Dive Insight:
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Del Monte Fresh Produce is launching a new product line of vegetable "pasta" called Del Monte Vegetable Noodles, according to the Packer.
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The new line is being positioned as a pasta alternative and comes in six varieties, including zucchini, butternut squash, sweet potato, beet, yellow squash and carrot. The packaged "noodles" will be available in the refrigerated sections of select North American grocery stores.
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“They are the perfect pasta alternative for healthy eaters and an easy, fun way for consumers to increase vegetable consumption," Del Monte Fresh Vice President of Marketing Dennis Christou told The Packer.
Dive Insight:
Del Monte, a company with well over 100 years experience in the food industry, is pushing the envelope a bit with its latest line. A vegetable noodle line that can be added to salads, sautéed or boiled provides consumers with several tasty ways to get more veggies into their diet.
But it will probably take a lot of promotional push to bring attention to the refrigerated case. The veggie noodles will likely end up in the self-service deli – the second-slowest moving section in the store after the floral case, according to the Food Marketing Institute's latest-available figures.
And as much as the industry and health officials would like it to be otherwise, there continues to be consumer resistance toward buying and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables.
But this line could, with the proper effort (and ad dollars) put behind it, do well because it makes vegetable consumption more palatable. Vegetable replacements to traditional pasta noodles have been touted by millennial social media influencers and foodies as an easy way to cut carbs, and this new packaged product eliminates the need to invest in a Vegetti or other veggie pasta makers.
If positioned well, this product could see the perfect convergence of health and convenience trends. Still, it's likely to take a lot of push on Del Monte's part before customers start adding the line into their shopping carts and kitchens.