Mexican food brand Old El Paso is ploughing £5.5m into the launch of a strategy primarily targeting the family market rather than adults for the first time.

To kick off the new positioning it is launching two dinner kits, Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Fajitas and Stand 'n' Stuff Tacos. The products will encourage the preparation of meals together "as a family", said General Mills UK marketing director Linda Hipkiss.

"This product offers fun and interactive meal occasions, enabling everyone to get involved in preparing their own meal," she said.

The launch follows consumer research highlighting a gap in the market for a product that would get children helping to cook their own food.

The research also found that Mexican food was rejected by some families because of the perceived heat intensity. As a result, the new products are more geared towards family tastes and packs carry a 'mild chilli' logo to highlight the low level of spiciness.

The Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Fajitas feature a sachet of crumb coating to give the chicken filling a crispy texture and golden breadcrumb appearance to appeal to children.

The Stand 'n' Stuff Tacos have a flat bottom rather than a rounded base, allowing them to stand upright and be stuffed more easily by children.

The products will be available in the spring across major retailers, supported by a £5.5m marketing spend including TV ads later this year. In 2007 sales of Old El Paso products grew 8% to £53m for the year to December [IRI].

Old El Paso's last major marketing campaign was for fajita kits in September 2007 when the brand targeted young adults rather than families.

Through the introduction of new consumers, Old El Paso has been driving the growth of the UK's Mexican food category, which is growing at 10% year-on-year, claimed Andy Foweather, sales director of General Mills UK.