Most lunchboxes are based around bread of some sort. Bread of all types makes a good, filling base for a lunch packed with protein, fruit and vegetables and is one of the few components of the box that stays the same while other items change with tastes.
“Brioche rolls are increasingly popular as an alternative to bread. They have a soft texture and slightly sweet taste which children love and our Brioche Rolls are perfectly sized for small hands, comments Matt Grenter, Retail Sales Manager, Brioche Pasquier.
“They are a practical choice for parents too as a pack bought at the beginning of the week will be just as fresh by the end. In fact, they will last for 21 days, thus minimising waste, an important factor in these worrying times of rising prices, grain shortages and environmental concerns.”
Making lunchboxes can be a challenging chore for parents. Not only do they have to stick to school guidelines on healthy eating, they also have to provide a lunch that their children will actually eat.
Parents are bombarded with different health messages from all sides. They of course have the interests of their children in mind, and want to provide a nutritionally sound lunch if at all possible.
Clean labelling is an increasingly important factor in their decision making. Additives like preservatives, unhealthy fats, artificial flavourings and colourings all signal a red light to those who want to eat simple, clean bakery products.
“Brioche Pasquier is a family-owned company with a focus on baking quality, clean label products. We want our brioche to offer wholesome, affordable family food, and we believe the best way forward is to bake them with natural products and minimal additions,” adds Grenter.
“Brioche Pasquier is the nation’s favourite brioche brand and our long lasting -products contain no preservatives, artificial flavours or hydrogenated fats. This original recipe was developed by Gabriel Pasquier the founder of the company in his small bakery over 80 years ago and uses a unique natural ‘levain’ which keeps the brioche fresh for 21 days.”
Trends are hard to determine in such a volatile time, but one trend which is likely to overshadow all others for the next few months is value for money. Consumers will want to be buying the best food they can for their children while also making sure it is economical and long lasting. The old-fashioned virtues of thrift and no waste are back in vogue.
“We are proud that our long-lasting Brioche products which are made without preservatives make it easier for families to plan healthier meals and reduce waste,” says Grenter. “All our products are realistically priced and with their 21-day shelf life are unlikely to go stale before they are eaten.”
Parents making lunchboxes at home like to have security of supply for at least a week on their shelves so there is no Friday panic with nothing to put in the box.
Brioche Pasquier’s packaging is also practical, for example, its PITCH products come in packs of four or six, and its Croissants are twin wrapped in packs of six. This means the elements within will remain fresh in their individual packing, so there can always be a brioche snack on the shelf.
“Our PITCH chocolate snack brioche were our most popular products before the pandemic, and they have continued to gain traction since. Children love them and they are very popular for snacks on the go, with the individual packaging making them a quick and easy sweet treat to pop in a pocket for an after school or sport boost,” Grenter continues.
“PITCH can offer a more wholesome alternative to a chocolate bar or a packet of crisps, especially when, like all our Brioche Pasquier products, they are baked with recognisable whole ingredients like fresh eggs from uncaged hens, flour and butter. They come individually wrapped in packs of four or six so there is no need for waste.”
For new products and to drive brand penetration, Brioche Pasquier regularly uses in-store promotions to support its product range. In 2021 the brand built on the success of a previous collaboration with the most successful animation franchise of all-time, Illumination’s Minions, giving customers the chance to win a family holiday and thousands of instant-win Minions goodies.
This year, the brand is continuing its hugely successful partnership with the Minions and will be running two new fantastic Minions on-pack promotions that will be even bigger and better than before. From July Minions will be featured on packs of Brioche Rolls, Brioche Rolls Choc Chip, and PITCH Chocolate. Prizes include an action-packed Family Glamping Adventure and the ultimate RetroParty Bundle complete with all the essentials to throw a family a party to remember. There are also thousands of fantastic Minions instant win prizes to be won.
All the prizes can be won by entering the competition online and entering a unique or batch code from a promotional pack. Winners will know instantly if they have won a smaller prize and everyone will automatically be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win one of the headline prizes depending on which product they purchased.
Wayne Thompson, Business Unit Controller, OOH at FrieslandCampina, comments: “YAZOO is the UK’s number one traditional flavoured milk (IRI) brand and is a £74m brand (IRI). We have great awareness with consumers – we continue to perform strongly and outgrow the flavoured milk category.”
