del monte gold pineapple

Who: Del Monte Foods

What: Del Monte Gold Pineapple Chunks in Juice

Where: Canned fruit

How much: £1.30/435g

Why: Canned fruit had much-needed value pumped into it last year. Price inflation meant the category was down just 0.6% to £119.8m [Nielsen 9 September 2017]. Meanwhile, Del Monte enjoyed a 10% surge in volumes and an extra £2.8m. To capitalise on its success and tap soaring pineapple sales, the brand last month launched its Gold canned range, offering two SKUs made with a “naturally sweeter” variety of the fruit. They are this product and a pineapple slices variant.

Consumer verdict: The NPD - promising “a higher level of vitamin C and a vibrant golden colour” - was an attractive proposition for our shoppers. Sampling increased interest and the product scored well in all key measures, with health, texture and taste scoring notably higher than the category norm. Consumers said the fruit “looked fresh and juicy”, while its “good-sized chunks” were “sweet” and “moreish”. Purchase intention was high, though some complained the pineapple was “a little more expensive than buying fresh”.

Pre-trial purchase: 69%

Post-trial purchase: 81%

Better than what’s out there: 58%

New and different: 23%

Overall score: 47/50

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