PepsiCo has achieved a first in the UK soft drinks market with the launch of orange juice containing cholesterol-lowering Benecol under its market-leading brand Tropicana.
Tropicana Essentials with Benecol is the first fruit juice product containing the plant extract stanol ester, which is known to be tricky to stabilise within non-dairy drinks. It will further widen the Benecol empire within grocery, which is owned in the UK by McNeil Consumer Nutritionals.
The drink is available from this month and joins the Essentials fruit juice range, which currently includes three varieties - a
blend of fruit juices with multivitamins, orange juice with added calcium and fruit & carrot juice with added fibre. PepsiCo said the launch was in response to increasing consumer concern about heart health, with two out of three adults in the UK suffering from raised cholesterol levels. Trade marketing manager Cara Beeby said: “The Tropicana Essentials range is showing strong growth as it is positioned as a functional range of products to meet specific health needs, but not all concerns have currently been addressed.
“Tropicana Essentials with Benecol will answer a key health concern while retaining all the great taste of Tropicana.”
Beeby added that Benecol already had strong consumer recognition, so the company was confident the new product would be a success.
The Grocer reported from the Anuga trade exhibition in October last year about a similar product - fruit-flavoured mineral water with Benecol - being launched in Germany by drinks giant Rhön Sprudel.
The launch of Tropicana Essentials with Benecol in the UK will be supported with a £700,000 media marketing campaign.
Claire Hu

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