Frozen Foods

Deciphering nutritional labels today requires the kind of brainpower I used to reserve for the daily Sudoku.

A certain amount of trade-off is expected when we make healthier food choices. A low-fat cereal bar is not the same as a double fudge brownie — no matter how you slice it. But if you are going to sit down to that cereal bar instead of the brownie, you want it to be the best-tasting cereal bar around, right?

Supervalu is rolling out a labeling program for its independent retailers to help their stores identify products that meet Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for important health-related attributes such as low-fat, low-cholesterol and low-calorie. Dubbed “Healthy Elements,” the program is piloting in several Supervalu-supplied retail locations this month, with a nationwide launch expected for later this summer.

Bagel-fuls were such a success when they launched last year that Kraft Foods has now come out with Fruit & Cream Cheese varieties of the no-mess frozen breakfast or snack option: Strawberry & Cream Cheese, Apple Cinnamon & Cream Cheese, and Cherry & Cream Cheese.

While retailers continue to adjust the scope, product offerings, design, and merchandising of their store perimeters, center store has remained basically unchanged for decades.

After a recent Kellogg Co. survey revealed that consumers don’t know where to find fiber, and mistakenly believe that products containing “whole grain” provide it, the Battle Creek, Mich.-based manufacturer decided to take decisive action. Its solution: FIBER-pe-dia.

Retail buyers and merchandisers converging in Atlanta for the International Dairy·Deli·Bakery Association’s (IDDBA) ongoing Dairy-Deli-Bake ’09 convention and expo that runs through Wednesday are taking an all-encompassing look at a medley of new product introductions showcased in some 1,500 booths.

The October 2009 issue of Progressive Grocer will feature our editors’ picks for the BEST NEW CONSUMER PRODUCTS introduced since July 2008, providing companies the chance to nominate their new product(s).