Dairy Processing - June 2021 - 13

like the Hartman Group and Mintel to help me
keep a pulse on trends in the US and abroad. "
During the pandemic, McBride said it was
wonderful to see many folks return to dairy.
" I love the promise and possibility of
continuing to keep them coming back to dairy
for its outstanding nutrition, delicious taste and
sheer enjoyment, " she said.
DEFINING FLAVOR
Despite the fact that clean label does not have a
specific definition, the percentage of consumers
who say they are familiar with clean label, and
that it is important to them continues to grow,
transitioning it from a trend to a must-have for
food manufacturers.
To that end, COVID-19 has accelerated
interest in diet and health, making it more
important for shoppers to be able to recognize
the ingredients on food packaging, said Jennifer
Yunt, brand manager, Señor Rico Desserts,
Lakeview Farms.
" Before the Pandemic, Señor Rico had
already begun reformulating all rice pudding
and flan recipes to clean label formulas by
removing or replacing all artificial flavors,
colors and preservatives with natural options, "
she said. " We took our time in doing this so
that we could test the new recipes with regular
users to be sure we
could deliver the same
fresh, homemade taste
consumers expect. "
Yunt said
consumers want to
incorporate more
plant-based foods in
their diets, but they
want them to have the
taste and texture they
know and like. Enter
Señor Rico Horchata
Pudding. It is a plantbased
pudding with the
same smooth thickness
of a traditional pudding,
naturally flavored with
vanilla and cinnamon
for a creamy taste of
warm spice. It is also a
dairy-free alternative for snacking or dessert.
" Consumers are looking for new flavors and
textures in dessert and snacking; so we paired
the highest- ranked indulgent flavors with our
traditional rice pudding for a unique taste of
something they already know and love, " Yunt
said. " All three new flavors of rice pudding -
Dulce de Leche, Chocolate Hazelnut and Mango
- all add a layer of indulgence to the fresh
homemade taste of cream and vanilla. "
Because trends come and go, Yunt said, the
Delphos, Ohio-based company uses multiple
trusted industry sources for a holistic approach
to data and trend information.
" We use this to develop insights concerning
the category and the Señor Rico brand, and then
weigh the relevance to the brand positioning
and objectives to determine what we should
consider for product changes or innovation, "
she said.
While there is continued growth in plantbased
milk and cream products, there is also
an emerging trend for foods with functional
benefits (i.e., immunity, probiotic, mood, aiding
sleep), Yunt said.
" This could bode well for dairy products as
a way to highlight benefits that are naturally
present based on current research indicating the
benefit of dairy in aiding sleep. "
DAIRYPROCESSING.COM | JUN 2021 13
St. Benoit Creamery
Organic Desserts contain
only organic full-fat
milk, cream, eggs, sugar
and real flavors like
organic vanilla and local
TCHO artisan chocolate.
Tillamook, St. Benoit's Creamery
http://www.DAIRYPROCESSING.COM
Dairy Processing - June 2021

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