27
Apr
2022
Conagra Brands innovation unveiled at CAGNY 2020
Plant-based jerky, grain-free pizza, non-dairy hot cocoa and more on tap for the upcoming year.
Evol pizza
Evol is adding keto-friendly frozen pizza to its portfolio, featuring grain-free crust made of chicken and Parmesan cheese. The uncured pepperoni variety features mozzarella cheese with spicy uncured pepperoni sprinkled over a tomato marinara sauce.
“Evol is another good business that came with Pinnacle that hadn’t received some attention in a while,” said Sean Connolly, president and chief executive officer of Conagra Brands. “This year, it will. It gets a full restage. In fact, this is my personal favorite. If you’re on a low-carb diet, you probably feel like you can’t eat pizza. Well, you can eat this pizza because the crust is not made of bread. It’s made of chicken and Parmesan cheese.”
Healthy Choice vegan, vegetarian Power Bowls
Healthy Choice Power Bowls are gaining plant-based, vegan and vegetarian varieties inspired by trending restaurant recipes.
The vegan Green Goddess Power Bowl contains lentils and vegetables served atop brown and red rice, red quinoa and black barley with a green sesame tahini sauce topped with roasted pepitas.
The vegetarian Buddha Bowl includes chickpeas and vegetables served on top of barley, brown rice, red rice and red quinoa with a sesame tahini sauce topped with feta cheese and seeds.
“Healthy Choice Power platform will continue to get momentum,” Mr. Connolly said. “This year, we’re getting into the vegan, vegetarian space. These are phenomenal lines. We’ve got inspiration from restaurant industry, things like Green Goddess, Buddha Bowls. These are truly terrific products. You can eat them as a meal or you can use them as side dish.”
Birds Eye carb replacements
Birds Eye is building out its lineup with new carb replacement offerings, such as lasagna with meat sauce featuring pasta made from vegetables. The dish includes lentil zucchini pasta layered between a tomato beef sauce with three cheeses.
“Birds Eye is going to get a huge launch next year, supporting this year’s launch,” Mr. Connolly said. “Remember, it lost its mojo about a year or so ago. The first place we’ll start is carb-replacement trend. It’s not slowing down. So this is an example of what we’re doing there. Our veggie lasagna, where the pasta sheets are made with zucchini and lentil pasta.”
P.F. Chang’s Asian vegetables
P.F. Chang’s is extending its footprint in the frozen space with new P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Asian Veggies. Featuring what Conagra calls “restaurant quality recipes,” the offerings include Kung Pao cauliflower and crispy, tempura-battered green beans.
Banquet Mega with boneless meats
Conagra’s Banquet Mega Meats meals will soon also feature boneless meats. The new offerings are inspired by quick-service restaurants, Conagra Brands said. A new Buffalo Style Boneless Strips meal provides 33 grams of protein and includes breaded white meat chicken patty strips coated in buffalo sauce with a side of macaroni and cheese.
Gardein Ultimate plant-based burger
The new Gardein Ultimate plant-based burger is free of dairy and soy and provides 19 grams of plant-based protein per serving. Non-GMO Project verified and vegan, the quarter-lb patties contain 240 calories each.
“Gardein is on fire these days,” Mr. Connolly said. “Everybody knows the plant-based movement has made the world go crazy. We’ve got a great lineup of products in frozen that continues to grow. That growth is accelerating. But one of the areas where we needed to address was burgers. We’ve designed this new Ultimate plant-based burger. It’s fantastic. It will be in the frozen section.”
Healthy Choice wraps
Healthy Choice is making six of its popular Power Bowls recipes into handheld options with the launch of Healthy Choice wraps. One variety is the Adobo Chicken Wrap, featuring pulled chicken breast, pinto beans, vegetables, roasted pepitas and guajillo chili sauce rolled in a flour tortilla.
“Healthy Choice Power Bowls are a home run,” Mr. Connolly said. “We know we have our top six varieties that have extremely high velocities. We also know these consumers are always on the go. They can’t take a bowl with them many times. We can drive incremental consumption by giving them a portable handholdable product with the same six varieties they already love in a cassava wrap that’s inherently low in carbs. So a really new interesting line here from Healthy Choice that keeps the momentum on this franchise.”
Birds Eye baked sides
Birds Eye baked sides are restaurant-inspired dishes found in the frozen aisle. Varieties include a loaded potato bake, featuring cheddar Parmesan sauce, bacon and scallions; and a Brussels sprouts and bacon bake, featuring parmesan cheddar sauce and bacon.
“We turn high-end restaurants, like where you see expensive baked sides like a Chicago steakhouse,” Mr. Connolly said. “Here, you’ve got items like loaded baked potato. Who hasn’t had Brussels sprouts and bacon baked? Now you can have it at home.”
Hungry-Man XL Double Meat Bowls
New Hungry-Man brand Double Meat Bowls contain double portions of protein paired with hearty sides. Varieties include boneless fried chicken with macaroni and cheese, angus meatloaf with cheddar grits, and chicken bacon ranch with mashed potatoes.
