Brands revamp products to be less processed

Food and drink companies are gearing up to tackle a variety of challenges in 2015, as economic pressure continues in markets around the world and some consumers push for less-processed products.

U.S. manufacturers are responding in a variety of ways. At the recent Consumer Analyst Group of New York’s annual gathering, officials discussed cost-cutting efforts that included plant closings and canceling business-class travel. Others acknowledged that they’re pushing to make some of their goods a little less processed.

Some of the companies also gave a sneak peek at some of the new products they are bringing out this year. What follows is a look at products, some with a healthful bent and others that are more indulgent.

As Ken Powell, CEO of General Mills, said with a laugh: “I think people can eat organic cereal and then have a brownie.”

• LESS SUGAR IN YOPLAIT YOGURT

General Mills is cutting the amount of sugar in its Yoplait Original line by more than 30 percent.

“We’ll start seeing that on store shelves as early as next month,” said Jeffrey Harmening, General Mills’ chief operating officer of U.S. retail. “We are not replacing it (sugar) with other sweeteners, artificial or otherwise.”

The new yogurt will have more milk solids and other ingredients in place of the sugar. A new 6-ounce serving will have 18 grams of sugar, down from 26. It will have 150 calories, down from 170, and will have 6 grams of protein, up from 5 grams previously.

• GLUTEN-FREE CHEERIOS

General Mills’ will be able to reassure consumers that its iconic Cheerios will be gluten-free by the summer, aiming to capitalize on the latest food trend. While the oats used in Cheerios are gluten free, there was always a chance that the ingredients were stored near or came into contact with ingredients that contain gluten, such as wheat. General Mills said it has a new facility at an oat-processing mill with proprietary technology, ensuring that the oats are not cross-contaminated with ingredients that contain gluten. Five types of Cheerios will be marked gluten-free: original, Honey Nut, Multi-Grain, Apple Cinnamon and Frosted. Multi-Grain Cheerios will contain sorghum and millet, rather than wheat and barley, in order to comply.

• DORITOS MAKEOVERS

PepsiCo is adding new products to its classic Doritos line of chips.

In Doritos Roulette, there are “several extra-spicy chips in the bag, but you just don’t know which one is extra spicy, and they all look the same,” said Tom Greco, CEO of PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay North America.

Doritos Roulette are not in the United States yet, but are sold in other countries, including Canada.

PepsiCo also showed off Doritos Jacked 3D, a thicker chip with a thicker, triangular shape. It introduced Doritos Jacked 3D in a jalapeño pepper jack flavor in February, and said a bacon-cheddar-ranch variety would be out this summer. An 11.5 ounce bag has a suggested price of $4.29; a smaller size will sell for $1.49.

Other PepsiCo products that recently hit stores include Quaker Steel Cut Oatmeal and Tostitos Rolls, a rolled-up version of the tortilla chip.

• KELLOGG AIMS TO KEEP IT SIMPLE

In the middle of the year, Kellogg plans to launch Kellogg’s Origins, a line of muesli and granola cereals that Chief Growth Officer Paul Norman described as “real food prepared simply,” with “no preservatives, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors.” He said the products would have whole grains and fiber, and carry “an ingredient list you can understand that’s short, and that you know everything that’s in there and you can pronounce it.”

• HIGH-END JUICES FROM CAMPBELL SOUP

Campbell Soup CEO Denise Morrison called out the “mounting distrust of so-called big food” during her presentation at the conference and said the company, best known for its soup, would be more transparent about its ingredients and processes. As part of Campbell’s response to the rising interest in fresh foods, it is bringing out 1915, a new line of “ultrapremium,” cold pressed organic drinks. The beverages, set to hit stores in spring, include flavors such as carrot, apple, lemon, ginger and coriander.

The name 1915 is a nod to 100 years ago, when foods were made with a few simple ingredients, and marks the year that the Bolthouse family began commercial vegetable farming. Campbell acquired Bolthouse Farms in 2012.

• HERSHEY STREAMLINES INGREDIENTS

Later this year, Hershey plans to have a simpler list of ingredients for its Hershey’s milk chocolate bars and milk chocolate Kisses sold in the United States. “Consumers want to understand what’s in their food,” said Michele Buck, Hershey’s president of North America. The company already made the ingredient changes in Canada.

The updated chocolate bars will no longer contain lactose, or milk sugar; PGPR, an emulsifier used to keep ingredients from separating; or vanillin, an artificial ingredient that gives foods a vanilla flavor. The new milk chocolate Kisses will no longer contain lactose or vanillin. Natural flavor is being added to both products, the company said.

Hershey also announced Brookside fruit and nut bars, made with fruit, roasted almonds and dark chocolate. The gluten-free bars have no high-fructose corn syrup, artificial colors or flavors and will come in three flavors: cranberry with blackberry, cherry with pomegranate, and blueberry with acai. The Brookside bars will hit stores early in summer and should be available around the country by the end of July. The suggested retail price is $1.69 for a 1.4-ounce bar, or $4.99 for a package of four bars.

• CHOCOLATE-COVERED JELLY BEANS

Mondelez International is making a big push behind some of its chocolate products sold outside the United States. The Marvellous Creations line launched in Australia in 2012 and brought in about $40 million in revenue in its first year. The line, which features snacks such as jelly beans or cola candy covered in milk chocolate, has since expanded to other markets including Canada. The line’s total revenue topped $100 million in 2014. “We’re expecting it to be about half a billion dollars by 2018,” said Chairman and CEO Irene Rosenfeld. For now, there are no plans to launch Marvellous Creations in the United States, Rosenfeld said in an interview. “We’ve got a few more markets where we’re going to focus on first.”

• MAKE-YOUR-OWN SODAS

After years of dominating the coffee maker market, Keurig Green Mountain is set to introduce a cold drink machine — Keurig Kold — this fall. The machine, one of the biggest threats yet to SodaStream, will make drinks consumers already know, including Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper. Perhaps Coca-Cola being in the system is no surprise, given that Keurig Green Mountain CEO Brian Kelley joined Keurig after about five years at Coca-Cola. Keurig also is looking to quench consumers’ thirsts with six of its own new brands: Red Barn Craft Soda, made with cane sugar; Flynn’s Soda Shop drinks, which are “soda fountain classics with a little modern sass,” the company says; Waterful, a lightly-flavored, no calorie water; Flyte, a new drink in the sports-drink category; Tierney’s Iced Tea Co. teas; and Seraphine, a sparkling line with the “essence of Mediterranean fruits.”

• PEANUT BUTTER AND HAZELNUT PRODUCTS

J.M. Smucker said it is launching a chocolate hazelnut version of its Smucker’s Uncrustables frozen sandwiches. It also is pushing its Jif peanut butter brand into new areas, with snack bars and peanut powder coming out in summer. The peanut powder category is projected to more than double over the next three years, said President and COO Vince Byrd.