Mars Food and Nutrition UK has unveiled the first products to spearhead its new ready meal range, marking the start of a multi-year innovation pipeline for its Ben’s Original and Dolmio brands.
With the ‘heat and eat’ trend growing by 7% annually and a projected UK market size of £1bn by 2028, the company stated that it is looking to respond to changing consumer habits by offering “convenient, easy and healthy meals they’re looking for that can fit into their busy lifestyles, for meals at home or on-the-go”.
Launching exclusively in Tesco this month, with a wider trade rollout to follow, Ben’s Original Favourites and Lunch Bowls are the first ranges to launch.
Ben’s Original Lunch Bowls are a range of grain and vegetable bowls that can be eaten hot or cold. Targeting health-conscious consumers, they contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, with each recipe high in fibre and a source of protein.
Meanwhile, Ben’s Original Favourites are a range of ready-to-eat, rice-based dishes with familiar flavours from some of the nation’s most popular meals. With no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, the range contains a large variety of plants and vegetables.
To coincide with the launch, Tesco is creating a new ’easy meal’ fixture in-store – bringing new and existing products into one location to meet the growing demand for quick and healthy meal solutions.
Nick Reade, General Manager of Mars Food and Nutrition Europe, commented: “We know people want to enjoy healthy, tasty meals, but often don’t have the time to prepare them from scratch. This insight has driven our ready meal innovation strategy which is all about giving consumers a range of tasty and nutritious meals that can be made in minutes.
“Ben’s Original Favourites and Lunch Bowls will join an existing line-up of exciting products that have hit shelves in recent years, including Ben’s Original Plant Powered and Dolmio Pronto pasta products.”
David Coulshed, Tesco Grocery Category Director, added: “We’re making the biggest change in the grocery category in the last 10 years in response to changing consumer eating habits, ensuring we provide an intuitive shopping experience for our shoppers. We’re seeing consumers want more on the go, convenient meal solutions as well as exploring more diverse global cuisines. A key part of this space redesign is the creation of our easy meals’ destination, and Mars has been a leading partner as we have developed our thinking in this area.”