“Hungry-Man is a terrific brand that came with Pinnacle that hadn’t received a lot of attention in quite some time,” Mr. Connolly said. “We’re completely restaging this business. This is Hungry-Man XL. This is our new double-meat bowl line. These things pack a wallop. Some of them have over 45 grams of protein per serving. We think it really lives up to the promise of satisfying a hungry person.”
P.F. Chang’s single-serve ramen
New P.F. Chang’s Home Menu ramen is packaged in frozen single-serve bowls. The ramen comes in such varieties as pork shoyu, containing ramen noodles, pork, scallions and mushrooms in broth.
“Ramen works,” Mr. Connolly said. “Millennials love ramen. But most times when millennials eat, they’re alone. So multi-serve doesn’t really meet that need. So it’s a no-brainer that we take our ramen line that’s working and bringing it to single-serve.”
Gardein co-branded products
Conagra is featuring its Gardein plant-based meat alternatives in a range of new co-branded products. Including Birds Eye meatless Be’f lasagna, Birds Eye meatless garlic Chick’n and Healthy Choice meatless chipotle Chick’n Power Bowls.
“Another place we're leveraging Gardein is co-branding it with our icon brands,” Mr. Connolly said. “In the world of tech, you may remember the phrase Intel Inside. Well, in our world, we call it Gardein Inside. We’re basically taking the meat out, and we’re putting a plant-based meat in and we’re branding that plant-based meat Gardein because Gardein has tremendous credentials for that. But we’re doing it in concert with our icon brands because we’re convinced that will drive the highest velocities and the fastest trial.”
Marie Callender’s bowls
Marie Callender’s is expanding its bowls offerings with reinvented classics such as white wine and butter shrimp macaroni and cheese and lasagna with meat and sauce.
“Marie Callender’s … excellent restage this year,” Mr. Connolly said. “We need to keep the momentum next year. We’ll do that with new variety expansion. One of the interesting things we’re doing this year is this is our first foray into shrimp in the world of frozen. Why? Because shrimp don’t usually hold up particularly well in microwave. Our chefs have solved for that. They’ve created a great sauce product that basically envelops the shrimp and protects it. This happens to be a mac and cheese bowl with shrimp, white wine and butter. It’s fantastic.”
Birds Eye modern sides
New Birds Eye modern sides include offerings such as shoestring zucchini fries and buffalo-style cauliflower wings.
“We turned to restaurants for inspiration, casual restaurants like pubs, where we found things like cauliflower wings and zucchini fries,” Mr. Connolly said.
Gardein Ultimate plant-based jerky
Gardein is getting in on the jerky game with a new line of Ultimate plant-based jerky. Hardwood smoked and made with non-G.M.O. ingredients, the jerky provides 11 grams of plant-based protein per serving and comes in teriyaki, hot and spicy, and original varieties.
“Maybe the most disruptive thing that we're doing in jerky is this: Gardein Ultimate plant-based jerky,” Mr. Connolly said. “We marinate it the same way as our beef jerky. We smoke it the same way as our beef jerky. This will blow away any plant-based jerky you can find on the planet. If it doesn’t live up to that, just call me, and we’ll fix it. But I can tell you, this is that surprisingly good. You won’t believe you’re not eating meat. We think it’ll be disruptive to the category.”
Duke’s beef strips
Conagra is pushing its Duke’s brand into the jerky category with new Duke’s smoked beef strips. Smoked in small batches, the strips contain 11 grams of protein and 3 grams of sugar per serving. Varieties include original recipe and Hatch green chile.
“We’re going after it with Duke’s, which was a great acquisition from a few years ago,” Mr. Connolly said. “This is a super-premium product, super clean label, and now we’re entering into jerky with these great products.”
Slim Jim Savage Strips
Slim Jim is expanding its Savage lineup with new Savage Strips seasoned beef strips. Varieties include original and teriyaki.
“We’re going to extend the very successful Savage line this year, but not in the meat stick space, in the jerky space,” Mr. Connolly said. “Jerky is a big domain we really don’t compete in today. We’re getting after it in fiscal ‘21, starting with these terrific Savage strips.”
Angie’s Boomchickapop rosé kettle corn
Angie’s Boomchickapop is adding a rosé flavored kettle corn to its snack lineup. The limited-time offering is certified gluten-free.
“Angie’s has been a great acquisition for us,” Mr. Connolly said. “If you’re an Angie’s fan, you know it’s all about unique novel flavors. If you’re part of the ‘rosé all day’ crowd, you will like this.”
Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn with avocado oil
Conagra’s Orville Redenbacher’s brand is introducing popcorn made with 100% avocado oil. Available in a sea salt variety, the popcorn contains 170 calories per 2-tablespoon unpopped serving.
