Waitrose has nearly doubled the number of products in its Freefrom own label range, as part of a rebrand designed to help shoppers easily spot specialist products on shelves.
In response to what the supermarket claimed was a “remarkable surge in demand” for products free of gluten, eggs, dairy and nuts, Waitrose has added 18 new and improved products to the range, taking the total offer to 42 lines.
Waitrose has also updated the packaging to make the products more distinct on shelves. The new “vibrant” two-shade purple packaging, which replaces standard brown and pale orange packaging, helping shoppers identify the products in the range more quickly.
Packaging will further aid shoppers by clearly identifying which allergens are absent through colour-co-ordinated labels on the front of packs.
Most of the NPD is targeted primarily at bread, desserts and sweet treats, with the new products including Strawberry Jam & Coconut Loaf Cake, Sicilian Lemon & White Chocolate All Butter Cookies and Angel Cake Slices.
Other new lines include a quadruplet of sliced loaves, which have been reformulated, a Coronation Chicken Sandwich and Soft White Rolls.
All of Waitrose’s Freefrom lines are free of gluten, but many are also made without common allergens including dairy, nuts and eggs.
“We have focused on adding more of those delicious sweet treats that we know our customers love, with new products such as our Freefrom Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Freefrom Sicilian Lemon & White Chocolate All Butter Cookies,” said Waitrose Freefrom product developer Tim Daly.
“These additions now make it much easier to shop for a friend’s birthday or bring treats in for colleagues who might require specialist products.”
Waitrose has made the change in response to growing demand for free-from products as more shoppers embrace specialist foods or more healthy diets. Sales of Waitrose Freefrom range grew by 7% during 2024, with year-on-year sales of free-from cakes up 24%.
It’s the latest packaging update by Waitrose, following the launch of new “Plant Varieties” health labels aimed at better highlighting products that contain high proportions of plants.
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