Dive Brief:
- Farm & Oven is introducing Bakery Bites, a line of cookies featuring 40% of the daily-recommended vegetable intake per serving, according to Food Business News. They’re also high in fiber and have added probiotics.
- Four flavors of cookies are available on their website, and will soon be offered on Amazon: Beet Dark Chocolate, Carrot Cinnamon, Pumpkin Maple Pecan and Zucchini Lemon Poppy Seed.
- Bakery Bites were inspired by co-founder Kay Allison’s daughter, who has autism and wasn’t interested in eating vegetables. While experimenting with various recipes, Allison found she could sneak in extra pumpkin in her pumpkin bread to give her daughter more of the vegetables she needed.
Dive Insight:
Consumers know they should be eating more carrots, spinach and other vegetables, but many are falling short of hitting the recommended daily intake. Only one in ten adults in the U.S. eats enough fruit and vegetables every day, according to a new study issued earlier this month by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bakery Bites is well aware of consumers' desire to eat more healthfully, and the struggle they face to add vegetables to their plate. They have latched on to a potentially clever solution: Eat more cookies. Each serving of three baked treats provides 40% of a person's daily veggies.
Bakery Bites is the latest snack maker to appeal to consumers by adding more produce to their products in novel and creative ways that may be enough to entice people. Many major food manufacturers have already embraced vegetables as a value-added ingredient. Green Giant makes mashed cauliflower, veggie tots and frozen veggie pasta, while Oh Yes! Foods produces frozen pizzas with 12 fruits and vegetables. Many consumers are trading out high-carb pasta and white rice for vegetable-based alternatives. This has been especially beneficial for easy-to-prepare options.
Bakery Bites’ cookies will stand out, as they’re intended to be a snack or dessert, as opposed to a side dish at dinner. The treats are traditionally viewed as unhealthy, so the added vegetable content may help encourage consumers to indulge their sweet tooth. The small, bite-size shape also will appeal to millennials and on-the-go individuals who may have been more inclined to grab a hamburger or chicken nuggets and struggled in the past to eat their veggies.
It also has the benefit of selling its product on Amazon, an increasingly influential player in grocery space. The company also should consider getting its product in chains such as Kroger, Walmart or Safeway to help increase consumer awareness for the brand. In addition, it should work closely with schools or parental groups to boost the item's penetration among moms and dads looking for ways to attract children who may be reluctant to eat their vegetables.
The real test for Bakery Bites, however, will be their taste. If the company can include a healthy amount of vegetables into a great tasting cookie, the product could be a huge hit even if it lacks some of the indulgence found in a traditional item. But if the cookie has an unpleasant taste, it could turn off consumers, even those attracted to the potential health benefits.