Broths go bold; Cream cheese on protein bandwagon; Shaking up veggie snacking

Broths Go From Bland to Bold
Campbell Soup Co., Camden, N.J., has taken it Swanson broths to whole new level of zest with the launch of Flavor Infused Broths, inspired by global flavors designed to satisfy the ever-expanding American palate. The new products are available in Mexican Tortilla, Thai Ginger, and Chinese Hot & Sour varieties and allow home cooks to infuse exotic flavor profiles into everyday dishes. Swanson Flavor Infused broths can be used to quickly create authentic recipes, like Mexican Tortilla soup, Asian lettuce wraps, shrimp Pad Thai, or slow-cooked chicken tacos with fewer ingredients. For example, Mexican Tortilla Flavor Infused broth uses Monterey jack cheese, lime, cayenne pepper, cumin, toasted corn, jalapeño, and paprika, while Chinese Hot & Sour Flavor Infused broth contains soy sauce, cayenne pepper, onion, garlic and ginger. The products carry a suggested retail price of $2.79 for a 32-oz carton.

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Cream Cheese Jumps on Protein Bandwagon
Kraft Foods, Glenview, Ill., has doubled the amount of protein (4 g vs 2 g per serving) in its new Philadelphia 2X Protein cream cheese spread. The new product—available in regular and honey varieties—also has 70% less fat and calories (per serving) than the leading peanut butter. The new spread has a suggested retail price of $2.99 for a 7-oz tub.

According to the Natural Marketing Institute, protein diets are a growing trend with consumers from every walk of life. High-protein eating habits are catching the attention of the general public due to greater awareness of the benefits of its protein. “We know our fans regularly purchase a variety of items that have protein,” said Kathy Burns, Director of Consumer Research at Kraft Foods. “We created this new item to help consumers satisfy their desire for a diet with protein, but in a product that they enjoy—cream cheese spread.”

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Shaking Up Veggie Snacking
Bolthouse Farms, Bakersfield, Calif., has launched Baby Carrot ShakeDowns—fresh baby carrots with shake-on seasoning. Small quantities of natural seasoning, such as Ranch, Chili Lime, or Salsa, are housed in a packet inside a single-serve baby carrot snack bag. A pinch pops the packet and a pull frees the seasoning. Consumers then shake the bag, which covers the carrots with seasoning. The single-serving bags costs $0.99 and deliver 25 calories. The seasoning and packaging help to transform the vegetable into a grab-and-go snack for eating at work, in the car, or other location.

“You can’t lecture people into eating healthy,” said Jeff Dunn, CEO, Bolthouse Farms. “The best way to improve eating habits is to acknowledge that people tend to follow their desires when they sit down to snack. So we’ve started with that desire and worked backwards—we’ve created desirable snack food that just happens to be healthy.”