US – Kind Healthy Snacks, a better-for-you snack company owned by Mars Incoporated, is entering the ice cream aisle with new plant-based Kind Frozen Pints.
The non-dairy frozen desserts contain 4 to 6 grams of protein per serving and feature a base of pear juice, tapioca starch and/or syrup, coconut oil, sea salt, sugar, water, gum acacia, sea salt, soy lecithin, tara gum, guar gum and carob bean gum.
The recently launched treats come in seven flavors: dark chocolate almond sea salt, dark chocolate peanut butter, cherry cashew, coffee hazelnut, caramel almond sea salt, strawberry, and pistachio.
“While we’re best-known for nutrition bars most often consumed on the go, we’re continuing to prioritize innovation that cuts across categories and dayparts,” said Daniel Lubetzky, founder and CEO of Kind.
Mr. Lubetzky noted that the new offerings were developed out of the discovery that the company was missing was an offering that tasted delicious and delivered premium, plant-based ingredients that we can feel good about putting in our body.
“As we look to close the taste gap in health-focused aisles and the health gap in taste-focused aisles, we will stay true to how we’ve always created new products – with an eye to elevate people’s overall experience while adhering to our Kind Promise,” Mr. Lubetzky added.
This innovation builds on the brand’s recent entrance into the frozen treat category with its Kind Frozen Treat Bars.
The frozen treat space is one of six new categories for Kind within the past 12 months, including refrigerated, ready-to-eat cereal, hot cereal, frozen breakfast and snack mixes.
Ferrara revamps fruit snacks portfolio
Meanwhile, leading American candy manufacturer Ferrara is reinvigorating its fruits snacks business with the launch of a new master brand, Funables.
The new brand represents an overhaul of the Kellogg Co.’s Fruity Snacks business, which Ferrara acquired in 2019 as part of a US$1.3 billion transaction that included cookie brands Keebler and Famous Amos, along with selected pie crust and ice cream cone businesses.
The Funables brand combines newly reformulated recipes with engaging on-pack experiences while also featuring better-for-you snacks with ingredients that are fat-free and fortified with vitamins A, C and E.
“We focused on delivering a product that offers a balance between an experience that is fun for the kid with permissible ingredients parents can feel good about, which can drive overall category growth,” said Greg Guidotti, general manager, non-chocolate, at Ferrara.
“This is the largest marketing spend for our fruit snacks portfolio to date, and prior to the relaunch the business was stagnant.”
The subsidiary of Italian chocolate company Ferrero said that several Funables products will hit shelves in May.
These include Innovation Tic Tac Toe, which features an individual pouch that unfolds to become a game board, plus dual-flavored strawberry and blueberry fruit snack pieces in “X” and “O” shapes to inspire game play.
Also launching in May are Spirit-branded fruit snacks and Barbie-branded fruit snacks that highlight girls from different backgrounds.
The Funables launch follows the overhaul of several cookie products acquired from the Kellogg Co. including the revamp of the Keebler brand with new formulations, packaging and marketing strategies.
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