Waking Up the Cereal Aisle
Nature’s Path Foods, Inc., Blaine, Wash., recently introduced FlaxPlus Pumpkin Raisin Crunch cereal, which combines the company’s two top-selling organic cereals—granola and flakes. "We’ve taken our crispy Flax Plus Flakes, combined them with our crunchy Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola, added plump, juicy organic raisins and created a real taste sensation," says Founder Arran Stephens. Nature’s Path is the No. 1 organic cereal brand in North America, according to market research firm ACNielsen.
The USDA-certified-organic product is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, boasting 650 mg/serving. It also has 16 g of whole grains/serving and 9 g of fiber/serving. In addition, pumpkin and flax seeds are good sources of iron, zinc, and potassium. Each 55-g serving of FlaxPlus Pumpkin Raisin Crunch provides up to 20% of the daily requirement of iron and 340 mg of potassium. The cereal’s suggested retail price ranges from $3.29 to $3.69.
Hot, Convenient Breakfast
Sara Lee Food & Beverage, Downers Grove, Ill., makes getting a hot breakfast easier with its launch of Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls. Available in three varieties—Sausage & Egg, Bacon & Egg, and Pancakes & Sausage Links—the product comes in a microwave-ready bowl that can be prepared in 2–3 minutes. Sausage Breakfast Bowls contain scrambled eggs, diced russet potatoes, Jimmy Dean sausage, and Cheddar cheese; Bacon Breakfast Bowls include scrambled eggs, diced russet potatoes, Jimmy Dean bacon, and Cheddar cheese; and Pancakes & Sausage Links Breakfast Bowls contain pancakes, Jimmy Dean sausage links, and syrup.
"Our Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls have everything that you love for breakfast in a quick and convenient package, without any mess or dirty dishes," said Jim Ruehlmann, Vice President, Jimmy Dean. The single-serve, 8-oz products are available in the frozen breakfast section at grocery stores across the United States.
Wine by the Glass
Hardy Wine Co., Reynella, Australia, recently debuted an innovation in wine packaging—a combination bottle–glass container. Developed originally for the Australian season of Varekai by Cirque du Soleil, the "Shuttle" concept proved so popular with show-goers that the winery decided to launch the revolutionary bottle nationally in Australia. The package features a single-serve, 187-mL acrylic wine bottle, securely sealed by its own inverted acrylic wine glass. The tamper-proof bottle is opened by a simple twisting action, which also releases the glass in which the wine is poured. The bottle–glass container has a 12-mo shelf life, which is nearly double the shelf life of comparable, small PET wine bottles.
"We believe the new technology has the potential to redefine how people drink their wines the world over, particularly at sporting and other outdoor events, concerts, and performances where glassware is not permitted for safety reasons," said Miriam Leenders, Hardy’s Global Marketing Manager. The product comes in two varieties—Shiraz and Chardonnay—with a suggested retail price of $4.95 (AUD).