Press Release - Food Innovation - 1 September 2014
Birds Eye introduces Steamfresh
Birds Eye is set to revolutionise the frozen aisle with Steamfresh - a new offering of recipes packed with vegetables that deliver on flavour and are cooked in innovative steam bags.
The category leader in frozen vegetables is looking to use the current trend for steam cooking to encourage more consumers to stop boiling their vegetables, which can lead to loss of taste and texture, and start steaming them in the microwave. This, combined with adding herbs, spices and sauces, will help change the perception of consuming vegetables from duty to desire.
Hitting shelves this September, the £5.6 million launch forms part of Birds Eye's 'Food of Life' strategy to pioneer great tasting, quality food that livens up mealtimes. With the range expected to achieve £36m in retail sales value in its first year, Steamfresh will be the umbrella platform for a wide range of vegetable side dishes, driving a new steaming category within frozen.
Birds Eye will bring the existing Veg Fusions and Rice Fusions ranges under the Steamfresh platform, and also launch two brand new pasta side dishes with vegetables: Mediterranean Vegetable Pasta and and Creamy Cheese Penne Pasta with Broccoli and Peas. More new products will be introduced over the course of the year.
The range is split into four categories: natural vegetable mixes, vegetables with herbs and spices, fragrant rice with vegetables and pasta with vegetables. The product lines are available in three formats allowing easy portion control (single serve, pyramid and multi-serve bags).
Birds Eye will be supporting the launch of Steamfresh with a £5.6m multi-media campaign including TV, outdoor, PR, in-store, digital and sampling. The range will continue to be supported throughout 2015 with heavyweight TTL communications.
Geraldine Phillips, General Marketing Manager at Birds Eye, comments: "Birds Eye has over 60 years of experience growing and fast freezing vegetables to retain their flavour and freshness. We are delighted to be pushing new boundaries with the launch of Steamfresh and to make vegetable side dishes a really exciting addition to mealtimes.
"Steaming doesn't just preserve the nutrients - it also locks in the flavour. Using our unique steam bags, we are able to offer consumers a range of tasty side dishes that can be cooked in the microwave to deliver perfect results every time."
Steamfresh will be available from £1.79 RRSP and can be found in retailers including Tesco, Asda, Morrisions, Sainsburys, Iceland, The Co-operative, Waitrose and Farmfoods from September."
ENDS
Birds Eye press contacts:
For further information please contact the Birds Eye team at Mischief on 020 3128 6600 or email birdseye@mischiefpr.com
