Leftovers is our look at a few of the product ideas popping up everywhere. Some are intriguing, some sound amazing and some are the kinds of ideas we would never dream of. We can’t write about everything that we get pitched, so here are some leftovers pulled from our inboxes.
SpaghettiOs get Red Hot to win over adults
Canned pasta’s favorite SpaghettiOs just got hotter.
Campbell Soup announced the launch of SpaghettiOs Spicy Original, a collaboration with Frank’s Red Hot. The company said the product contains a mild to medium level of heat, and is targeted at millennials who want a more mature variety suited to their tastes.
“Through this collaboration, we’re excited to put a hot, more mature twist on a classic offering that our adult consumers grew up enjoying,” Mieka Burns, Campbell Soup’s vice president of meals and sauces, said in a statement.
The food manufacturer cited Ipsos survey data of adults who ate SpaghettiOs in the past year, a third of which mentioned they added spice to the pasta product.
It’s not the first time the fiery flavor of Frank’s, part of spices and flavors giant McCormick & Co., has appeared in a Campbell Soup-owned product. In 2021, a limited-edition flavor of Frank’s Red Hot Goldfish debuted. The tangy hot sauce also has appeared in David sunflower seeds and almonds, among other products.
Hotter flavors are growing in popularity, especially among younger consumers. At the annual Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference in February, McCormick said there is one taste millennials and Gen Z prioritize most: spice.
The Maryland-based company cited a Harris Poll survey that showed 73% of Gen Z regularly buy spicy foods, and IRI data which found the generation drove the hot sauce category up 39% since 2019.
— Chris Casey
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Courtesy of Frankford Candy
Snap! Crackle! Candy!
Rice Krispies have become a household staple in morning cereal bowls and also as a gooey, sweet, special snack for kids (and adults) when combined with melted marshmallows.
Now, the Kellogg-owned Rice Krispies is partnering with Frankford Candy to bring the popular brand into the candy aisle this spring. The new bars come in marshmallow and strawberry flavors.
“Consumers are seeking products that enhance their sensory experiences through a combination of taste, texture and sound,” Molly Jacobson, director of business development at Frankford Candy, said in a statement. “As a beloved and versatile cereal known for its Snap, Crackle and Pop, we think consumers will find the combination of crunchy Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal and creamy candy hard to resist.”
The new Rice Krispies bars will sell for $2.49 at Walmart, Five Below and Big Lots stores nationwide, as well as online at FrankfordCandy.com and Amazon.
Frankford Candy and Kellogg are no strangers to working together. The CPG companies initially partnered in 2022 on two limited-edition Easter products: the Kellogg’s Rice Krispies Milk Chocolate Rabbit and Rice Krispies Milk Chocolate Eggs.
Rice Krispies has grown beyond its roots in cereal to become a major sales contributor to Kellogg’s snacking business. An estimated 70% of Kellogg’s North American Snacks net sales come from four brands, including Cheez-It, Pringles, Pop-Tarts and Rice Krispies Treats.
“These brands have consistently grown over the past years, and there’s still a lot of runway left, both in share and in penetration,” Chris Hood, senior vice president and president of Kellogg North America, told analysts at a recent conference.
“Rice Krispies Treats,” he added, “has been on a roll for years, expanding into new pack formats and tasty food innovations.”
The movement of Rice Krispies into candy fits squarely into the company’s broader strategy to find new areas to bring the brand. It not only adds another snacking occasion when one might consume a Rice Krispies-themed product, but it keeps the cereal and Rice Krispies top-of-mind with busy shoppers.
— Christopher Doering
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Courtesy of Jovial Foods
The gluten-free aisle gets another mac and cheese
Jovial Foods is giving gluten-free consumers a new option for a dinnertime staple.
The better-for-you brand announced it is entering the mac and cheese space with the launch of two new products, both eschewing gluten and made with brown rice pasta. The White Cheddar flavor will feature dairy ingredients, while the other is vegan with dairy-free cheese.
The mac and cheese is made in Italy through a technique of pressing the pasta with bronze dyes and then slow drying it, which the company said gives it a texture that can hold cheese better. The brand touted the organic, clean–label ingredients of the products in the press release, and said consumers will not realize the noodles do not contain gluten because of its taste and texture.
Jovial was founded more than a decade ago when the founders wanted to make quality pasta more accessible for their daughter who is gluten sensitive. Today, it sells a variety of pastas, sauces, beans and olive oils.
The products will be available at various national retailers in May and Whole Foods stores starting in July, Jovial said.
During the past several years, consumers have increasingly gravitated toward foods that hold more nutritional value. The mac and cheese category, which is still dominated by Kraft’s Mac & Cheese and saw a significant boom during the pandemic, has seen several new entrants in the past few years.
Goodles, co-founded by Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot and a former Kraft executive, launched four flavors in 2021, and followed a year later with a vegan option.
The better-for-you brand — which has raised in excess of $10 million to date, according to Crunchbase — said its products contain 14 grams of protein and 21 ingredients, including kale and mushrooms. And last year, GrownAs* Foods debuted a plant-based mac and cheese that contains potato and coconut flour.
— Chris Casey
