Shelf Life: Functional foods category set to grow
Louise Marsland (@Louise_Marsland)’s weekly pick of recent product, packaging and design launches:
- New functional foods category set to grow
- Additional Findus veggie variants launched in SA
- Regent Insurance refreshes brand, including new look offices
- Pyrotec offers refrigeration printing solution
Next trend: functional foods
Futurelife launched its new Zero Smart Food product with zero cane sugar recently, as well as energy bars, a new product extension from its existing meals range. The brand is also launching a 50g pack option to attract a lower LSM demographic.
With launches into the United Arab Emirates, this R200 million-a-year business is showing annual growth of over 110% — so clearly a growth market that will no doubt spawn a host of new brands and brand extensions from other FMCG players, too, in what is termed the “functional foods” category.
Initially born out of a desire to help disadvantaged people eat more nutritious food, Futurelife has become one of the fastest-growing health brands in South Africa, using Olympic swimmer Chad le Clos as a spokesperson. It is punted as a product that can be used by anyone who values their health, from professional sportsmen to diabetics and people with immune diseases.
Futurelife Zero Smart Food is formulated with no added cane sugar. It is low GI, non-GMO and high in protein, with only 1.5g of fat per serving and containing 25 vitamins and minerals, as well as Moducare. The product has been mainly formulated to be used as a smoothie or shake, but can also be eaten as porridge.
Futurelife has also soft-launched its new range of SmartBars, which offers consumers a quick on-the-go alternative. Each variant is created for specific use.
New Findus products
Findus products range from R20 to R40 per item and are stocked exclusively in all Pick n Pays.
Findus Foods is a Swedish company which maintains that research has shown that frozen veggies often deliver as many or more nutrients than fresh ones.
Regent’s transparent designs
As part of the rebranding of Regent Insurance, a new flagship office has been designed by Inhouse Brand Architects to tangibly express the new corporate brand image — a concept that will now be rolled out nationwide.
In line with a soon-to-be-unveiled, large-scale repositioning of its corporate brand, Regent Insurance has had its regional office in KwaZulu-Natal redesigned. This new corporate direction has been revealed internally, and will be introduced to customers and key stakeholders throughout 2014.
Inhouse has refreshed existing furniture and desk systems, executing thorough space-planning research, and maximising open-plan spaces to promote communication and better output from staff.
The design team, led by Inhouse director Phillip Wyatt, has focused on increasing staff morale by providing an appealing work environment. In order to encourage a mix of different functions within the office space, Wyatt has incorporated what he refers to as “campsites” — zones that allow staff to break away and meet informally.
Directional and branded signage regularly makes use of perforated and cut-out elements that reveal the layer beneath, “denoting transparency”. Glass is also used throughout to create a feeling of spaciousness and to echo the recurring motif of transparency and visibility. A frameless glass wall system with integrated white boards has been installed.
“This is more than just an interior job,” Regent’s group head: marketing and communications, Michelle Ashen-Abrahams, explains. “This execution for us is about space-efficiency and effective long-term cost management, as well as executing our brand strategy in a different way and creating a space our employees can proudly call their corporate home.”
Colour is a key factor in the scheme and there is a bold and confident play on Regent’s new corporate colour, which has gone from deep blue to vermillion. “Colour plays a huge role in our psychological state,” explains Wyatt, “and derivatives of red relate to a positive, dynamic and energetic outlook that complements Regent’s new direction.”
Cool coding and printing solutions
For consumer health and safety, it is essential for product information and dates to be included and to remain on the packaging for products that have to withstand the moisture of a refrigerated and freezer environment in a range of temperatures.
Pyrotec PackMark is a robust coding solution that does not fade or wipe off, reassures Pyrotec. And it can include anything from best-before dates and batch numbers to ingredients, logos and barcodes on flexible packaging, rigid plastics, metal, paper-based containers or liquid cartons.
The technology is the Markem-Imaje range of printing solutions that Pyrotec is the sole SA agent for.
The printer is restocked with sealed percussion charges, which means that handling consumables is also clean and safe. Cartridge changes are described as being extremely fast, taking less than 30 seconds with neither spillage nor delay.
Shelf Life by Louise Marsland is a weekly column on MarkLives. Tweet new product, packaging and design launches to @louise_marsland or email her at louise.marsland at gmail.com. Want to sponsor Shelf Life? Contact us here.
Louise has written about the FMCG, media, marketing and advertising industry for 19 of her more-than-25-year career as a former editor of magazines AdVantage, Marketing Mix and Progressive Retailing, as well as websites Bizcommunity.com and FMCGFiles. She currently edits the weekly Wednesday Media & Marketing Page for The New Age newspaper and is the publishing editor of industry trendwatching portal, TRENDAFRiCA, for consumer insight, research and trends in Africa.
— MarkLives’ round-up of top ad and media industry news and opinion in your mailbox every three work days. Sign up here!
Comments are closed.