Spend some time perusing the new products on the shelves in the yogurt or nutrition bar aisles of supermarkets and an undeniable trend will appear. Dessert-inspired flavors are trending as manufacturers strive to extend their products’ reach into new day parts.
Yogurt, which primarily is considered a staple of the breakfast occasion, is a prime example. Chobani, Norwich, N.Y., has its line of Chobani Indulgent products, which feature a variety of dessert flavors. The line extension was introduced in 2014 and features a variety of ingredients such as dark chocolate and fruits. Flavors include raspberry dark chocolate, mint dark chocolate and banana dark chocolate.
In January, the company extended the Indulgent line with the addition of two new flavors, including dulce de leche caramel with dark chocolate, and double dark chocolate. The company also added two dessert flavors to its Chobani Flip Creations line, including salted caramel and chocolate hazelnut.
‘This year we’ve really pushed the flavor boundaries of Greek yogurt as we continue making products that give our fans better options throughout the day, and we’ve been especially blown away by the love for our Flip products,” said Peter McGuinness, chief marketing officer, Chobani. “In the first half of this year Flip has become one of the biggest successes in dairy since we sold our first cup of Chobani, and our new creations are absolutely delicious, delivering a thoughtful snack made with only natural ingredients.”
Kai Sacher, vice-president of global R.&D. for Chobani, added, “These are some of our most exciting flavors yet, using real ingredients and unique flavor combinations to continue to rethink how people can enjoy Greek yogurt.”
Müller Yogurt, Chicago, which is a partnership between the Theo Müller Group and PepsiCo, introduced a line of yogurt products earlier this year that featured such ice cream flavors as raspberry chocolate chip, vanilla bean, mint chocolate chip, and strawberries and cream. The company is marketing the indulgent yogurts as “a good source of protein and calcium for 210 calories or less for that ‘me moment’ you deserve.” Each 5.3-oz cup contains 8 to 9 grams of fat, 16 to 22 grams of sugar and 7 grams of protein.
Müller Yogurt expanded its reach further into dessert flavors with the introduction of its Dessert Inspired line this summer. New flavors include strawberry cheesecake, raspberry brownie supreme, dulce de leche delight and peach cobbler.
General Mills, Minneapolis, caught the trend early when the company launched its Yoplait Greek 100 line in 2012. Today, the portfolio of products features a variety of dessert flavors, including Boston cream pie, strawberry cheesecake, banana caramel and apple pie. When the company announced the introduction of its Yoplait Greek 100 Whips line extension, which features a mousse-like texture and 9 grams of protein per serving, the line also included such dessert flavors as cheesecake, vanilla cupcake and lemon meringue.
The company is taking a similar strategy with some of its nutrition bar products. This past July General Mills introduced its Fiber One Cheesecake Bars in salted caramel and strawberry.
“We are excited to introduce a guilt-free option inspired by a classic American dessert,” said Maria Lopez, associate marketing manager. “Fiber One Cheesecake Bars have cheesecake taste and texture that fulfill cheesecake cravings. This new offering is definitely worth celebrating throughout August and beyond.”
The new Fiber One Cheesecake Bars are available at most major grocery and retail stores nationwide. All flavors are available in 5-count boxes at a suggested retail price of $3.89.
Currently, the most popular Clif Bar flavor is chocolate chip, followed by white chocolate macadamia nut. But as Clif Bar & Company, Emeryville, Calif., extends its line of products it is experimenting with indulgent, dessert-like flavors. This past March the company introduced its line of organic trail mix bars.
“Clif Bar & Company not only nourishes some of the world’s best athletes, we also pride ourselves in offering on-the-go organic snacks for busy people,” said Doug Cornille, brand director at Clif Bar & Company. “We set out to create the best tasting snack bar with organic ingredients to give people energy for their daily activities. The bar is packed with organic nuts and fruit that are grown in a way that is good for people and the world in which they live.”
Indulgent flavors included in the product line are dark chocolate almond sea salt, dark chocolate cherry almond, dark chocolate peanut butter and dark chocolate pomegranate raspberry. Each flavor is gluten-free, 200 calories or less and a good source of fiber, according to the company.