Birds Eye is expanding its Steamfresh® range with the launch of three delicious new Steamfresh® Meals: Mediterranean Vegetables & Pasta in Tomato Sauce, Mushroom Tagliatelle in a Creamy Sauce, and Spinach & Ricotta Tortelloni with Vegetables & Pesto. The launch taps into the high consumer demand for convenient, easy-to-cook, tasty and nutritious meals by offering shoppers a healthy¹ option ideal for a midweek lunch or dinner.
Functional midweek dinners now make up 45% of meal occasions in the steaming vegetables frozen segment[2]. Consumers are leading busy lives, and many are looking for nutritious meal options which are also easy and quick to prepare. With practicality, health, and enjoyment scoring as the top three most important attributes for consumers shopping in this segment[3], Birds Eye is catering to the nation’s tastes and providing an opportunity for retailers to capitalise on this demand through the new Steamfresh® Meals’ range.
The new products have been carefully created and balanced to blend a variety of high quality vegetables with pasta, resulting in an easy but delicious meal. Steamfresh® Meals are made to be cooked in the microwave where the vegetables can benefit from being steamed in their packaging, as steaming helps retain more nutrients, taste and texture in the vegetables vs. being boiled.[4] Furthermore, they take just six to eight minutes to cook (depending on the variant) and also deliver one to two portions of your recommended ‘five-a-day’*.
Jess Ali, Head of Marketing for Brand, Vegetables, Potatoes and Plant-Based at Birds Eye UK & Ireland said, “Currently, there are minimal ready meal options in the market that combine great taste, convenience, and health in one. Our latest additions to the Steamfresh® portfolio show our commitment to helping consumers eat more high-quality vegetables through an easy to prepare frozen format and will help retailers drive further growth in this segment.”
The new Steamfresh® Meals build on the success of Birds Eye’s existing Steamfresh® Creamy Pasta SKU, which has seen phenomenal growth YOY at 73%[5]. Birds Eye’s Steamfresh® vegetable portfolio also holds a 71% share of the Steamed Vegetable Frozen segment[6] and is in 20% YOY growth[7], further demonstrating the appetite from consumers for vegetable-packed meals and sides.
As a brand, Birds Eye is committed to delivering on its sustainability strategy and strives to ‘Serve the Nation with Better Food’. The new Steamfresh® Meals range builds on this commitment, by including a variety of high-quality vegetables to suit varying tastes while also being fully non-HFSS.
The launch will be supported by £2.7M of media investment which will include a brand new Above-The-Line campaign, which will go live from May until July. The campaign will travel through the line with a nationwide rollout of out of home billboards and shopper activation as well as support from a digital and PR angle.
Birds Eye’s new Steamfresh® Meals range is available now in Asda, and from week commencing 7th April in Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Iceland, with Tesco following in September. The meals have an MRSP of £3.50**.
*Depending on the SKU
** Pricing is at the sole discretion of retailer
[1] The trio of SteamFresh meals are a healthy offering as they are:
Mediterranean Vegetables & Pasta in Tomato Sauce – Rich in vitamin A which contributes to the maintenance of normal vision (Vitamin A: 139?g /100g (17% NRV), 557?g /400g (69% NRV))
Mushroom Tagliatelle in a Creamy Sauce – Source of protein which contributes to the maintenance of muscle mass (Protein: 4.5g /100g (14% RI), 18g /400g (36% RI))
Tortelloni with Vegetables & Pesto – Rich in vitamin A which contributes to the maintenance of normal vision (Vitamin A: 166?g /100g (20% NRV), 582?g /350g (72% NRV)
[2] Kantar Usage, 52 w/e 01.10.23
[3] Kantar Usage, 52 w/e 01.10.23
[4] Schnepf & Driskell (1994), sensory attributes and nutrient retention in selected vegetables prepared by conventional and microwave methods. Journal of Food Quality, vol. 17, issue. 2, pages 87-99.
[5] Nielsen 52we sales value % change to we 27/01/24
[6] Nielsen 52we value share to we 27/01/24
[7] Nielsen 52we sales value % change to we 27/01/24
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