NEW SKUs

Shelf-Stable Broth in a Box
Dale’s Kitchen, Basalt, Colo., recently introduced Stock-in-a-Box, an aseptic bag-in-box system that holds beef, chicken, or vegetable cooking stocks. Available in 2.5- and 5-gal sizes, the bag-in-box system is designed for commercial kitchens and foodservice customers.

International Dispensing Corp. (IDC), Hanover, Md., supplied the packaging, which feature’s the Fresh Flow Tap. The cooking stocks are aseptically prepared and shipped in vacuum-packed, high-barrier polypropylene bags, which allow the product to be distributed and stored without refrigeration. IDC’s Fresh Flow Tap permits any amount of the liquid stock to be dispensed without exposing the remaining contents to bacteria and oxygen. In the case of sensitive cooking stocks, product remaining in the bag after each use maintains sterility for months, even if not refrigerated, while the unopened bag has a shelf life of up to one year in ambient storage. IDC and Dale’s Kitchen worked with Silliker Labs, Homewood, Ill., and National Food Lab, Dublin, Calif., on low-acid certification tests to validate the system’s aseptic and sterility claims.

A More Convenient Taco
Consumers like to add a variety of toppings—lettuce, diced onions, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes, etc.—to their tacos. But these additions tend to fall out of the taco shells when they’re lying on a plate. Old El Paso, Minneapolis, Minn, has come up with a solution to this problem with its Salsa and Nacho flavored Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells. Stand ‘N Stuff taco shells are easy to fill, serve, hold, and eat. "Our new nacho and salsa flavored shells offer fun, tasty alternatives to plain corn shells," said Luis Sanchez, Old El Paso Marketing. Consumers can pair these new flavored Stand ‘N Stuff shells with Taco Toppers sauces to bring even more flavor options to a meal. Taco Toppers sauces are available in two flavors—Mild Taco and Zesty Ranch.

The taco shells come in a 5-oz carton that contains 10 shells, at a suggested retail price of $1.89. Taco Toppers come in 13.4-oz and 12.8-oz inverted "easy-squeeze" bottles, with a suggested retail price of $2.49.

Pyramid Power
Many consumers are "trading up" to premium foods and beverages. To keep in step with this trend, Lipton Tea, Englewood Cliffs, N.J., has launched Lipton Pyramid Teas. The product line comes in pyramid-shaped, gossamer-mesh tea bags, which allow more room for the long-leaf tea, pieces of dried fruit, herbs, and other natural flavors to infuse with hot water. This chamber produces a tea with greater aroma, taste, and color. Varieties include White Tea with Island Mango and Peach Flavor, Green Tea with Mandarin Orange Flavor, Red Tea with Harvest Strawberry and Passionfruit Flavor, Black Pearl Tea, Bavarian Wild Berry, and Vanilla Caramel Truffle. Depending on the variety, the product comes in a 1.2- or 1.4-oz carton, which holds 20 tea bags.