Mars Food & Nutrition, a Mars, Incorporated business segment with some of the world’s leading food brands, has officially announced an expansion of its ready meals space, starting with the launch of Ben’s Original™ Street Food, as well as Ben’s Original™ Lunch Bowls and Favorites. According to certain reports, the company reached upon these components after engaging consumers in the development, tapping into chefs’ creativity, and leveraging AI powered insights. Further making a point to ensure that the meals are optimally nutritious, Mars also addressed consumer pain points relating to total time spent on cooking. Talk about the results they were able to achieve, one was the introduction of Ben’s Original™ Street Food range, which covers entrées being launched across the U.S. and Canada in four delicious, bold flavors, such as the bean and rice burrito bowl. Furthermore, the product offers options packed with fiber and protein, making them the perfect satisfying dish for busy schedules. Turning our attention towards Ben’s Original™ Favorites and Lunch Bowls, set to become available across Tesco’s chain of stores, these products come without any artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. On the other hand, the elements they do bring to your disposal are tasty grain and vegetable bowls with different grains and products that are a source of fiber and high in protein. In a more specific sense, this range of Mars will conceive ready to eat, rice-based dishes with delicious vegetables and popular flavors from around the world. Not just taste, the stated products also meet Mars Food & Nutrition’s nutrition criteria based on strict and widely agreed recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as other leading public health authorities.
When quizzed regarding the company’s new range of products, Shaid Shah, Global President at Mars Food & Nutrition, responded by saying:
“We know Gen Z and Millennial shoppers are prioritizing three things when it comes to mealtimes: convenience, nutrition, and tasty, globally-inspired flavors. That’s why our mission is to enable healthier and more flavorful eating to become part of consumers’ daily lives. Using our expertise in culinary innovation, our leading manufacturing technologies and strong retail partnerships, we’re excited to make this investment in our North American and U.K. markets. The successful launch, which is a result of the hard work and passion of our teams, builds on our recent award-winning innovations and acquisitions looking to redefine the future of food.”
To understand the significance of such a development, we must take into account a recently-concluded research, which claims that more than 48% of the people living in US at the moment spend fewer than 15 minutes daily on meal preparation. Having said that, the stated contingent remains focused on flavor or nutrition, with two-thirds of consumers globally revealing a tendency to consistently seek new world flavors, whereas 50% across all age groups saying that healthy eating is a top priority for them.
The development in question delivers a rather interesting follow-up to Mars Food & Nutrition’s recent acquisition of Kevin’s Natural Foods, a nutritious meal company helping empower even the busiest people to eat without sacrificing flavor. But what made the company an ideal candidate to absorb? Well, the answer translates to how, during the year 2023, it had announced record sales, growing by a 50%. On top of that, the company has also, quite recently, launched a new line of frozen products.
