Dairy Crest has been forced to delay the launch of Clover Seedburst after identifying issues surrounding the quality of the packaging, The Grocer can reveal.

Dairy Crest unveiled Clover Seedburst in June, claiming the spread would play “an important role” in its Clover spreads portfolio. At the time, it anticipated the product would hit retailers’ shelves in mid-July.

However, the product has failed to appear on-shelf, and the dairy giant has now admitted that the launch has been delayed due to a packaging quality issue.

“Dairy Crest’s focus on quality led us to the difficult decision to delay the launch until we achieve the high quality standards we require from every product we manufacture,” a spokeswoman told The Grocer.

She said the launch had been delayed until the issue had been “fully understood, corrected and thoroughly tested” - a task which was now complete - and added that the company was now looking at a suitable time to reschedule the launch.

The quality issue had not been identified in time to stop advertisements for the new product running over the summer. However, Dairy Crest had postponed further advertising until the launch, said a spokeswoman.

Clover Seedburst contains seven seeds and wholegrains - sesame, barley, linseeds, oats, wheat, rye and millet - as well as seed oils, making it a natural source of vitamin E. In June, Dairy Crest said the product would carry on rsp of £1.49 for a 225g tub.

Seedburst is the latest in a flurry of functional dairy products launched by the big dairy companies over recent months. Others include Tesco Healthy Bones Milk and Tesco Multivitamins Milk, produced by Milk Link (now part of Arla) and Yoplait’s Calin+ yoghurt range with vitamin D and calcium.

Topics