NEW SKUs

Pasta Power
The sometimes wimpy pasta noodle is getting a nutritional makeover thanks to New World Pasta, Harrisburg, Pa. The company’s Ronzoni Healthy Harvest brand has introduced several new varieties, such as 7-Grain Blend Pasta and SmartTaste Pasta, and added omega-3 to its Whole Wheat Blend Pasta. Ronzoni Healthy Harvest provides 34 g of whole grains/serving, fulfilling more than 70% of the daily requirement. Plus, with the addition of natural milled flax seed, it provides 360 mg of ALA omega-3, which is 28% of the USDA recommended daily requirement. 7-Grain Blend Pasta contains a blend of whole grain wheat, rye, oat, barley, corn, triticale, and buckwheat plus flax seed. It is available in spaghetti and fusilli cuts. All products carry a suggested retail price of $1.69. SmartTaste Pasta contains three times the fiber of regular white pasta per serving and the same amount of calcium as an 8-oz glass of milk. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, only about 30% of boys and 10% of girls between the ages of 12 and 19 meet their daily calcium requirements. The product is available in spaghetti, thin spaghetti, penne rigate, rotini, and elbows.

Contemporary Cheese Packaging
Groupe Lactalis, Laval, France, sought to modernize the packaging for its Président Camembert cheese brand to gain market share among sporadic consumers such as young urbanites. The existing box packaging projected an old-fashioned image, caused odor problems in home refrigerators, and offered no protection against shoppers’ frequent custom of “pressing” the cheese to ascertain its maturity.

The packaging solution—provided by Sleever International, Mississauga, Ont., Canada—features a dome and a base. The dome, whose summit is closed by a controlled permeable film, enables the cheese to mature while it controls odors. The package’s opening system is comprised of a double micro-perforation with a half-moon tab. Two slight notches at the top of the perforation ensure easy opening. Branding is enhanced with 7-color UV flexo printing on the film.

Fresh Corn Off the Cob
Supreme Cuts, Mahwah, N.J., has rolled out Off the Cob Sweet Corn—a fresh, chilled product with a 14-day shelf life. The triple-washed product comes in a see-through printed bag that can be microwaved. Consumers puncture the bag and microwave for 3–4 minutes. The product can also be prepared on the stove top. To maintain its refrigerated shelf life, the corn contains added ascorbic acid (vitamin C), salt, and citric acid (for color retention). For retailers, the product is available in a 12-oz bag with a suggested price of $2.99 to $3.20. For foodservice distributors, the product comes in 2.5-lb bags with a price of $1.85 to $1.95 per lb. The product will also be available in larger packaging for club stores.