Burton's Foods is launching two of its leading brands into cereal bars as part of its strategy to grow its share of the better-for-you snack category and double group sales.

It has introduced a Jammie Dodgers and a Maryland cereal bar to its rosta. Both are being rolled out from 28 April, in a bid to move the brands outside their in-home eating market.

The Jammie Dodgers Snack Bar, which Burton's claims is the only cereal bar targeted at kids, contains crispy rice, fruit pieces and biscuit with its flavoured jam in the middle. Packs highlights its real fruit content and use of natural colours.

The more-adult focused Maryland Munch Bars carry the strapline 'Made with cereal goodness' to flag up its wholegrain content. Both feature front-of-pack GDAs.

Burton's said its research indicated one third of consumers were not buying into the £305m cereal bar category. But the market was growing at 6.7%, meaning there were opportunities to bring 2.6 million households into the category, said category controller Sue Garfitt.

The move is part of a three-year plan by owner Duke Street Capital, which bought the business last year. Indulgent snacks and health and wellbeing are two key areas for NPD, along with a move into savoury.

The healthier biscuit segment is the second-fastest growing segment in biscuits and is being driven by cereal bars, said Garfitt. "The new launches marry the broad, inclusive appeal of the parent brands with a more permissible, portion-controlled product format."

Maryland will be backed with a £1m TV campaign from June, its first ad campaign in five years. However, marketing for Jammie Dodgers will be restricted to sampling to avoid advertising directly to children.

Although the product is being manufactured by a third party, Burton's now has in-house cereal bar capabilities, following its acquisition of Northumbrian Fine Foods in January.

Burton's launched its first cereal bar last October when it took on the Green & Black's licence.

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