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Tesco Sweet Potato, Paneer & Spinach Bakes

Who: Tesco

What: Sweet Potato, Paneer & Spinach Bakes

Where: Frozen vegetarian section

When: Launched March 2014

How much: £1.75/220g

Why: The meat-free market enjoyed a surge of interest in the wake of the horsemeat scandal but this appears to have been short-lived, with category sales virtually flat in the 12 months to February 2014 [Kantar Worldpanel]. What little growth there was came from the branded market, with own label in 10% volume decline, flagging up the need for retailers to keep innovating.

Consumer verdict: These frozen bakes impressed our consumer testers with their “eye-catching” packaging. Scores given for taste were above average, and even non-vegetarian testers said they would be keen to buy them. The bakes were commended for being well-seasoned, tasty and relatively healthy. After trying the product, the amount of testers who said they would buy the bakes almost doubled from 42% to 74%. However, they were not free from some criticism - over the ‘hardness’ of the sweet potato and an apparent lack of spinach.

Pre-trial purchase: 42%

Post-trial purchase: 74%

Better than what’s out there: 72%

New and different: 89%

Overall score: 42/50

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Fast Foodfax is prepared by Cambridge Market Research , which works closely with The Grocer magazine on a variety of projects including the consumer judging element of the The Grocer’s Own-label Food & Drink Awards and New Product Awards.
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