“Orville Redenbacher’s has been on the upswing in the past few years because we’ve made it healthier, packaging, the oils we use,” Mr. Connolly said. “We’re taking that to the next level next year with avocado oil, a very self-evident benefit that we’re confident our consumers will get.”
Vlasic Pickles To-Go
New Vlasic Pickles To-Go Dill Bitez are pickle slices with no added brine packaged in an on-the-go pouch.
“Even pickles are getting into the snacking game,” Mr. Connolly said. “It’s the ultimate original plant-based snack, but it’s kind of hard to walk around with a glass jar of Vlasic. So we’re going to solve that. We’re going to put it in this brine-free pouch, and we’re going to shelf it in the refrigerated section.”
Children’s products
Conagra is tapping into “trending kid thematics” with new fun, experiential and buzzworthy products aimed at children, the company said. Examples include Llama Party cotton candy popcorn, Mermaid Splashes Snack Pack pudding, Swiss Miss hot cocoa with Lucky Charms marshmallows, Duncan Hines Rainbow Confetti cake mix, and Duncan Hines unicorn, mermaid and galaxy cake cups.
“There’s a lot going on in pop culture with kids,” Mr. Connolly said. “You all know it. They love mermaids. They love unicorns. So we’re doing a lot in kids. We’re even getting into the act with llamas here on the ACT II business, which, believe it or not, is one of our fastest-growing brands. We’re working with General Mills to license Lucky Charms for Swiss Miss. So a whole slate of things that we know are going to inspire our kids.”
Swiss Miss Non-Dairy and White Chocolate
Swiss Miss is entering the non-dairy segment with new Swiss Miss Non-Dairy Hot Cocoa Mix. Made with nonfat dried coconut milk and premium imported cocoa, the mix contains 150 calories and 23 grams of sugar per serving.
Additionally, Swiss Miss is expanding its Indulgent Collection with new a new white chocolate hot drink mix. The beverage contains 160 calories and 26 grams of sugar per serving.
“Swiss Miss, as you know, is a chocolate business, and it’s pretty much a dairy business,” Mr. Connolly said. “But one of the big trends in food is non-dairy. So this is a no-brainer. This is our first foray into the world of nondairy on Swiss Miss. Similarly, we’ve pretty much conquered everything we can do in chocolate on Swiss Miss, but there’s a big market for non-chocolate. So we’re going to expand our Indulgent Collection with this great white chocolate line.”
Duncan Hines layered pudding
Duncan Hines is debuting a line of cake-inspired refrigerated puddings. One variety features chocolate frosting and yellow cake flavored pudding.
Healthy Choice Power Dressings
Healthy Choice is making its first foray into the salad dressing category with the launch of new plant-based Healthy Choice Power Dressings. The dressings come in four varieties: Creamy Ranch, with cauliflower puree, buttermilk and sunflower oil; Creamy Italian, with cauliflower puree, Italian herbs and sunflower oil; Garden French, with cauliflower puree, red bell pepper puree and sunflower oil; and Greener Goddess, with tomatillo puree, spinach puree and sunflower oil.
“Maybe the most disruptive thing we’re doing in our staples business this year is this,” Mr. Connolly said. “Salad dressing is a big category. It hasn’t had a lot of disruptive news in a long, long time. There certainly hasn’t been a lot of better-for-you news in salad dressing in a long time. And I don’t know if there’s ever been better-for-you news in salad dressing that actually tasted good, until this product. We’re building on the tremendous success of our Healthy Choice Power platform in frozen, where we know we have a built-in massive user base, and we’re extending that into salad dressings in a disruptive way. We’re taking out the fat as a chassis approach that’s typically done in salad dressings and replacing it with a veggie puree chassis as an approach. These products have 35 to 50 calories per serving, which is shockingly low compared to all the competition, but you’re not sacrificing taste. We think this is going to be a success.”
Chef Boyardee Veggie Pasta Cups
New Chef Boyardee Veggie Pasta Cups feature pasta made with cauliflower. Available in Rings and Meatballs and Original Rings varieties, the cups provide ½ cup of vegetables.
“Even Chef Boyardee is going to get some love in the staples space this year,” Mr. Connolly said. “You saw us pursuing vegetable-based pastas in our Birds Eye business … why not do it in our shelf-stable business as well? We know our Chef Boyardee moms want to feel good about the products they give their kids, so why not give their kids a half a cup of vegetables per serving?”
Duncan Hines Mega Cookie
New from Duncan Hines is the Mega Cookie, packaged in a 6-inch, microwavable pan. The oversized treats come in four varieties: oatmeal chocolate chip, sugar cookie, double chocolate chunk and chocolate chunk.
Wish-Bone restaurant-inspired dressings
Wish-Bone is adding two new flavors to its lineup of dressings, both inspired by restaurant menus: Italian Three Cheese Dressing, made with Parmesan, romano and asiago cheese; and
Jalapeño Lime Vinaigrette Dressing. Both varieties contain 80 calories per serving.
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