aunt bessies low carb veg chips

Aunt Bessie’s is expanding its range of veg-based alternatives to frozen chips with two new SKUs.

Crinkle-cut carrot chips with smoked paprika & rosemary, and sea salt-seasoned swede chips (both rsp: £1.75/500g), are set to join the brand’s carrot & swede mash and vegetable chips in its Carb Swaps range, which launched last year.

The frozen chips are blanched and baked, but also count as one of the 5 a day and provide a source of fibre, said Aunt Bessie’s, and were designed to help consumers get more veg into their diets.

Asda would list the two newcomers from 4 February, while Tesco would follow in March, according to a spokeswoman for the brand. The veg was sourced from the UK when possible, she added.

“Our research showed that more people are looking to add extra veg to their diets and swap out white potatoes every now and then,” said Aunt Bessie’s marketing director Hannah Haas. “We were the first brand to launch frozen vegetable chips, which have had a fantastic consumer response.”

It comes as parent company William Jackson posted a rise in annual sales, but saw margins tighten in the year to April 2017. William Jackson’s like-for-like sales growth of 1.7% represented an improvement on the 1.4% seen in 2016, but operating profits before exceptional items fell 8.6% to £16.6m as cost of sales and operating expenses rose.

Tesco sells an own-label ready-to-roast chilled veg chip SKU, made using carrots, beetroot and parsnips, while Mash Direct offers chilled carrot and parsnip fries.