The Dannon Co. launches a dessert yogurt; Campbell Soup expands its V8 brand with vegetable/juice blends; and Upstate Farms' newest product is Crave, a shelf-stable milk in aluminum cans.

To finish off meals in style, The Dannon Co., White Plains, N.Y., now offers Activia Dessert. Not only does this probiotic yogurt offer all the benefits found in original Activia, it features a delicious taste worthy of the finest desserts.

Like all Activia products, the new dessert line includes Dannon’s proprietary Bifidus Regularis (Bifidobacterium lactis DN 173-010) probiotic culture. According to the company, Dannon’s Activia yogurts have been shown in several clinical studies to help regulate the digestive system.

Activia Dessert comes in four creamy flavors: Blueberry Cheesecake, Peach Cobbler, Strawberry Cheesecake and Vanilla Bean. The flavored yogurts are sold in 4-ounce cup four packs.

Campbell Soup Co., Camden, N.J., expands its famous V8 brand with V8 V-Fusion +Tea juice beverages. These refreshing drinks provide a combined serving of vegetables and fruit in each 8-ounce glass, along with the antioxidants and cool, crisp taste of natural green tea, all for 50 calories per serving.  Three varieties are available: Pineapple Mango Green Tea, Pomegranate Green Tea and Raspberry Green Tea.  Each meets the American Heart Association’s criteria to display its heart check mark and contains no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

“People love V8 V-Fusion beverages for their fruit flavor and the convenience of drinking their vegetables,” says Dale Clemiss, vice president-beverage marketing. “Now we’re giving people a new reason to enjoy our beverages by introducing a juice beverage with a hint of natural green tea - an increasingly popular light and nutritious beverage choice. The result is a unique combination of refreshing taste and nutrition you can’t get from any other beverage on the market.”

Consumers looking for a delicious treat that satisfies their sweet tooth without feeling guilty are turning to Yoplait Splitz, the new yogurt that tastes like an ice cream sundae. Providing all of the goodness of 100% real yogurt, Yoplait Splitz is a good source of calcium and vitamin D. With no artificial flavors or sweeteners and no high-fructose corn syrup, this 90 calorie snack is a treat that will have families screaming for more. For an even “cooler” experience, Yoplait Splitz can be frozen.

“Moms are thrilled that there is finally a delicious and healthy treat that the whole family can enjoy,” says Kate Barton, associate marketing manager, General Mills Inc., Minneapolis. “Yoplait Splitz tastes just like your favorite desserts, but is also a wholesome and nutritious yogurt. With this new product, you really can have a sundae any day.”

Available in the refrigerator section of major grocery stores nationwide, Yoplait Splitz comes in three unique flavor combinations: Rainbow Sherbet, Strawberry Banana Split and Strawberry Sundae. Each package contains four 3.25-ounce cups and has a suggested retail price of $2.49.

Buffalo, N.Y.-based Upstate Niagara Cooperative, also known as Upstate Farms, rolls out Crave, a shelf-stable, chocolate-flavored and chocolate strawberry-flavored Grade-A milk drink packaged in aluminum cans. The initial introduction is to the Northeast and mid-South states during 4th quarter 2010, with expansion to the mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions in 2011. Plans are to take Crave national.

The cooperative consists of a family of 390 local dairy farmers. With the ability to ship and store Crave at ambient temperature, the producer is now able to expand its market reach, previously limited to the Northeast. Further, no refrigeration translates to a cost savings in terms of distribution and retailing, and opens up new markets, including sports venues, amusement parks, zoos, etc.

Crave will be promoted heavily as it rolls out into individual markets. Media outlets include online, event marketing and traditional outdoor and print advertising, coupled with extensive sampling.

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noteworthy introductions

The international Dutch cheese brand Prima Donna “formaggío con passion,” introduces an exclusive gift set for the holidays. It consists of a mahogany wooden board and a cheese knife, along with a 300-gram wedge of matured Prima Donna cheese.

Richfield, Wis.-based DCI Cheese Co., introduces Salemville Smokehaus Blue, an extension to its award winning line of hand-crafted, blue-veined cheeses. The new Applewood-smoked cheese is aged 60 days and has a slightly sweet, lightly smoky flavor.

international

Fruits, nuts and cheeses are classic partners, and some brands have already capitalized on their synergy by packaging all three ingredients in the same snack pack. Much rarer are products that combine fruits, nuts and cheese into one form, but that’s exactly what Lemmos has done in Australia. Its Fruit & Cheese Bites contain six individual servings of cheese filled with fruits and nuts. Specifically, they include apricot, coconut, papaya, peanuts and raisins. The bites are sold chilled and are positioned as perfect snacks for lunchboxes or on the run. Incorporating fruit, nuts and cheese in one sitting can be cumbersome for consumers assembling their own snacks. This convenient product eliminates the hassle while focusing on the simplicity and goodness of its ingredients. It also hits the mark of current culinary trends by integrating various textures and flavors into one bite.

Although American milk flavors almost exclusively skew sweet, other parts of the world embrace savory flavors in their dairy drinks. For example, in Indonesia, the well-known dairy brand HiLo from Greenfields introduces a green bean-flavored milk drink. The green beans used are not of the variety that North Americans might expect. These green beans are actually mung beans, which are native to India. As a good source of protein and fiber, they are an important ingredient in vegetarian diets, particularly in developing countries. In this product, the beans are added to milk along with soy protein for a nutrition boost.

Contributed by Krista Faron, senior analyst, Mintel Custom Solutions,  Global New Products Database (GNPD). For more information call 312/932-0400 or visit www.gnpd.com.