Slideshow: New on the shelves

KANSAS CITY — With child obesity on the rise, parents are becoming more vigilant of what they pack in their children’s lunchboxes and serve at the dinner table.

When shopping for food and beverages for their children, nutrition is at the top of parents’ lists, according to a recent report from Packaged Facts. Nearly half (46%) cite nutritional value as most important when choosing foods for their children. But children, on the other hand, are more concerned about taste.

To please both parents and children, food and beverage manufacturers are launching new products through what Packaged Facts calls the stealth health movement. The premise of this movement is that, by hiding nutritious ingredients in child-friendly food, children may more easily achieve their daily nutrition requirements.

To boost children’s fruit and vegetable intake, Clif Bar & Co.’s Clif Kid division is introducing Clif Kid Zbar Fruit + Veggie. Made with whole grains, vegetable powders and a blend of fruit puree, the certified U.S.D.A. organic snack bars are available in three flavors: Awesome Orange, featuring carrot, mango and orange; Keen Green, featuring apple, sweet potato and spinach; and Purple Power, featuring sweet potato, beet and berry.

“We are thrilled to offer a portable and nutritious snack for busy, on-the-go families,” said Shirin Belur, brand manager for Clif Kid. Studies show that most kids ages 2 to 11 do not meet the recommended daily intake for fruits and vegetables, so we carefully crafted these bars as a fun way to introduce kids to a variety of fruit and vegetable flavors that expand their palates.”

E-hydrate is taking protein powder to the playground by hiding hydrating electrolytes and potent protein in sweet beverages for children. The company’s new Kids Protein On-the-Go comes in pre-portioned pouches in cinnamon roll and milk chocolate flavors. Each 70-calorie pouch contains 10 grams of tri-whey protein and 4 grams of sugar.

“With the release of our new Kids Protein On-the-Go, E-hydrate fills the gap in healthy and natural on-the-go nutrition products for kids,” said Jim Kayser, chief sales officer for E-hydrate. “E-hydrate’s popular and sweet flavors finally make it easy for parents to get their kids the nutrition they need.”

Macaroni and cheese is a mainstay in children’s diets, and Quality Pasta Co. is pumping it up with protein. The company’s new Muscle Mac line of high protein macaroni and cheese products feature bioengineered-free semolina wheat pasta enriched with vegetable protein.