Premier Foods is relaunching its Crosse & Blackwell kids character pasta range under a new label that flags up health claims and tones down the character licence aspect.

The 4 Kids range has been designed to combat negative health perceptions of the kids' pasta market. It contains no artificial additives or colourings, is made with whole wheat pasta and is low in sugar and fat.

Packaging for the eight-strong range, which has been extended with two sausage variants, has been updated and recipes improved.

The cartoon characters have been made less prominent and a product shot has been added on-pack to clarify the contents.

Marketing manager Rob Stacey said the move represented "an evolution" of the category. "This is reassuring consumers on health issues and moving away from fully licensed products targeted at kids. The relaunch will revitalise the category, positioning kids' canned pasta as a viable, nutritionally balanced choice," he said.