The brand’s ongoing partnership with Merlin, with its 2-4-1 on-pack promotion for popular parks including Alton Towers, has played a role in driving brand success in 2021, and this collaboration is continuing in 2022.
“Consumers recognise our packaging, and they know where they can find us in stores,” adds Thompson. “Even with the change of occasions, we are still seeing growth as shoppers are more likely to try new variants and formats from brands they already know, love and ultimately trust.”
YAZOO is now the biggest flavoured milk brand in terms of online sales – this has risen from £3.4m to £5.2m in the past year. The brand has recently focused time on building presence on online retailers such as Amazon, where YAZOO 1L is now number one in flavoured milk (Kantar) in the UK.
Chocolate remains the most popular flavour across the market, with over 50% market share (IRI), but for YAZOO, the strawberry flavour performs about as well as that.
“We’re into our fifth year of limited-edition flavours – these products can create a sense of exclusivity and contribute to brand longevity in the long run, as shoppers are more likely to try new variants and formats from brands they already know, love and ultimately trust. However, classic flavours like chocolate, strawberry and banana will always stand the test of time,” says Thompson.
“These are the flavours that consumers have engaged with the longest, across most food and drink, and they form the basis of the relationship between shoppers and brands. People know what to expect and the reputation of the flavour has already attracted a fan base.”
The brand relaunched one of its best-selling Limited-Edition flavours due to consumer demand – Choc Caramel.
The latest Limited-Edition release follows the success of YAZOO’s Jaffalicious Choc Orange, which it will replace. The citrus flavour was a huge hit with consumers, delivering upwards of £1.23m (IRI) incremental sales to the category.
As part of the Choc Caramel relaunch the brand launched a ‘find a designer’ social media campaign, a nationwide, consumer-led competition to find the UK’s best up-and-coming artist.
Artist and illustrator, Tomas Dogg was chosen as the winner and was tasked with co-creating the limited-edition artwork, with input from YAZOO fans.
“This resulted in a perfectly random and eye-catching YAZOO pack design, which is sure to stand out in-store, making it an absolute must stock for retailers and perfectly aligned to the brand proposition of shaking up the mundane,” continues Thompson.
From November, YAZOO KiDS will switch from plastic to more sustainable cardboard carton packaging. To drive the distinction between YAZOO’s core and KiDS range.
All the cocoa used in YAZOO’s Original Chocolate and Choc Caramel flavours, as well as in Chocomel is now certified by Rainforest Alliance, the world’s largest cocoa certification programme.
Neil Stewart, Cathedral City Marketing Controller at Saputo Dairy UK, comments: “Calories have been a long-standing marker of what constitutes a healthy snack, as advocated by the 2018 PHE Change4Life programme which promotes the idea of 100-calorie snacks. Products that support this, such as our Cathedral City Minis and kids’ Cathedral City Nibbles, which offer a 100% natural snack that is high in protein, a source of calcium and contains fewer than 100kcals per portion have a real opportunity to capitalise on this momentum.”
Indeed, cheese has a strong association with kids’ snacking as part of a balanced diet and is a mainstay of lunchbox snacks given to children, with 65% of parents thinking it a ‘good snack option for their kids’ (Kantar).
When it comes to the midweek meal, speed and ease are imperative for busy parents. Cheese is an easy way to add flavour and protein to the simplest of meals and, with a rising number of households choosing to repurpose leftovers to help manage the household grocery budget, a sprinkle of cheese is for many, a tried and trusted way to add a fresh element to last night’s creation.
Within cheese, 16% of UK consumers state convenience as one of the main factors looked for when they are purchasing, indicating that this is front of mind when they’re in the aisles (Mintel) and this demand is further evidenced by the dynamic growth of Grated & Sliced formats in the last year, as pace of life has re-escalated.
Cathedral City’s Block varieties offer the ultimate in versatility for mealtime preparation while Cathedral City Grated is perfectly suited for speedy meal prep – getting dinner on the table sooner and freeing up parents’ valuable time for relaxation and reconnection with their families.
Breakfast is still widely viewed as the most important meal of the day, eaten by 95% of Brits. A nutritious start to the day is especially important for kids as it functions as a springboard for energy levels throughout the day.
With toast still a mainstay of easy and nutritious pre-school breakfast occasions, butters and spreads are an essential stock up item for many households as the new study term looms.
