A trip through a grocer’s dairy case finds Greek yogurt introductions and product extensions. The food is dipped, crunched and frozen. In other cultured dairy product categories, processors either simplify the foods or make them more decadent. No matter the direction, the category is booming.
“Simple” is the name of the game for Smith’s All Natural Sour Cream. “Today’s consumers are looking for foods with less processing and more natural ingredients,” says Penny Baker, director of marketing, Smith Dairy Products Co., Orrville, Ohio. “Our new All Natural Sour Cream is a simple recipe made with cultured milk and cream. That’s it!”
Several cultured product makers are stepping outside of their comfort zone to provide a crowd of innovative new offerings that come equipped with zesty flavors and intricate packaging concepts.
HP Hood, ConAgra Foods, Unilever and WhiteWave Foods are among the dairy processors talking about taste in this week's free-standing inserts. The FSIs have a distinctive meal-preparation focus as the holiday season begins.
Notable introductions of new sour cream products come from Kraft Foods Inc., Northfield, Ill., which is extending its Breakstone’s brand with dips and toppings.
It used to be that cultured products were used as components of something larger - cottage cheese for casseroles, sour cream as a condiment or dips for, you guessed it, dipping. Even yogurt adds a creamy value-added touch to pastries and sweet goods.