Last year saw a rise in varieties of frozen pasta which target the health-oriented consumers, with pasta, noodles and ready meals which include gluten-free, organic, high-fiber, fortified, and reduced-carbohydrate.
By Dan Orehov
As shopping habits continue to evolve towards free-from and healthy food options, including ready meals with pasta, but also frozen pasta varieties, more companies come up with new strategies and innovative products, meant to diversify their portfolio, expand in different geographical areas and attract more consumers. Moreover, since a growing number of shoppers are seeking convenient and easy to cook pasta, experts foresee significant growth of this category in the coming years.
Ireland’s Kerry Foods Cooks up New American Meal Range
Kerry Foods, the Irish-headquartered food company, aims to grow the frozen ready meal (FRM) category by launching a new range of American inspired dishes under The Shack brand. Exclusive to specialized supermarket chain Iceland, The Shack was introduced in the UK last September, across 789 stores. The meals are designed to attract consumers into the FRM aisle by bringing together a variety of American flavors and making popular restaurant food trends more accessible. With nine SKUs), the premium range has been developed as restaurant quality American meals loved by consumers, including “build your own fajitas with dips included”, and an “ultimate burger with pulled BBQ pork & brioche bun.” The new range consists of five mains and four easy eats, and draws on the on-trend American food movement. The Shack ‘menu’ format is a sociable proposition and with meal weights between 300-550g, the dishes are designed for a single or shared meal occasion. The launch was supported by #ShareTheShack, a fully comprehensive sampling roadshow outside Iceland stores and major universities. Consumers were invited to share photos of ‘great food and good times’ by using #sharetheshack to win a variety of prizes. Charlotte Bourne, senior brand manager at Kerry Foods, said: “In the crowded FRM market, the role of brands is critical to help drive the sector. Innovation and “premiumization” is key to delivering growth and The Shack delivers on both with its on-trend products, eye-catching packaging, and a market first with dips included in the packs.”
Kraft-Heinz Expands Boxed Dinner Range
The Kraft-Heinz company has expanded its range of Cracker Barrel Cheese, a brand which has so far received over 280 awards, with a new addition late last year, of macaroni. The new Macaroni & Cheese was launched in the boxed dinner aisles following a marketing campaign centered on its award-winning taste. The initiative uses the honored cheddar’s 60-year award-winning history to focus on the idea that Cracker Barrel cheese outranks other awards, showing the most important award is an award worth eating. “Cracker Barrel has such a rich history of cheese-making, known and loved for its smooth creaminess and bold sharpness,” said Johnni Rodgers, brand manager of meal solutions at Kraft Heinz. “A natural next step was to combine our award-winning cheddar with macaroni – bringing a premium and authentic offering to the boxed dinner aisle.” The recently-introduced range of mac & cheese is available in four varieties: Sharp Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese, Sharp White Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese, Cheddar Havarti Macaroni & Cheese, Sharp Cheddar & Bacon Macaroni & Cheese.
Ajinomoto Strengthens US Frozen Pasta Business
Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (“Ajinomoto Co.”) is strengthening its frozen noodles business with the launch of Japanese-style ramen to expand its frozen foods business in North America. The new Japanese-style ramen will be manufactured at Ajinomoto Toyo Frozen Noodles Inc., a frozen noodle production company established in April 2015 as a joint venture between the Ajinomoto Group and Toyo Suisan Kaisha, Ltd., and sold through the sales network of Ajinomoto Windsor, Inc. (“AWI”) from last October. “This launch brings together the high-level noodle manufacturing technology of Toyo Suisan Kaisha, Ltd., the production technology of Ajinomoto Frozen Foods Co., Inc. and the product development technology of AWI for the rollout of high-quality frozen noodles with specialty backed by technology through AWI’s powerful sales network, which covers all of North America,” said company representatives. “In doing so, Ajinomoto Co. is nurturing frozen noodles as a core product line on a par with frozen rice to accelerate the expansion of its frozen foods business in North America. Due to booming demand for Japanese-style ramen in the food service market in recent years, Ajinomoto Co. will launch a frozen noodle kit that includes frozen noodles and separately packaged soup for foodservice customers in addition to products for warehouse clubs and supermarkets. Ajinomoto Co. will further strengthen the Asian/Ethnic food category with the rollout of Japanese dishes centered on Japanese-style ramen,” they added. The frozen foods market in North America is approximately USD14.25bn and the Asian/Ethnic food category in particular is a growth market. According to the company, the market for frozen noodles in the Asian/Ethnic food category continues to grow by double digits each year, with a market size of approximately USD110m and steadily expanding. “In the Ajinomoto Group’s FY2014-2016 Medium-Term Management Plan, North America is positioned as a priority area where it aims to accelerate the expansion of its business scale centered on the frozen foods business. In the North American frozen foods market, Ajinomoto Co. will open up the frozen noodle market in the Asian/Ethnic food category, to establish the No. 1 position and promote the penetration of the brand,” concluded company representatives.
