Uncle Ben’s Twice the Fibre
Launched: June 2012
Manufacturer: Mars
Bread manufacturers have been at it for a while, and now rice brands, too, are tapping into ‘hidden healthiness’. Billed as a way of ‘getting extra fibre into mealtimes’ (read: into obstinate children), the range blends long grain rice with fibre grains to ensure consumers enjoy double the usual dose of roughage. Twice the Fibre is available in 500g and 1kg dried packs, as well as a 500g boil-in-the-bag format - and Uncle Ben’s is offering retailers a “full launch package” to communicate the product’s benefits.


Tilda Kids
Launched: April 2012
Manufacturer: Tilda
How do you bring new consumers to a mature category? Get ‘em while they’re young, that’s how. In a stroke of NPD genius, Tilda has created the first range of microwaveable rice specifically for children, putting kid-friendly flavours such as cheese & tomato and mild & sweet curry inside pastel-coloured, elephant-fronted packs.


Golden vegetable and tomato & herb
Launched: March 2012
Manufacturer: Birds Eye
Rice Fusions don’t sit comfortably with the rest of the rice category. They sit all the way across the store, in the freezer aisle. But that’s what made their arrival (back in April 2011) so exciting, and Birds Eye hasn’t rested on its laurels, adding these new flavours to the four existing veg and rice mixes (all rsp: £1.79 for a pack of two) in March.


Love Life snack mixes
Launched: June 2012
Manufacturer: Leathams
Speciality food supplier Leathams went against the grain when it rolled out these mixes under Waitrose’s Love Life label. Intended as either a snack or meal accompaniment, the five-strong range includes barley, wheatberries, spelt and rice quinoa, chickpeas, bulgar wheat & rice and spelt, quinoa, red rice & spelt rice.

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