United Biscuits has launched an audacious bid to restore its neglected Phileas Fogg exotic snack brand to its former glory.

Yesterday, the company unveiled a new look and a raft of new variants for the brand, which though never officially delisted had not been actively pushed for several years.

As part of the relaunch, which is part of a wider platform of activity for its snack brands, it will run a £2m advertising campaign that will "tell the nation that Phileas Fogg is back" and promote the range's authentic ingredients and flavours.

UB said it hoped the nine new variants, which include sea salt & Indonesian black peppercorn crisps, sour cream & mild Mexican chilli tortillas, Indian red chilli poppadoms and Persian pistachios, would tap into strong demand for premium snacks.

"Sales of premium snacks are growing 9.9%, so this is a good time to reintroduce it," said commercial manager Nick Stuart.

As part of the wider activity, the company is ploughing £3m into a relaunch of its healthy snack brand Go Ahead! with new packaging and formats in time for the new year health kick. The new look makes more of the brand's signature green colour and emphasises taste as well as health credentials.

It has also made its blokes' crisps brand McCoy's healthier by reducing saturated fat by 30%, reinforcing the message on-pack. A new flavour, sizzling king prawn, has been added while Mexican chilli has been reformulated to make it spicier. "Men are increasingly looking at the health credentials of snacks," said Stuart.