Innovative brands feel cheated by the lack of delineation for the lunchbox sector in store, says Lisa Moore The lunchbox is manna from heaven for the dairy category which, by constant innovation, appears to have achieved the delicate balance of providing children and adults with foods that are both healthy to eat and enjoyed as treats. The big brands especially constantly evolve to keep pace with changing trends. Frubes, the fromage frais in a tube for children from Yoplait Dairy Crest is a prime example of a brand that has successfully developed and manoeuvred parents on from its Petit Filous fromage frais for babies to its lunchbox products for school-age children. YDC says research shows 5.5 million lunchboxes are made for children in the UK each year and that the children's portable category is worth more £31m (IRI Jan 02). Having successfully won parents' confidence, YDC's Frubes strategy this year is to target children in what it calls their "own-zone". An advertising campaign includes the popular children's television channel Cartoon Network, £1m sponsorship of major league baseball and softball, not to mention the funky new Frubes tubes which feature characters such as Cowboy Frube and Snowboarder Frube. Priscilla Corr, senior brand manager, says parents regard Frubes as a healthy alternative to confectionery. But she believes a lot more work is needed to develop the lunchbox sector within chilled yogurts and desserts. And that task, she says, is mainly down to the retailers which have failed to define the segment in store. "Retailers do need to clearly define the lunchbox and illustrate ­ particularly to mums ­ the breadth of choice in lunchbox." Her comments are echoed by Kraft Food's trading controller Doug McGowan. Kraft has an array of lunchbox products for children and adults under the Dairylea and Philadelphia brand names. They range from Dairylea Lunchables, Dunkers and this summer the introduction of Double Dunkers for eight to 10-year-olds. In addition there is Philadelphia Snack for mums and younger working women. Cheese snacks have grown from a base of nil in 1995 to a market worth £118m and last year growth stood at 16% (ACNielsen, May 2002). McGowan says that such a vibrant market makes it vital that retailers merchandise cheese snacks together so shoppers can easily see what's on offer for their lunchbox. Like Frubes, the Kraft brands benefit from consumer trust in an established name, but this year one launch in particular has signalled the presence of heavyweight competition designed to dent the brand loyalty that Kraft enjoys. Glanbia has made it clear that, with its launch of Munchsters, it is out to grab a slice of Kraft's profitable market At the launch, Munchsters brand manager Sharon Rudd said: "There is really only one player within this sector ­ Dairylea. They created a new category with Lunchables, which revitalised the lunchbox sector. However, we think the time's right for a fresh approach." Munchsters are a silver, resealable plastic pod containing Cheddar cheese, wafer thin strips of ham or chicken and savoury shells for an rsp of £1.39 and Glanbia is putting £2m behind the brand this year. Activity includes television advertising, and a web site www.munchsters.com. A second launch that is designed to fight Kraft for a big corner in the lunchbox is a range of Primula Scooby-Doo snacks from Kavali. The range includes the Scooby-Doo Squeezy Snack Pack which contains mini tubes of Primula cheese with monster biscuits, a Calypso juice drink and Mini Pack of Cadbury Fingers. It has an rsp of about £1.49. Another major launch in the sector was Bel UK's Laughing Cow Cheez Double Dippers which joins Laughing Cow's existing Cheez Dipper brand. The newcomers' determined bids to grab a stake in the sector has obviously put the established brands on their toes. One, Golden Vale, relaunched Cheestrings earlier this year with a £4.5m spend to target seven to 13-year-olds and, significantly, new packs feature the brand's nutritional credentials. And nutritional value is one aspect of snacks that is under pressure from food lobby groups. As a result manufacturers are keen to press home the message that while cheese snacks are not a main meal solution, they are nutritionally valuable. Kraft points out that Lunchables now contains 30% less salt and both Munchsters and Primula make a point of signalling their nutrition content. But amid all the excitement around children's products, it's easy to forget the adult lunchbox market is also growing. And for the adult palate Philadelphia Snack tubs come with a choice of Italian Breadsticks, Spring Herb Ciabatta or Smoked Bacon flavour Baguette dippers, all with an rsp of 49p. Kavali is a player in the adult market and has launched a range under the WeightWatchers' label which includes a low fat cheese spread with added vitamins and three savoury snacks. While npd in the adult sector might seem slower than that for children, the brands are canny. Today's mini consumers are tomorrow's shoppers and seeding brand loyalty now will pay dividends in years to come. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}