Petits Filous mess-free NPD

Source: General Mills

The kids yoghurt brand said the mess-free no added sugar NPD had been prompted by consumer research it had carried out in 2020

Petits Filous has announced the addition of a no added sugar line and a single bottle format to its Mess Free range after research suggested parents were placing a greater emphasis on sugar reduction in their kids’ diets.

The Yoplait-owned yoghurt brand has launched the zero added sugar product in two flavours – Raspberry & Apple and Banana & Apricot (both rsp: £2/4x100g).

The variants respectively contain 4.3g and 4.6g of what Petits Filous described as naturally occurring sugars.

The Banana & Apricot NPD is set to roll into Tesco and Ocado this month, while the Raspberry & Apple will appear in Tesco from Monday (5 July) before going into Sainsbury’s and Morrisons in September.

It follows 2020 research by the brand in collaboration with IGD, which found 58% of parents who had children aged four years old or under were actively seeking out ways to reduce their offspring’s sugar intake.

“We are on a mission to help parents make smarter snack choices for their little ones, and our new variant does just that,” said Joanna Goodman, head of marketing for yoghurt in northern Europe for General Mills, which is in the process of selling Yoplait to French dairy co-op Sodiaal.

The NPD is set to be the subject of what General Mills called a “six-figure investment”, which will take in ATL campaigns and shopper activity.

Goodman also heralded Petit Filous’ launch of a single bottle format of its Mess Free range.

Rolling into Tesco from Monday (5 July), the 100g SKU will seek to offer parents a convenient option as families begin to travel around the country more during the school holidays thanks to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.

“With more families expected to be outdoors and staycationing this summer, Petits Filous Mess Free singles offer a fantastic convenient option for any family trip. The single portable bottle lasts up to eight hours out of the fridge so that kids can enjoy the great taste and all the goodness of Petits Filous wherever they go,” Goodman added.

Since the launch of the Mess Free range in 2019, Petits Filous said it had garnered a market value of £5.2m as value sales grew 62.5% [Nielsen 52 w/e 29 May 2021].