Rsp: £1.34
Competition: Kingsmill Oatilicious
The sell: With a bullish first year sales target of £30m, Premier billed this oat-laden loaf as the fmcg launch of 2010
The consumer
The loaf claims to help maintain normal cholesterol, with 50% of its ingredients oats and 50% wheatflour. It was fresh and tasted pretty good, but is only ever going to be a pre-packaged loaf. The packaging was as uninteresting as the flavour and it wouldn't stand out on shelf. I certainly won't be making a beeline for it in the bread aisle. If I was concerned about my cholesterol and there was no other bread on the shelf, I might just pick it up. Three stars (out of five)
Kate Blackford, student, Reading
The retailer
People are certainly becoming more health conscious and the bread makes a nice alternative for breakfast to other oaty products such as porridge. The inclusion of the oats perhaps makes Hearty Oats feel slightly heavier than other breads but also gives it substance. I think it will do well given its added health benefits. Three stars
Leigh Anne Carr, bread buyer, Booths
Created in conjunction with a leading charity? Check (Heart UK). Aimed at the health-conscious? Check (it "helps maintain normal cholesterol"). Hearty Oats ticks all the boxes as a better-for-you loaf, and it tastes pretty good too. But at £1.34, Hovis may have put too high a price on health. The fmcg launch of 2010? While it's good to see innovation in the bread category, Premier could have matched the boldness of its claim with the pack design. Then again, it is more palatable than a bowl of muesli. Four stars
Rob Brown, features editor
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