Saputo’s range of popular family brands continue to perform well and should be high on retailers’ list when planning their range of spreads.
Kate Needham, Marketing Director at Burton’s Biscuit Company, comments: “Convenience retailers can tap into the £83.6m Lunchbox Minis category, growing by £13.4m since 2019, by stocking the market leading Minis range from Burton’s Biscuits – worth £26.6M experiencing YoY growth of +29% (Nielsen).
“The size of the prize for convenience retailers shouldn’t be under-estimated. With Mini Biscuits (+14%) significantly outperforming the Sweet Biscuits category (Nielsen), those who look upon them as a nice to stock rather than a core offering are missing out on a major sales opportunity. Burton’s advises retailers to consider adding Mini variants of well-known brands to the biscuit fixture to add incremental sales.”
The Lunchbox Minis category, which includes household favorites such as Maryland Minis and Foxes Mini Party Rings, is growing 14% YoY and performing significantly ahead of Sweet Biscuits (Nielsen).
The brands in growth within the category have contributed an additional £9.9m RSV to Lunchbox Minis in the last year, with Maryland Minis driving the highest growth +£3.4M (Nielsen). The top performing Lunchbox Minis brands, including Maryland Minis (+29%) and Dodger Minis (+19%) are all seeing gains from shoppers switching from other brands and biscuit formats, and continue to grow ahead of the category (Nielsen).
As is to be expected, consumption of Lunchbox Minis accelerated rapidly once lockdown restrictions began to ease, with the return of the school lunchbox and after school treating occasions. While children remain the core consumer for Minis, and taste preferences remains the primary factor in decision making for parents, there is an uplift in consumption by younger adults (16-34-year-olds) contributing to the 14% YoY growth of the category (Nielsen).
Burton’s Biscuit Co is set to accelerate demand for the nation’s No.1 kids minis brand (Nielsen), Maryland Minis, with the addition of a caramel variant. The new addition forms part of the company’s ongoing commitment to promoting the role of portion controlled snacks as part of a healthy balanced diet and active lifestyle.
The launch of Maryland Minis Caramel Crisp is expected to strengthen Burton’s positioning as the leading manufacturer in the UK’s £83.6m Lunchbox Minis category (Nielsen), growing by £13.4m since 2019 (Nielsen).
Each multi-pack contains 6 mini bags with an MSRP of £1, in line with the Maryland Minis range.
The news comes as the category is reporting 14% growth YoY and performing significantly ahead of Sweet Biscuits, with Maryland Minis driving the highest growth +£3.4M, +28% (Nielsen).
“The appetite for caramel snacks has seen tremendous growth, with spend on caramel biscuits by Maryland shoppers increasing 26%, highlighting the strong sales potential for Caramel Crisp Minis,” says Needham.
“Launching to coincide with the summer holidays, Maryland Minis tasty Caramel Crisp will give consumers an increased choice of permissible biscuits. At less than 100 calories a bag, we know this tasty addition to our range will appeal to parents in search of a permissible and convenient treat for the lunchbox or as an on-the-go snack.”
The introduction of the new flavour variant follows the successful launch of Maryland Choc Orange Minis last year, which continues to thrive adding 161k additional shoppers to the brand and an exclusive 10% spend into the Maryland Minis portfolio (Kantar).
Jon Wood, commercial director of Calbee UK, comments: “Seabrook Crisps has been performing phenomenally well and is growing at +32.2% YOY, outperforming the category which is +3.7% over the last 52 weeks.”
The brand is also up +36.9% in the last 12 weeks while total Crisps, Snacks and Popcorn (CSP) sits at +2.5%. Now a £74m brand, Seabrook has added an additional 1.8million households since January 2021 and is now purchased by almost 9million UK households.
“While category growth slows, the brand’s growth accelerates, with Seabrook in over 1 in 2 households in the north of England and over 1 in 3 households in the remainder of the UK (excluding London at 1 in 5),” adds Wood. “Owner Calbee UK is now the sixth biggest CSP manufacturer in the UK. Seabrook is strengthening its position as the number two brand and is now the second largest multipack crisp brand and the largest Crinkle Cut brand in the market based on pack sales.”
