New Food & Beverage Product Rollout: December 2022

The bars come in three flavors--Cinnamon French Toast, Marshmallow Treat and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip—and are packed with 12g of protein and 4g of fiber. The No. 1 ingredient is milk protein concentrate. Other protein sources include milk protein isolate and whey protein isolate, which are all sources of high-quality, complete protein. This means they contain all the essential amino acids in the ratio best used by the body. The fiber comes from soluble vegetable fiber and iso-malto-oligosaccharides, while the sweetness comes from sucralose. The company offers a range of protein bars, including a plant protein-based line made with a protein blend sourced from pea, rice, peanut and almond.

Bacon Gets Better Bar-S Brand

Just when you thought bacon couldn’t get any better, Bar-S, a brand of Sigma U.S., has partnered with McCormick Grill Mates, to roll out McCormick Grill Mates Marinated Bacon. The companies are changing the way bacon is made by adding a marinating step prior to smoking. It is debuting in two flavors: Ultimate Bacon and Smoky Applewood. The latter combines the sweet, smoky blend of chili pepper and garlic with Applewood smoke flavor.

“Marinating has been bringing more flavor to steak, chicken and pork for years, so it made great sense to do the same with bacon,” says Jeff Gaunt, marketing director at Sigma U.S. “With the marinating and then smoking process, we are delivering more flavor than consumers ever thought possible.”

McCormick is all about bold flavor. The company recently added a blackened seasoned chicken flavor to its fully cooked line of Zatarain’s Smoked Sausage, joining the brand’s andouille and Cajun varieties.

Shareable Cheese Cubes 

Earlier this year, Dutch Farms expanded its specialty egg product line, all sold by the dozen. The company secured partnerships with local, small family farms that raise hens who are free to roam and nest and who are allowed outdoor access. Some allow hens to forage for wild plants and food. Dutch Farms also offers specialty eggs from birds fed diets designed to increase the nutritional content of the eggs, and there are organic options in medium, large and jumbo sizes. For heavy egg eaters, a number of varieties are sold in 18-pack cartons.

Movie-inspired Breakfast Cereal 

A few months earlier, retailers welcomed Kellogg’s Disney Hocus Pocus 2 cereal to the breakfast aisle. Each bite contains mixed berry flavors with purple, orange and yellow star-shaped pieces topped with green and purple flecks. Parents don’t need to miss out on the fun. Earlier in the year, Kellogg and Little Debbie expanded their lineup of classic treat-inspired cereals with a nostalgia-inducing collaboration: Kellogg’s Little Debbie Nutty Buddy Cereal. The cereal evokes the sweet, chocolatey fudge and peanut butter creme flavors of the classic treat and features cereal pieces coated in fudge for the Nutty Buddy experience. It joins other limited-edition Kellogg’s Little Debbie collaborations such as Oatmeal Creme Pies and Cosmic Brownie cereals.

Dairy-free Milk Chocolate

“Our initial goal was to develop an option for milk chocolate lovers,” says JJ Rademaekers, chief candyman and founder of Cocomels. “We have fantastic dark chocolate-covered Cocomels but wanted to expand our line to appeal to all chocolate lovers looking for dairy-free options. In development, we found oatmilk chocolate provides a sweet and creamy taste that’s most similar to milk chocolate, more so than other alternative options we explored. And with oatmilk as a milk alternative rising in popularity over the past few years, introducing an oatmilk chocolate-covered line seemed timely and on-trend.” The 3.5-oz pouches have a suggested retail price of $6.49.

Vegan-cheese Stuffed Pasta 

Nuovo Pasta, a manufacturer of refrigerated artisan pasta, has added the Plant-Based Vegan collection to its lineup. The refrigerated fresh pasta concept is made with cashew-based ricotta cheese as the filling in ravioli that comes in four varieties: Roasted Sweet Potato & Cauliflower, Spinach & Vegan Ricotta, Tomato, Basil & Vegan Ricotta and Wild Mushroom Ragu & Polenta.

The vegan pasta is made with kamut, which is one of the world’s most ancient grains, according to the company. Kamut wheat is a non-hybridized ancient wheat containing whole grain nutrition with a firm texture, and a rich, nutty taste. The Nuovo Pasta creations are merchandised for the consumer in a modified atmosphere package to preserve freshness and provide a safe product. They are part of Nuovo’s sustainability campaign, which includes earth-friendly packaging made from up to 80% post-consumer plastics.

“We’ve taken our years of experience in the foodservice world and really created a restaurant experience at home for people,” says Carl Zuanelli, CEO and founder.