Birds Eye has expanded its frozen chicken offering with the launch of a new, world cuisine-inspired, filled chicken range.
The NPD will go on sale nationwide in Sainsbury’s from 19 September in two variants “inspired by the tastes of Italy and Mexico” – Mild Salsa & Tortillas and Sundried Tomato & Mozzarella (rsp: £3/two portions).
Birds Eye said its Italian-style variant featured a soft and creamy sauce made from sundried tomato and mozzarella on the inside, with a red pepper and herb-seasoned crumb coating the chicken. Meanwhile, the Mexican-inspired variant included a light, mild salsa sauce with a crunchy coating made with tortilla chips and seasoning.
The NPD will join a filled grills category that had seen “the fastest growth consumption compared to all other frozen poultry sectors”, Birds Eye said, noting how sales had grown by 20.4% over the past year [Kantar Worldpanel, 52 w/e 15 May].
While building on this success, the new products also met the need for a premium alternative in frozen grills, the frozen food giant claimed, and would also unlock incremental sales for retailers.
Research by Nielsen in August 2021 had also suggested the new products would be “a big hit with consumers, as data showed ‘Chicken Inspired by World Cuisine’ was the top winning concept for consumers within the frozen chicken grills category”, while also achieving outstanding results in the ‘Attention Catching’ metric, the supplier pointed out.
“Evening meal occasions offer a huge opportunity for retailers as shoppers are continuing to search for affordable but creative ways to shake up mealtimes,” said Birds Eye chicken grills brand manager Dace Khudher.
The NPD represented a “great choice for people who enjoy a variety of food from across the world, and with Italian and Mexican being two of the biggest world cuisines, the new products are perfectly positioned to entice consumers to try the flavoursome but healthy meal choice’’, Khuder added.
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