Move Over Chicken Nuggets
https://www.aquamarseafood.com/
New Aquamar Seafood Tenders is a first-of-its-kind in the U.S. market, a line of fully cooked refrigerated proteins from the sea. Varieties are cod, crab, smoked haddock and smoked salmon. The tenders contain no bones and are an easy protein add-on for any dish. This breakthrough offering allows retailers the opportunity to provide an easy solution to meet consumer interest in eating more seafood.
As Aquamar expands beyond surimi into premium seafood, the company is aligning with heightened consumer interest in sustainability. All Aquamar products, including the Seafood Tenders, are 100% wild-caught in an environmentally sustainable way.
“At Aquamar, we believe everyone should have access to healthy, high-quality protein, and our focus is on premium, ready-to-eat seafood solutions that are both affordable and convenient to prepare,” says CEO Daryl Gormley. “For retailers, easy-to-prepare seafood options are worth an estimated additional $8 billion per year, and this innovative new line means adding significantly to their share-of-wallet.”
Ready-to-Eat Seasoned Meatballs
Farm Rich, a division of Rich Products, has been making some of America’s favorite frozen snacks since 1982, including the brand’s best-selling mozzarella sticks. The company is now growing its fully cooked flame-broiled frozen meatball line with three fun flavors: cheeseburger, maple bacon and pizza.
The cheeseburger and pizza meatballs are made with beef and pork and packed with herbs and spices. One serving contains 12g of protein. The maple bacon meatballs combine pork with maple syrup and real bacon. They can be used as an appetizer, in a breakfast casserole or as a hearty snack. One serving provides 13g of protein. All of the meatballs can be prepared in a microwave, stovetop, conventional oven or slow cooker. The suggested retail price is $7.99.
“These new meatball flavors bring fun innovation to this product category with unique flavor experiences that appeal to a wide variety of tastes, including kids,” says Meghan Ozamiz, director of marketing. “Farm Rich now has one of the largest selections of frozen meatballs available at grocery, and we plan to expand these newest products into more retail locations in 2023 and 2024.”
It’s Pumpkin Spice Time, Even for Goat Cheese
LaClare Creamery is expanding its fresh goat cheese line with three new flavor varieties: chili lime, Mediterranean and a seasonally available pumpkin. Chil lime is all about sweet heat. It features tangy goat cheese with a special blend of chipotle chiles, lime and salt. The Mediterranean variety is made with a blend of olives, savory herbs and spices. The pumpkin offering includes a generous amount of pumpkin spice puree with a hint of cinnamon.
The company works with a local Wisconsin milk supplier and collects milk every other day to ensure freshness. The company’s cheeses are known for their creamy texture, as well as their clean and tangy flavor profile. The fresh milk and pure chevre taste are what allows the flavors to shine through, further heightening the goat cheese experience, according to the company. Other flavors include apple cinnamon, chipotle honey, everything bagel spice, garlic herb, maple bourbon and more.
Mashup in the Chip Aisle
Since 2021, Lay’s Flavor Swap potato chips have brought unexpected twists to fan-favorite Frito-Lay chips. The brand’s latest offering is Lay’s Kettle Cooked Ruffles All Dressed flavored potato chips. Inspired by the number-one Ruffles chip flavor in Canada, Ruffles All Dressed, the new mashup with Lay’s Kettle Cooked potato chips creates an unexpected flavor and texture experience.
“All dressed” is a tangy, savory and sweet chip flavor unique to the Canadian marketplace. It’s described as a mix of ketchup, barbecue sauce, sour cream, onion, salt and vinegar. Along with the new flavor, Lay’s is bringing back some popular Flavor Swap offerings. For a limited time, consumers can find Lay’s potato chips in Cheetos, Doritos Cool Ranch and Wavy Funyuns flavors. The chips come in 7.5-oz. bags and sell for $4.79. There are also snack-size 2.5-oz. bags with a retail price of $2.49.
Veggie-Forward Korean BBQ Kit
Capturing the flavors of the popular Korean barbecue trend, Ark Foods Korean BBQ Stir Fry Kit is a veggie-forward meal kit featuring vibrant farm-fresh vegetables with a sweet and flavorful sauce packet. The kit also contains a pre-cooked rice packet, which enables the home cook to prepare the crispy, hearty stir fry meal in minutes. The kit has launched on the West Coast, with national distribution soon to follow.
The company also has four new chopped salad kits: Caesar-ish Kale, Crunchy Sesame Ramen, Southern BBQ Ranch and Sweet Kale Lemon Poppyseed. The pre-washed mix of hearty greens comes with crunchy toppings and clean-label dressings.
“Salad kits have seen double-digit growth over the past year,” says Noah Robbins, founder and CEO. “Our kits are created with innovation in mind. We aim to surpass shoppers’ expectations using flavor profiles that stand out while still focusing on health and wellness, rather than simply recreate what they can already buy. Ark Foods is dedicated to creating innovative solutions that make vegetables the star of the plate.”
Slow-Cooked, Shortcut Sauces
www.ragu.com
Prepared ambient pasta sauces have long been the go-to for time-pressed family dinners. With many of today’s consumers opting to eat at home to save money but still craving a restaurant experience, sauce manufacturers are offering premium products to keep it simple.
“We believe ‘homemade’ doesn’t have to mean spending all day in the kitchen,” says Megan Frank, senior vice president-marketing of Mizkan America Inc., maker of Ragu sauces. “New Ragu Kettle Cooked sauces offer a smart shortcut with a rich and savory homemade taste that makes mealtime even easier.”
The 24-oz. jarred sauces come in marinara, roasted garlic and tomato basil flavors. They are said to be made by a slow-simmering process that produces an elevated taste experience to provide an Italian bistro experience at home. They are Non-GMO Project Verified with no added sugars.
