market because that’s just what we do.”
Epic Provisions, a business acquired by General Mills in 2016, is all about satiating, energizing products formulated to complement the paleo diet. This includes emphasizing healthy animal fats, grass-fed protein and leafy vegetables.
The company was founded by two exercise enthusiasts who had decided to go vegetarian, then vegan, in efforts to clean up their diets. They soon found themselves sick with gastrointestinal distress and inflammatory ailments from eating highly processed plant proteins and lots of carbohydrates.
Within a few months of going paleo, they were stronger, faster and leaner than ever before. That’s when they developed their first product line, a shelf-stable bar made with 100% grass-fed meats, fruits and nuts. Jarred bone broths soon followed.
This year the company reformulated its popular Homestyle Savory Chicken Bone Broth and Beef Jalapeno Sea Salt Bone Broth to have more robust flavor profiles and added Epic Tuscan Chicken Bone Broth to the line-up. Made with Italian-inspired herbs, the new variety is ready for sipping warmed or at room temperature, and also may be used in recipes. The brand is also now in the salty snack business with new Epic Salt & Vinegar Pork Rinds.
Chobani is expanding beyond the refrigerated dairy case with new Chobani Ends Child Hunger Peanut Butter Flavored Nutrient Spreads in a partnership with Edesia Nutrition, manufacturer of the spreads. The products serve a dual purpose: helping solve child hunger while offering a nutritious and safe way to introduce peanuts to infants.
Chobani will donate 100% of profits from its peanut spreads to Edesia for production of Plumpy’Nut, a fortified peanut butter shipped around the world to nourish children with acute malnutrition. The Chobani spreads include two varieties--apple and banana--designed for four- to six-month old infants. They are formulated to reduce the choking hazard associated with the early introduction of peanuts recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics to help reduce peanut allergies.
The infant line comes in 0.7-oz. squeeze packs. For the family, there are 1.12-oz squeeze packs and 10-oz. jars of chocolate and cookie dough-flavored peanut butter, as well as a plain offering. All varieties include whey protein isolate and milk minerals, providing protein and five essential minerals.
Before announcing the rollout of Kraft Flavor Boosts to the U.S marketplace, Kraft Heinz started the macaroni and cheese flavor frenzy this past summer in Canada. The two concepts are different in flavors and format.
In the U.S., starting in early 2022, there will be three varieties available as seasoning packets purchased separately from the macaroni and cheese dinner. A limited early-offering online program called the Flvrs Club had buffalo available on Oct. 25, ranch on Oct. 28 and pizza on Nov. 2, all sent direct to “winning” consumers’ homes along with fun merchandise. In Canada, where the boxed pastas are branded KD Kraft Dinners, the limited-edition concept is a line extension in six varieties called KD Flavour Boosts, where the seasoning packet comes with the boxed dinner. Varieties include the classic Canadian staple poutine, along with spicy hot ghost pepper and milder heat levels of buffalo wing and jalapeno. There’s also savory butter chicken and slightly sweet cotton candy.
“We know die-hard fans of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner are always excited by new ways to enjoy a comforting bowl of our iconic mac and cheese,” says Maya McDonald, marketing activation lead.
