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New pastas, pies and plant-based meals arrive in store. With more Kiwis enjoying the simple luxuries of cooking and eating at home, we’re seeing new trends emerge in both the convenience and heat and eat categories, says Tim Campbell, Category Manager at Foodstuffs South Island. There is significant growth in product solutions that are designed to speed up the process of cooking from scratch and taking the hassle out of meal prep. Campbell comments: “This category is seeing significant growth in both meat and plant-based products, with more meat and dairy alternatives becoming popular with customers. The recent launch of the Plantly and Abundance meal ranges are just some of the many new products customers are switching to, as more Kiwis move to a more flexitarian or plant-based lifestyle. “We’re also seeing growth in the pie category with suppliers innovating through the use of gourmet products such as Angus Beef and gourmet cheese. As an easy on-the-go meal solution, plant-based pies are also becoming popular with our flexitarian customers. New products in this space include the Bakers Son’s range of vegan pies and the Irvine’s Beast range, which include new flavours such as Cheeseburger and Chicken and Hemp.” 16
FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2021
The FMCG Business team found some new and exciting convenience meals, from delicious fresh pastas and pasta sauces to plant-based dinners and vegan pies.
New look for fresh pasta & sauce -Delmaine makes huge investment Delmaine’s passion for great tasting fresh pasta and pasta sauces is being reinvigorated with capital investments of nearly $2 million in 2021. Capacity at the Manukau-based manufacturing plant will double with the installation of new quality Italian pasta machinery. Included in this investment are new dies for pasta and distinctive new pottles for sauces. The pack design for both ranges has also been reset with a photographic approach focussing on the quality, great tasting ingredients. The Delmaine logo device and green and gold colours have been maintained as these core Delmaine brand assets are what shoppers look for on shelf. The new pasta packs are now also fully recyclable. Delmaine’s co-owner and Managing Director, Rick Carlyon explains: “Not only has the focus been on packaging, but a lot of work has been done on flavours too, with every product being reformulated to improve taste and texture. Free range egg has been introduced across all our pasta ranges.”