The brand’s 6x25g multipack range has a brand value of £63m, penetration rate of 28% and a total of 58million packs sold. The product is available in a 5 pack £1.25 PMP variety pack containing Sea Salted, Salt and Vinegar and Cheese and Onion, as well as single flavour multipacks across a range of core flavours. Multipacks are ideal for parents looking to stock up on school and lunchbox snacks, with five packs lasting the school week and the various flavours providing choice for kids.
“Kids BFY represents an opportunity for the CSP category” says Wood. “Kids’ snacking repertoires rapidly expand as they get older, and many options chosen by parents for being low in calories are surprisingly high in fat, salt and sugar.”
The brand wanted to develop a product specifically aimed at kids to help tackle childhood obesity and Peppa Pig, the number one pre-school entertainment programme, is hugely popular with our target demographic of three to five-year-olds.
Our non-HFSS (high in saturated fat, salt or sugar) Peppa Pig Cheesy Lentil Puffs, just launched under the Seabrook masterbrand, are baked and not fried, are vegan and vegetarian friendly with only 82 calories per 18g bag.
Available in a 5x18g multipack with all green and amber GDAs, the tasty new HFSS compliant product is a great lunchbox option for children up to five years old as well as those at pre-school.
Parents can send their children to school without worrying about their consumption of unhealthy snacks throughout the day.
The ‘Loaded’ range, under the Seabrook brand, is now worth £8m. The baked maize snacks are gluten free, suitable for vegetarians and bring a modern, on-trend twist to everyday snacking. A range of Fries is available in Cheese & Bacon and Seaside Salt & Vinegar flavour. Loaded Fries come in a 5-pack multipack, providing variety and interesting flavour choices for children’s lunchboxes.
“HFSS is set to have a significant impact on the CSP category,” Wood continues. “Last year, we launched an innovative new range of plant-based products under the Harvest Snaps brand, which falls below the proposed government HFSS restrictions meaning the product can still be merchandised in promotional display space after the new legislation comes into force. The exciting new range for the UK is based on extensive research into the ‘better for you’ shopper’s needs.”
The vegetable and pulse-based snacks provide a healthy alternative to traditional fried crisps and snacks, being baked not fried, with under 100 calories per portion. Available in two flavours, Sour Cream & Chive Lentil Rings and Thai Sweet Chilli Lentil Puffs, Harvest Snaps meets consumer demand with a variety of pack formats including portion controlled six packs, single handy packs and sharing bags. The entire range is vegan and gluten-free with all green and amber GDAs.
Harvest Snaps is another example of variation when it comes to school and lunchbox snacks. Sour Cream & Chive is perfect for kids of all ages whereas Thai Sweet Chilli may be best suited to older children with more adventurous taste palates.
Matt Collins, Trading Director at KP Snacks, comments: “As the summer holidays draw to a close, retailers should be ready to boost sales by capitalising on the back to school opportunity. Retailers should stock the right range of products with the right promotions in place to prepare for back to school shoppers. With two in five kids’ lunchboxes containing a bagged snack (Kantar), maximising on this occasion is a critical opportunity to drive CSN sales.”
Health remains a top priority and parents will be cautious when purchasing snacks for lunchboxes, seeking out healthier options.
KP Snacks offers a wide-ranging portfolio of tasty, high quality snacks, which now includes 32 products that are 100 calories or less per pack, including POM-BEAR, Hula Hoops Puft, Skips, popchips and Space Raiders.
“We believe that snacks can be enjoyed as part of a balanced lifestyle, and we are continuously working to provide snacks that are both delicious and permissible,” adds Collins.
“By the time HFSS legislation on positioning comes into play in October, over 100 SKUs and a quarter of the KP Snacks portfolio will be non-HFSS, making it one of the most comprehensive non-HFSS ranges available.”
Worth £23.8m RSV (Nielsen), the POM-BEAR brand is the perfect choice for family shoppers who account for 25% of the on-the-go shopper base (HIM).
With 15% of households currently avoiding gluten and wheat (Mintel), the crisp is a perfect gluten and guilt-free snack for lunchboxes. POM-BEAR contains fewer than 100 calories per pack, with 5.7m households consuming the brand every year (Kantar).
Growing at +8.8% (Nielsen), Hula Hoops Puft is another popular permissible snack option, enjoying a loyal repeat rate of 60% (Kantar). Worth £10.6m RSV, Hula Hoops Puft has been reformulated with non-HFSS Salt & Vinegar, Salted and Grilled Beef flavours being rolled out. Puft is a consumer favourite and, since its launch, the Hula Hoops brand has seen a rise in RSV by +7.8%, demonstrating the demand for healthier options (Nielsen).
