Quaker(R) overhauls for 2010, wholesome new ingredients take the lead
New, reformulated products offer whole grain brown rice, 100% whole grain oats, added fibre, omega-3 and calcium
MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 6 /CNW/ - PepsiCo Canada's Quaker brand has made nutritious changes to a considerable amount of its portfolio for 2010, to include several new and reformulated products that showcase good-for-you, wholesome ingredients that can help Canadians make better eating choices.
"Quaker has been a health and wellness leader for more than one hundred and thirty years," says Kathryn Matheson, Vice President of Marketing - Quaker, PepsiCo Canada. "The brand's foundation is built on the simplicity of great tasting oats, and the importance of good nutrition. These exciting changes celebrate the Quaker brand's history of simple good food, and at the same time, speak to what Canadians want to eat now. Our research showed us that making nutritious food choices, like eating 100 per cent whole grain foods, fibre and calcium, has become increasingly important to consumers. We are delighted to offer these new products to help Canadians on their journey to well-being."
Crispy Minis now whole grain
All Quaker rice-based snacking products - Crispy Minis Rice Chips, Crispy Minis Bite-Size Rice Chips, Crispy Minis Rice Cakes, and Crispy Minis Delights Cookies - are now made with whole grain brown rice. To further its commitment to delivering whole grain goodness, Quaker has associated the Crispy Minis brand with the Whole Grains Council (WGC), a nonprofit consumer advocacy group working to increase consumption of whole grains for better health. The WGC stamp now appears on the majority of Crispy Minis product packaging to help shoppers immediately understand the rice snacks recipe change.
The Crispy Minis brand now also refers to all Quaker rice-based snacks. The term was previously used to only describe Rice Chips and Bite-Size Rice Chips. Now the Crispy Minis portfolio includes Rice Cakes and Delights Cookies and the entire lineup was re-launched with new packaging. Rice Chips fans can also enjoy a new Sweet Chili flavour, which has just been added to the line, expanding the Crispy Minis Rice Chips selection to ten flavours including BBQ, Butter Popcorn, Caramel Kettle Corn, Cheddar, Crunchy Dill, Ketchup, Salt & Vinegar, Sea Salt & Lime and Sour Cream and Onion.
Whole grain breakfast, now just a minute away
The Quaker brand is adding more convenience to its nutritious breakfast options, with the introduction of Quaker 100% Whole Grain Oatmeal packets. Ready to eat in one minute, the new whole grain oatmeal packets were introduced to provide the goodness of 100 per cent whole grain oats in a convenient way.
Quaker Goodness on the go
Quaker Granola Bars and Oatmeal Bars have introduced new Fibre and Omega-3 granola bars, made with whole grain oats, five grams of fibre and 300 mg of Omega-3 per bar, in Dark Chocolate Chunk and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip flavours. Oatmeal to Go(R) bars, offered in Cinnamon Roll, Oats and Honey and Maple and Brown Sugar flavours, have been reformulated to increase the bars' fibre content to four grams. Three flavours of Yogourt Granola Bars - Strawberry, Blueberry and Vanilla - are also a source of calcium. Both the Oatmeal to Go bars and the Yogourt Granola Bars have new packaging to coincide with these renovations.
According to Matheson, the timing couldn't be better. "The latest (January 2010) Statistics Canada research about the national obesity problem really confirms that products like ours, which are great tasting and offer increased nutritional value, are needed now, more than ever. There is no question that better eating options are in demand and at Quaker, we believe that our products provide consumers with solutions that make well-being attainable."
New advertising to support brand changes
New television creative and digital marketing efforts began early February and extend into the spring to support the changes. A 30-second television spot entitled "Run" for Quaker 100% Whole Grain Oatmeal packets launched February 1, 2010. Additional television ads for Quaker Crispy Minis Rice Chips, Quaker Granola Bars and Oatmeal Bars began airing nationally in English and French on conventional and specialty channels on March 1, 2010, in tandem with the online advertising.
About the Quaker brand and PepsiCo Canada
The Quaker brand provides the whole grain goodness of oats in a power-packed line of popular products from oatmeal to cereals and snack bars and whole grain rice snacks, including Quaker Instant Oatmeal, Quick Quaker Oats, Quaker Oatmeal Squares(TM) Cereal, Quaker Granola Bars and Quaker Crispy Minis products. For more information, visit www.quakeroats.ca. Quaker is one of PepsiCo Canada's flagship brands.
PepsiCo's businesses in Canada are organized into two business units. PepsiCo Foods Canada includes Frito Lay Canada and the Quaker Foods and Snacks business. PepsiCo Beverages Canada includes Pepsi-Cola Canada, Gatorade and Tropicana. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.ca.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. In recognition of its continued sustainability efforts, PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) in 2009. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.
For further information: Karen Krugel, PraxisPR, (905) 949-8255 ext. 233, [email protected]; Anthony Tiburzi, PraxisPR, (905) 949-8255 ext. 227, [email protected]
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