McVitie’s has stirred debate online after bringing together its Digestives and Jaffa Cakes brands to launch an orange-flavoured biscuit.
The limited-edition NPD features a golden-baked biscuit topped with orange-flavoured caramel and covered in milk chocolate. It has landed exclusively in Sainsbury’s ahead of a wider rollout across grocery, wholesale and convenience from 29 June (rsp: £2.35/250g).
The NPD was inspired by decades of “debate, group chat spats and divided households” over whether Jaffa Cakes are biscuits or cakes, said McVitie’s.
It announced the launch via Jaffa Cakes’ Instagram account (@jaffacakesofficial) after a few eagle-eyed shoppers had already spotted the product on Sainsbury’s shelves.
“A few viral posts about one of our new products were causing some controversy,” the post stated. ”After discussing the matter internally, we have decided to use this moment to explain.
”Jaffa Cake Digestives out now. Yes it’s real, no it’s not AI. It may be a biscuit, but Jaffa Cakes are still very much cakes.”
One user commented: “Now the people saying Jaffa Cakes are biscuits have an excuse”, while another said: “I don’t understand how people are complaining, orange flavoured chocolate digestive is pure heaven”.
Commenting on the launch, Daniel Shemoon, marketing manager at Pladis UK&I, said: “The debate about whether Jaffa Cakes are biscuits or cakes has been ongoing across the UK for a long time, and we’re well aware of the nation’s Jaffa Cakes biscuit believers.
“This new launch is driving excitement through collaboration, bringing together two of our much-loved British classics – a delicious treat for those looking to enjoy the best of both worlds.”
It is the latest in a series of limited-edition launches from McVitie’s in recent months. In January, Digestives unveiled a trending cinnamon-flavoured biscuit, while last summer Jaffa Cakes introduced a hot honey flavour to tap into the “swicy” trend.
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