Baking & Snack - December 2003 - 88

Grab 'n Go:

Consumers Demand Convenience
BY MEYER SOSLAND
he modern lifestyle in the U.S. is fast paced and therefore
demands convenience throughout all of its facets.
As the American lifestyle has picked up its pace so has
the demand for food products that allow consumers to heat and
eat their food for on-the-go consumption or more simply just unwrap a meal bar or bites. Consumers want foods that can be eaten
in a car, on public transportation, at school or at work quickly and
without much fuss in preparation.
Food manufacturers have responded to the convenience trend
with a variety of products more efficient in size, method of cooking and packaging.
From its packaging to product size, Quaker Quick Bites Mini
Cookies, distributed by Frito-Lay, Inc., Plano, Texas, exemplifies
the convenience trend. The mini cookies are available in Chocolate
Chip Oatmeal, Chocolate Creme Filled Honey Graham and Oatmeal Raisin flavors.
Quick Bites are packaged in a container that is approximately
the same circumference as a soda can; therefore, it fits perfectly
into a car cupholder. And its ergonomic design also fits well in
a consumer's hand. The container's pop-top lid is designed as
a "handy cup for snacking." Plus, Quick Bites' size makes them
ideal for hand-to-mouth snacking.
Another convenience-minded product,
which cooks in just two and half minutes,
is Tony's Pouches Stuffed Sand-

88 / BAKING & SNACK / December 2003

wiches, available from Schwan's Consumer Brands N.A., Marshall, Minn. Stuffed Sandwiches come in four varieties: Ham &
Cheese, Cheeseburger, Cheesy Meatball, Pepperoni and Philly
Steak & Cheese.
In the microwaveable filled sandwich category, following the
success of its Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly and Peanut Butter and
Strawberry Jam Uncrustables, Smucker's, Orville, Ohio, added a
new product to the Uncrustables line - a Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Smucker's markets the Uncrustables as "the perfect 'graband-go' sandwich for families on the move." The Grilled Cheese
Sandwich takes approximately 40 seconds to heat.
Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich., recently extended its NutriGrain line by introducing five varieties of Granola Chewy Bites
and Chewy Bars - Chocolatey Chip, Honey Oat & Raisin, Mixed
Berry, Oatmeal Raisin and Berry Medley. Both the bar and the bites
allow for easy handheld consumption for on-the-go consumers.
Quaker, Chicago, produced several new quick-consumption
products within its Fruit & Oatmeal line. The company recently
introduced Oatmeal on the Go chewy cereal bars in Baked Apple,
Mixed Berry and Cinnamon Roll with Raisins The product's packaging prominently describes these as "on the Go" items. The Go
word is particularly obvious on the packaging.
The Quaker Fruit & Oatmeal line also added Toastables Toaster
Pastries in Iced Strawberry, Iced Apple Cinnamon and
Brown Sugar, Strawberry, Apple Cinnamon and
Brown Sugar, Iced Blueberry and Cherry Cobbler. Ⅲ

Baking & Snack - December 2003

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