Coca-Cola Co. added Diet Coke with Lime to its line of soft drinks. The product is available nationwide and is packaged in 8-oz, 20-oz, and 2-L bottles and cans. The company also plans to reformulate its Diet Coke with Lemon to have a lemon taste that is lighter than the original version currently available. Coca-Cola is based in Atlanta, Ga.
Adding to its line of Berry Burst™ Cheerios®, General Mills debuted its Strawberry Banana Berry Burst Cheerios, said to be the first ready-to-eat cereal on the market to offer real slices of banana. The cereal, which is available nationwide, features slices of real strawberries and bananas. When milk is added to the cereal, the freeze-dried pieces of fruit rehydrate, giving them the taste and texture of fresh fruit. General Mills is based in Minneapolis, Minn.
General Mills also introduced Sunkist® Fruit & Grain Bars. Available in apple, lemon, and strawberry flavors, the bars are made with real fruit. The product is said to contain 25% more fruit than the leading brand. Additionally, the bars contain seven vitamins and minerals, including calcium, and are low in fat. The product, available nationwide, is perfect for snacks or breakfast on-the-go. Each box contains six single-serve bars.
Good Humor-Breyers, based in Green Bay, Wis., added a new item to its CarbSmart™ line of low-carbohydrate ice cream and ice cream novelty treats. The Klondike® Carb-Smart Vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich—vanilla ice cream sandwiched between two chocolate cookie wafers—has 5 g of net carbohydrates per serving and is available nationally. Each box contains six 2-fl-oz sandwiches.
Kettle Cuisine Inc., maker of fresh refrigerated soups for retail and foodservice, offers its Kettle Cuisine Tomato Bisque soup, made from tomatoes, fresh light cream, olive oil, Spanish sherry, fresh herbs, and chicken stock. The soups are available to foodservice providers along the East Coast and in the Midwest and to retail customers in New England and the Albany, N.Y., area. Kettle Cuisine is based in Chelsea, Mass.
Patrick Cudahy Inc. introduced Golden Crisp fully cooked bacon slices. The apple-wood-smoked bacon is sliced and fully cooked and comes packaged in oven-proof parchment. The bacon can be used on sandwiches, burgers, and pizza and in salad bars. Consumers simply heat and serve the product, making it ideal for use in applications where reduced preparation time is required. Patrick Cudahy, a division of Smithfield Foods, is based in Cudahy, Wis.
In response to the popularity of low-carbohydrate diets among Americans, London, UK–based Unilever developed a line of 18 products that contain 6 g or less of net carbohydrates per serving. Carb Options™ products, including marinades, barbecue sauces, and condiments, beverages, dressings, sauces, spreads, and nutrition bars and shakes, are available at select retailers across the United States. Most are reformulated versions of the company’s existing brands such as Ragu®, Wish-Bone®, Skippy®, Lipton®, and Lawry’s®. Based on future sales results of Carb Options in the U.S., the company may sell the products in other markets.
Velvet Ice Cream Co. added three new flavors—raspberry fudge, Oregon cherry fudge, and mint chocolate chip—to its No Sugar Added Light Ice Cream line. The products are sweetened with Splenda® and contain 6–10 g of carbohydrates per serving and 33% less fat than Velvet’s Natural line of ice cream. Velvet distributes its products to retailers in Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, Indiana, and West Virginia and is the preferred distributor of several national-brand novelty products. The company is located in Utica, Ohio.