Portability to the Max

The folks at General Mills are running with the portable trend. First, in the U.S., they had GoGurt yogurt for kids, then Expresse yogurt for adults.

Now, another Yoplait licensee, Aliments Ultima Foods, Montreal, is selling Minigo Yogurt Tubes in Canada. The flavors are the usual kind, for the most part. Three combo packs are Raspberry/Watermelon, Strawberry/ Grape, and Peach/Banana. The eight-count boxes sell for $2.99 Canadian.

It is probably time for some other types of grab-and-go products we wouldn't expect. We've seen peanut butter, for example, in squeeze pouches (jelly, too), but what about packaging those squeeze pouches with crackers? No spreader needed. Or aerosol cheese mini-cans with celery sticks or breadsticks?

Ingredients
Raspberry/Watermelon: ultrafiltered skim milk, cream, sugar, fruits (raspberries, watermelon), milk serum proteins, natural flavors, pectin, concentrated lemon juice, active bacterial culture, rennet

Nutrition
Portion 40 g serving, energy 56 cal, protein 1.8 g, fat 2.7 g, carbohydrate 6 g, calcium 7%

Additional Info
All Natural

Canned Spaghetti becomes Functional

Even Campbell Soup, Camden, N.J., has gotten into the act. Its mainstay brand Franco-American now offers SpaghettiOs with added calcium. The company says the product is now equivalent to a full serving of veggies and grains, plus that additional calcium.

It is interesting to see where calcium is being added. Not only is it in this spaghetti product, but Heinz has also added calcium to its new green ketchup. However, it seems that consumers most choose and understand calcium enrichment when it's contained in juices--particularly orange juice.

We have seen calcium fortification in a variety of products in the past--breakfast cereal, dairy products, even prunes--but those categories have not had the success of fortified orange juice. We'll see if Campbell can make this one work.

Ingredients
Water, tomato puree (water, tomato paste), enriched pasta product with added calcium (wheat flour, calcium phosphate, egg white solids, niacin ferrous sulfate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid) high fructose corn syrup, enriched macaroni product (wheat flour, niacin, ferrous sul-fate, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), contains less than 25 of the following ingredi-ents: salt, enzyme modified cheddar cheese (cheddar cheese (milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), water, disodium phosphate), vegetable oil (corn, cottonseed, canola and/or partially hydrogenated soybean), citric acid, enzyme modified butter, flavoring, oleoresin paprika, ascorbic acid, nonfat dry milk, malic acid, succinic acid

Nutrition
Serving size 1 cup (252 g), servings about 2, calories 190, fat calories 10, total fat 1g, satu-rated fat 0.5 g, cholesterol less than 5 mg, sodium 660 mg, total carbohydrate 37 g, fiber 3 g, sug-ars 13 g, protein 7 g, vitamin A 20%, vitamin C 10%, calcium 30%, iron 10%

Additional Info
Premium-priced

Cholesterol-cutting Cooking Oil

That depends on whom you talk to and in which country. Both Unilever (with Benecol) and McNeil (with Take Control) have experienced difficulty with their cholesterol-reducing margarines. The lines originally contained a number of other components such as snack bars and salad dressings.

Although the margarines appear to not be doing well, Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, is testing a cholesterol-reducing cooking oil. Their Crisco CookSmart is made with plant sterol esters found in soybeans and comes in a 14-oz. bottle which sells for a hefty $2.99. