World foods and category expert Golden Acre Foods has partnered with German cooked meat company The Feldhues Group to support the evolution of the much loved Billy Bear brand as it celebrates its 40th birthday this spring.
Billy Bear, the sliced kids’ character cooked meats brand and a lunchbox favourite for four decades, is widely available across all major UK retailers including Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and convenience stores. But as the brand reaches its milestone birthday, Golden Acre is supporting the roll out of new, refreshed packaging designed to modernise its look and strengthen its appeal with today’s families.
Launching into stores from mid-April, the updated design follows consumer research conducted in summer 2025 to understand current perceptions of the brand among parents and children. The findings confirmed that whilst Billy Bear remains a family favourite, with children aged three to seven strongly influencing what goes into their lunchboxes, the research also highlighted several opportunities to evolve the brand for a new generation.
These insights have directly shaped the refreshed packaging now rolling out across the Billy Bear range, delivering a cleaner and more contemporary look with improved shelf visibility, stronger character appeal and clearer messaging that highlights the product’s high-protein credentials. The new design also calls out that Billy Bear is free from artificial colours and flavours and, importantly for families managing allergies, free from gluten, lactose and soya. A new nutrition traffic light graphic has also been added to the front of pack to help consumers make healthier choices at a glance. It clearly shows each pork slice is not ‘in the red’ – that is not high in fat, saturated fat, sugar or salt.
Comments Rebecca Cutter, head of marketing for Golden Acre Foods:
“Billy Bear is a nostalgic brand that has been around for 40 years, appealing to children young and old and their parents and grandparents. As we approach this milestone birthday, we have taken the opportunity to listen closely to families. Recent research confirmed that while the brand remains much loved, parents and children are looking for clearer, more modern packaging and stronger character appeal. Our refreshed design ensures Billy Bear feels relevant for today’s families while celebrating its heritage.
“Loved by generations, the brand continues to receive exceptional consumer reviews and has built a loyal, almost cult-like following among families who have grown up with the iconic bear.”
The refreshed packaging and ongoing support for the Billy Bear range will be backed by digital and in store marketing as well as a social presence to raise brand awareness around the brand’s 40th birthday on 22nd April 2026.
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