Unilever UK is bringing a taste of the Med to the freezer aisles with premium fish and vegetable dishes under the Birds Eye banner.
Mediterraneo taps into the growing consumer taste for roasted vegetables and comprises two main course fish products and two vegetable mix accompaniments, which Unilever describes as traditional dishes created by Mediterranean chefs.
The main meals, which serve two, are Sicilian fish with slow-roasted vegetables, including aubergines, courgettes, peppers and red onions; and Catalan fish with sun-ripened tomatoes and rosemary potatoes.
The Roasted Vegetable Provençale accompaniment is a mix of aubergines, courgettes, peppers, red onions and potatoes, while Tuscan Root Vegetables include roast potatoes, baked pumpkins, carrots, leeks and sweet red onions.
The range continues the company's offensive in the frozen foods category and will be backed by a £5m campaign in its first year, including TV and press advertising and sampling. It will also benefit from the company's £21m Birds Eye campaign, which extols the virtues of frozen over fresh foods and highlights the quality and health benefits of Birds Eye products.
John Farrell, Birds Eye category director, said the products would build on Unilever's efforts to change negative perceptions of the frozen category and would bring new flavours and ingredients to the freezer.
"The launch of Mediterraneo into the frozen food sector is a really exciting step for us," he said. "It is the only Mediterranean product on the market created and frozen on the Med.
"By encouraging trial, it will help add value and excitement to the frozen food fixture."
Arriving this month, the products are packed in the company's recently introduced foil bags, first used for its mini fish fingers, to stand out more clearly in the cabinet.
The fish dishes come in 400g packs with an rsp of £2.99, while the vegetables are available in 350g bags at £1.99.
Mediterraneo taps into the growing consumer taste for roasted vegetables and comprises two main course fish products and two vegetable mix accompaniments, which Unilever describes as traditional dishes created by Mediterranean chefs.
The main meals, which serve two, are Sicilian fish with slow-roasted vegetables, including aubergines, courgettes, peppers and red onions; and Catalan fish with sun-ripened tomatoes and rosemary potatoes.
The Roasted Vegetable Provençale accompaniment is a mix of aubergines, courgettes, peppers, red onions and potatoes, while Tuscan Root Vegetables include roast potatoes, baked pumpkins, carrots, leeks and sweet red onions.
The range continues the company's offensive in the frozen foods category and will be backed by a £5m campaign in its first year, including TV and press advertising and sampling. It will also benefit from the company's £21m Birds Eye campaign, which extols the virtues of frozen over fresh foods and highlights the quality and health benefits of Birds Eye products.
John Farrell, Birds Eye category director, said the products would build on Unilever's efforts to change negative perceptions of the frozen category and would bring new flavours and ingredients to the freezer.
"The launch of Mediterraneo into the frozen food sector is a really exciting step for us," he said. "It is the only Mediterranean product on the market created and frozen on the Med.
"By encouraging trial, it will help add value and excitement to the frozen food fixture."
Arriving this month, the products are packed in the company's recently introduced foil bags, first used for its mini fish fingers, to stand out more clearly in the cabinet.
The fish dishes come in 400g packs with an rsp of £2.99, while the vegetables are available in 350g bags at £1.99.
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