NEW SKUs

A Healthier Pizza for Children
Nardone Bros. Baking, Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and Nu-Mega Ingredients, Chicago, Ill., recently introduced a line of pizzas enriched with omega-3 fatty acids for children. Some studies have shown that omega-3 fatty acids have beneficial effects for people of all ages. Nu-Mega Ingredients produced microencapsulated omega-3s from tuna fish oil and incorporated it into a pizza formula that delivers 32 mg/serving of omega-3 fatty acids. New U.S. Dept. of Agriculture guidelines recommend total fat intake to be 20–35% of calories for both polyunsaturated (omega-3) and monounsaturated fatty acids.

Looking for a Pick-Me-Up?
What do "twentysomething" males do after a hard day’s work? Anheuser-Busch, St. Louis, Mo., hopes they’ll drink Tilt, a new berry-flavored malt beverage containing caffeine, guarana, and ginseng, to give them a boost for their evening play. The beverage comes in a sleek silver can and contains 6.6, 6, or 4% alcohol by volume, depending on state laws.

"From happy hour to a night out at a club, contemporary adults are looking for innovative beverages that fit into their fast-paced, highly social lifestyles," said Pat McGauley, Vice President, Innovation/New Products, Anheuser-Busch. "Tilt was developed with this in mind because it is suited to a variety of drinking occasions."

A Sweet Innovation
McNeil Nutritionals LLC, Fort Washington, Pa., has launched Splenda^® Brown Sugar Blend, a first-of-its-kind reduced-calorie brown sugar product. This proprietary blend of brown sugar and Splenda brand sweetener (sucralose), can be used in any recipes that call for brown sugar. A serving of the product has half the calories, sugar, and carbohydrates of brown sugar. It is available in 1- and 2-lb bags.

Irradiation Increases Shelf Life
Fresh ground beef has not been sold in convenience and drug stores because of distribution time. Now, through the use of irradiation and new packaging technologies by Corner Store Foods, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Corner Store^® Ground Beef is now available at these types of stores in several states across the country. The technologies employed have resulted in a product that has a 35-plus-day shelf life. The see-through package allows the consumer to see the product’s color and compare its freshness. The package also features a symbol that identifies the product as having been irradiated.

Some of the stores are displaying the product in stand-alone coolers that also accommodate the display of companion products such as hamburger and taco meal kits, pasta, spaghetti sauce, condiments, and hamburger buns. The company plans to expand its product line to include ground beef patties and other meat and poultry products.