Mars Food and Nutrition UK has on Tuesday unveiled the first products to spearhead its brand-new cupboard ready meal range, marking the start of a multi-year innovation pipeline for Ben’s Original and Dolmio.
With the ‘heat and eat’ trend growing by 7 per cent annually and a projected UK market size of £1bn by 2028 [Nielsen IQ, 2023], the ready meal occasion is rapidly on the rise. Known best for being high-quality, nutritious cupboard staples, Ben’s Original and Dolmio are now responding to changing consumer shopping habits to give shoppers those 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 wider trade rollout later in the year, Ben’s Original Favourites and Lunch Bowls are the first ranges to launch.
Ben‘s Original Lunch Bowls are a healthy range of tasty grain and vegetable bowls that can be enjoyed hot or cold, full of textures and flavours that make sure lunch is never boring. Containing no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, the range contains eight different grains and products that are high in fibre and a source of protein.
Ben’s Original Favourites are a range of ready to eat, delicious rice-based dishes with familiar flavours from some of the nation's most popular meals, bound to elevate mealtime. Containing no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives, the range is packed full of a large variety of plants and vegetables.
“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,” Nick Reade, general manager of Mars Food and Nutrition Europe, commented.
“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.”
The ready meal roll-out leads a host of other new innovations from Mars Food and Nutrition this year:
- Ben’s Original Ready to Heat rice Family Packs, catering to larger households.
- Ben’s Original Ready to Heat Sticky Rice, tapping into the growing trend for Japanese and Korean meals.
- Dolmio Intensify pasta sauce range extension, for consumers looking to add spice and excitement to their pasta meals.