As a part of its ‘Taste for Good’ commitment, KP Snacks has been working on improving the health credentials of its products for a number of years. As a result, 80% of KP Snacks’ product portfolio currently contains less than 4g of saturated fat per 100g, 69% of the portfolio contains less than 5g of sugar per 100g and, since the 2018 pledge, there has been a 2.72% salt reduction across the total range. The brand has continued to remove artificial flavours, sweeteners and colours from all of its products. Consumers are also enabled to make informed decisions with KP Snacks highlighting attributes such as high fibre content, Gluten Free and good source of protein on packs.
Sarah Davies, Marketing Manager, Strings & Things, comments: “Over the past few years, we have seen a move towards the fridge becoming the heartland of snacking and children’s options are no exception.”
Cheese is a top seller within chilled fridge snacks with kids’ cheese snacking in particular now worth £285 million, and in strong growth up 8.4% year on year (IRI).
“Retailers looking to build a holistic healthier snacking fixture should look to expand their chilled sections as parents look to the fridge for more substantial snacks,” adds Davies.
As lunchbox option, kids cheese snacks have a higher penetration now than pre-pandemic levels with OOH snacking occasions up by 16% compared to 2020 and overall lunchbox occasions up by 35% (Kantar).
“These figures show that the popularity of cheese snacks, especially amongst kids, hasn’t faltered due to the pandemic,” says Davies. “Retailers can rely on the success of cheese snacks for the back-to-school season as their format and accessibility proves popular for kids and parents alike. Strings & Things offer a variety of classic options that cater to growing consumer demand with iconic, long-standing success in the kids’ cheese snacking category.”
Health continues to be a key driver in purchasing decisions, with parents seeking out options that are better for you, when compared to more traditional snacks such as crisps and confectionery.
Three-in-five parents are looking for foods that support immune health and one-in-three snacking choices are now driven by health concerns and considerations.
For retailers looking to cater to consumers on the hunt for alternatives, the Strings & Things range promotes the growth and development of bones and help to maintain a healthier lifestyle with great sources of calcium and vitamin D.
Cheestrings are the most frequently purchased dairy snack, now worth £55.2 million, offering the benefits of a glass of milk with each portion with fun built into every bite thanks to Cheestrings’ iconic peelable format. Parents are increasingly seeking snacks which are viewed as a treat by kids – but have added health benefits. Not only do Cheestrings have the playability and flavour credentials that kids care about, but the Calcium and Vitamin D gives parents peace of mind at snack time. Additionally, Strawberry and Banana Flavour Frollies, firm smoothies on a stick, are made with real fruit, have no added sugar, and contribute to their 5-a-day. This offers shoppers a portable, better option for lunchboxes and at-home occasions.
Cheeshapes are an emerging family favourite, made with 100% real cheese pieces with no artificial colours, flavours, or preservatives. Now with an RSV of £1.6 million, the healthier snacks in playful shapes excite kids and offer retailers an option to shake up their kid snacking fixtures. A relatively new addition to the range, Frollies, give kids the portability of a lolly – a fresh fruit smoothie on a stick – but satisfy parents’ desire for healthier alternative with no added sugar.
Quorn, the UK’s No.1 meat free brand (IRI), is making it easier than ever for parents to serve nutritious and sustainable meals when kids return from school, hungry for tasty tea-time dishes.
Meat free eating is at an all-time high, with almost 50% of the UK population buying into the category – that’s more than 28 million households choosing to reduce their meat intake (Kantar).
“Quorn’s products are extremely versatile and provide delicious meat free meals for every mood, making them an accessible choice for the whole family. Back to school is a hectic time, as families try to get back into routine after summer, and we see the demand rising for convenient, healthy and tasty meal solutions,” says Gill Riley, Marketing Director at Quorn Foods UK.
“We’re advising retailers to stock Quorn’s core SKUs, such as Mince (300g RRP: £2.50), Sausages (336g RRP: £2.50) and Pieces (300g RRP: £2.50), to make the most of meat free sales around the back to school period. All of these products can be used straight from the freezer to easily create delicious meat free alternative to traditionally meat-based family favourite meals.
