New Skus

Pasta Power
Pasta has been on a wild roller coaster ride over the past decade or so. Once a staple, it saw its star fall dramatically during the lowand no-carb fad. But pasta is flying high once again thanks to its healthy image and versatility as well as its affordability during the economic recession. To take advantage of pasta’s popularity, Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, N.Y. has rolled out Wegmans Super Pasta, which provides an entire serving of whole grains, extra protein and fiber, plus calcium, vitamin D, and ALA omega 3s. At $1.99 per package, the pasta comes in five varieties—spaghetti, thin spaghetti, penne rigate, spirals, and elbows.

“Super Pasta has fiber from whole grains, as well as some resistant starch, a kind of fiber that comes from corn. Both types slow down the rate of digestion, so you feel fuller longer, and the rise in blood sugar is more gradual and sustained. That’s good for everybody, but especially for people with diabetes,” said Jane Andrews, Nutrition and Product Labeling Manager.

Oreo Kicks Off Limited-Edition Cookie   
With the fall season in the United States comes football—high schools play under the lights on Friday night, colleges and universities take the field mainly on Saturday, and the pros block and tackle mostly on Sundays. With the proliferation of cable television, you can probably watch a football game any day of the week. And while you’re watching, you can now snack on limited-edition Football Oreo cookies from Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill. As part of the launch, Kraft has announced “Huddle to Fight Hunger” campaign, which will donate the monetary equivalent of 500,000 meals to Feeding America, America’s leading hunger relief organization, to secure meals on behalf of local food banks. Football and Oreo fans can enter to win a trip to help support the fight against hunger at the first-ever Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, featuring college football teams from the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and Pacific-10 Conference (PAC-10), in San Francisco on January 9, 2011.

Frozen Entrées Target Men
With gourmet, health, or weight maintenance messages, many frozen entrées and dinners appeal to women. But men ages 18–34 are the primary consumers of frozen dinners. Pinnacle Foods, Mountain Lakes, N.J., has launched a three-meal line of Hungry-Man frozen dinners under a new label—Pub Favorites—to compete with sit-down and takeout meals from casual chain restaurants like T.G.I. Friday’s and Chili’s.

Each meal features a protein matched with bold, alcohol-infused sauces and a range of signature sides. Hungry-Man’s Chopped Beef Steak meal features beerspiked mushroom gravy, green beans with bacon, and roasted potatoes; the Beer Battered Chicken meal comes with potato wedges topped with cheddar cheese sauce; and the Grilled Bourbon Steak Strip meal includes creamy mashed potatoes and a vegetable medley. All of the entrees carry a suggested retail price of $3.59. According to a study by the European Centre for Monitoring Alcohol Marketing, the growth in alcohol-flavored food broadens the spectrum of taste options available to manufacturers and can also play a role in building consumer loyalty.