Chilled ready meals brand Rustlers is aiming to bring more Gen Z shoppers to the microwavable snacks category with the launch of its limited-edition NPD, The Pickle Relish Cheeseburger.
Made with British & Irish beef, the launch is HFSS compliant and offers a beef burger patty with pickle burger sauce, American cheese, and a bun. The Pickle Relish Cheeseburger has an RRP of £2.20 and is available now from Morrisons and rolling out in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Asda this autumn.
The brand noted that interest and engagement with pickles as an ingredient has grown in recent years, buoyed by viral trends among Gen Z consumers, such as posts about having ‘snacky bits’ for dinner, and the Hot Pickle Challenge, where people film themselves eating the hottest pickles they can stand.
With 75% of 18-45-year-olds stating that they like pickles on their burgers, the launch is expected to drive brand engagement with younger shoppers. Consumers aged 34 and below, under index in micro-snacking, indicating an opportunity for Rustlers to drive them to the category with an on-trend ingredient.
“We’ve seen interest in pickles experience huge growth on social media with posts using #pickles racking up 9.6 billion views in the past year,” said Elaine Rothballer, Head of Marketing Consumer Brands at Rustlers.
“Our new Limited Edition burger will add value to the Rustlers range by tapping into that market trend, resonating with new consumers and unlocking sales and profits for our retail partners.”