“Popular products such as Quorn Crispy Nuggets (300g, RRP: £2.50) and Quorn Fishless Fingers (200g; RRP: £2.50) are perfect for quick and tasty classic tea-time dishes that are better for the planet and the family.”
Last year, Quorn launched vegan Roarsomes (240g; RRP £2.20), the biggest frozen NPD launch of the year.
Quorn Roarsomes exceeded expectations at launch and continue to be a firm shopper favourite, having sold over a million packs during the last 12 months (IRI), equating to over 6 million individual Ouorn Roarsomes being enjoyed by children nationwide.
“Takeaway continues to grow in popularity as a family meal occasion, with the UK eating 10m a week (Kantar), but meat free takeaway options are still quite limited,” continues Riley.
“The Quorn Takeaway range is one of our latest innovations in frozen, comprising a number of delicious products that mimic the taste and texture of popular takeaway menu choices. After a long week of school and work, these exciting new products are a quick and tasty treat to recreate family favourite takeaway meals at home, with the added benefit of being better for the planet.”
The popular range, launched last year, comprises Quorn Crunchy Fillet Burger (190g, £2.50), Buffalo Wings (240g, £3.00), Crunchy Strips (240g, £3.00), with Sticky BBQ Wings (263g, RRP £3) and Sticky Sriracha Wings (253g, RRP £3) joining the line up in May this year.
Andy Lewis, Marketing Controller at Sunmagic Juices, comments: “Parents are definitely seeking healthier lunchbox products. A lasting legacy of the Covid-19 pandemic is that consumers have become increasingly aware of their own health and wellness. As we have emerged from the pandemic into a ‘new normal,’ parents have become more aware of their family’s health as well as their own and want to ensure their children get as many nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins as possible.”
Another key consideration for parents is the growing childhood obesity crisis in the UK and the new HFSS legislations coming into effect later in the year. As a result, parents are more concerned with sugar content, food labels and greens on the traffic light system than ever before.
They also want lunchbox products which help their children reach their 5-a-day. Hydra Juice is a school compliant range of 50% juice drinks that also count as one of your five a day, and taste great.
The range will be re-launched by Sunmagic Juices in August 2022, and satisfies many of the growing consumer trends.
Consumers are becoming more price driven than ever before and having to compromise on quality and innovation.
“With Inflation rising to over 9%, gas and electricity bills predicted to increase again in October and the price of petrol going up, retailers should ensure their prices reflect the market to appeal to customers,” adds Lewis. “In the last three months we’ve seen this trend reflected in the sales of from concentrate juices and not from concentrate juices – from concentrate juice has seen a 15.9% increase in sales because of its low price mark, while Not from concentrate juices have seen a -1.4% decrease in sales (Nielsen 2022.)”
Darryl Burgess, Head of Sales for Weetabix, comments: “Over the last two years we’ve taken a good look at the cereal bar category and the trends shaping it to ensure Alpen bars are fit for the future, and that our innovation pipeline fulfils a defined role. The Alpen brand has a clear focus for its bars portfolio, coupled with significant investment, new pack designs and all-new products.”
Cereal bars have been a staple of school lunchboxes, hitting the parental demands for health, convenience and importantly for the kids, taste. As well as being HFSS compliant, Alpen Light Bars come in a variety of flavours to keep kids interested throughout the school week. They are also suitable for multiple occasions, whether that’s the mid-morning break, with lunch or a post-school snack to keep children going till dinner. The arrival of HFSS regulations will place further emphasis on healthy snacking with retailers reviewing their store layouts and placement of snacking items.
“Alpen Light bars is the only fully compliant HFSS range in the bars top ten and with 10% of the category sales coming off fixture, we have a role to play to mitigate some of these potential losses when the new legislation comes in,” adds Burgess. “We’re updating our packs in 2022 to bring our health and taste credentials to life, as well as leading the way with our on-pack traffic lights and shouting about the permissibility of the range.”
Back to school is the second biggest trading period for cereals. This is driven by families returning to their morning routines after the summer break. As a result, it’s family favourite products such as Weetabix that perform really well during this time. Cereal rightly has a strong health perception, with previous studies showing that a healthy breakfast can enhance children’s learning ability, which puts it in a good place to capitalise this time of year.
