Prepared Foods - March 2009 - (Page 15)

2009 New Products Annual meals Meals on Demand ■ ■ ■ Breakfast to go? More than convenience Potential from recession William A. Roberts, Jr., Business Editor ssessing a category as broad as prepared meals can be challenging, but the claims found in each segment paint a clear picture of the trends as manufacturers see them. “Microwaveable,” “time/speed” and “ease of use” all ranked at or near the top of claims (ranked by number of introductions) in virtually all segments in the category in the U.S. during 2008, according to an analysis of claims tracked by the Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD). For that matter, at least one of the trio placed as the top claim in each of the segments, and manufacturers clearly recognize the importance of convenience across this category. However, that is little surprise; the category is “prepared meals,” after all. Drilling beyond convenience, health emerges. In fact, “low-/ no-/reduced-trans fat” tied with “microwaveable” in the pizza segment and registered a strong third place showing in the sandwiches/wraps area. The latter segment had a number of health positionings featured prominently over the year, with doubledigit introductions claiming “whole-grain” content, “low-/no-/ reduced-calories” and “low-/no-/reduced-fat.” Trans fat, for that matter, continued its reign as one of the industry’s great evils. Comparing the number of introductions in 2004 vs. 2008 demonstrates just how much and how rapidly the issue emerged. Curiously absent from many of the segments’ top 20 claims, however, is the “low-/no-/reduced-sodium” claim so prevalent in other categories. It does appear in a respectable sixth place in the instant noodle, pasta and rice segment with 12 introductions, barely more than the 10 launches necessary to land it 20th among claims in new prepared meals. That latter segment has had something of a roller-coaster regard for low-sodium claims, surging to 18 launches in 2004, before a lackluster four in 2005, rising again to 18 in 2006, and back to five in 2007. Its A With a healthy positioning plus growth in instant noodles, pasta and rice came literethnically diverse flavor options, ally out of nowhere; it had ConAgra’s Healthy Choice Café a total of three introductions making that claim Steamers found a positive conin the previous four years sumer response. Sales were so combined, according to GNPD statistics. strong, in fact, IRI named it the That segment did see number-one selling new food Snack Alliance introduce product through mid-year. XGrindz Smart Noodles in savory chicken noodle, spicy Thai noodle and sizzling steak varieties, all promising to be low in salt. With the tagline, “Think healthy, Think smart, We X the Salt!” plus the image of a skateboarder on the package front, it clearly targeted younger people. Moms, on the other hand, were the audience for Mom Made Ready Meals from Mom Made Foods. These prepared meals featured a Cheesy Mac variety promising a side of organic peas and less than half the sodium of regular macaroni-and-cheese products. The line’s other option was Fiesta Rice, a gluten-free blend of brown rice, corn, kidney beans and green peppers. Both were USDA-certified organic. Sodium was also largely absent from Let’s Grow, a line of all-natural food for toddlers. The 19-SKU Beech-Nut line promised not to contain unnecessary sugars or sodium and, as such, carried a “No Junk Promise” logo on the package. BeechNut’s line was an effort to bring parents back to store shelves for toddler foods, as the company believes parents have left the www.PreparedFoods.com ● March 2009 15 http://www.PreparedFoods.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Prepared Foods - March 2009

Prepared Foods - March 2009 Contents MarketWatch 2009 Spirit of Innovation Awards Meals on Demand Baked Goods: Baked in 2008 Growth in Soups and Side Dishes Beverages: Defending Drinks Cereals: At the Bars Snacks Dealing with Dairy On the Sauce: Sauces and Dressings Abstracts R&D Trends: Update on Healthy Ingredients

Prepared Foods - March 2009

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