As the cost of living crisis continues, cereal also benefits from being one of the lowest cost breakfasts per serving, so it is an affordable way to help the family kick off the day and keep going until lunchtime.
Weetabix has a big presence in stores this back to school period as the brand continues to leverage its on-pack football promotion, which runs until September. Weetabix’s partnership with The Football Associations of the home nations and Republic of Ireland returned this summer to coincide with the UEFA Women’s Euros 2022, with a major new on-pack promotion offering ‘money can’t buy’ prizes.
Prizes include tickets to matches at UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, signed shirts, football equipment and Weetabix vouchers. The promotion is the first in a huge year of football activation for the brand, with more planned ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in November.
“With more people than ever looking for both tasty and wholesome foods, and not wanting to compromise on health, there was a clear opportunity to deliver products that meet these needs and drive real choice and excitement in the category, which is why we launched Alpen Oat Blends in October, initially in Asda,” says Burgess.
Available in three flavours – Salted Caramel, Dark Chocolate Orange and Cocoa & Peanut – Alpen Oat Blends are a wholesome blend of oats, nuts and fruits with a caramel centre and topped with crunchy nuts or nibs. The Alpen Oat Blends bars are both high in fibre and having no red traffic lights.
Weetabix On The Go remains the UK’s No. 1 breakfast drink, a £10m brand with a 60% share of the breakfast drinks sector – the brand has plans to grow even bigger in 2022. Within the impulse channel, the brand is worth £2.1m and accounts for 85% of breakfast drink sales.
Lindsay Hill, Yoplait Head of Marketing at Yoplait, comments: “Children are recommended to eat 2-3 dairy servings a day, however a survey conducted by us found that more than half of primary school-aged children have fewer than two dairy servings a day – indicating a major dairy gap in the UK.”
The brand’s research also found that just over a third of parents (34%) say their children eat yogurt on most days of the week – with flavoured yogurt or fromage frais being the top choices.
“We therefore expect to see continued growth in the coming months within kids’ yogurt as more and more families recognise them as a healthy snack option,” adds Hill.
Yoplait Kids has been leading the category and reframing the conversation around kid’s yogurt, reassuring parents of its health credentials to drive penetration.
Petits Filous introduced a total renovation of its core range, which saw a new and improved recipe. In the last five years, the brand has reduced the sugar in its products by 18% and has been recognised by Public Health England for the leadership it has shown.
In October 2019, the brand launched its very first Petits Filous No Added Sugar variant. Made with naturally sourced ingredients, it has 4.9g of sugar per 100g. It is now the bestselling no added sugar product in the market.
Kids’ yogurts are carefully designed to meet the specific nutritional needs of kids while delivering a taste they love. As well as containing 11 vitamins and minerals, most kids’ yogurt is fortified with vitamin D – important to absorb calcium – this is crucial for the development of normal bones and has also been linked to building a strong immune system.
Andrew Bradshaw, UK Sales Director at Dole Sunshine Company, comments: “There’s nothing new about the desire for many parents to want to give their children a healthy lunch, but this has come into even sharper focus since the start of the pandemic with most consumers becoming even more health aware and unsurprisingly this has translated into being more heath conscious with their food choices. So, this should hopefully mean less packs of sausage rolls and bags of crisps in kids’ lunchboxes, and more fruit, whether fresh or packaged. Obviously the incoming HFSS legislation is aimed at helping and encouraging consumers to make healthier choices, and this is where brands like ours become increasingly relevant.”
Dole Sunshine Company is a global market leader in packaged fruit products and healthy snacks which are ideal for the lunchbox occasion.
Dole has recently announced two new additions to the Fruit in Juice range. The new flavours of Mango in juice and Pear in juice have arrived arrive to complement the existing range of Tropical Fruit, Peach, Pineapple, Mandarins and Mixed Fruits in juice cups.
Mango in juice and Pear in juice are now available to the grocery and convenience channels with immediate effect in convenient packs of four, meaning the great taste of these sun-ripened fruits can now be consumed either on the go or kept in the fridge or cupboard for a later date.
Like the other Dole fruit in juice variants, both new products contain 100% fruit in juice with zero added sugar, have less than 100 calories per serving, and come in a handy four pack with an RRP of £2.19. The latest data shows Dole Sunshine Company has a 45% value share of Ready to Eat Fruit desserts and this rises to a 60% value share of the fruit in juice cups category.
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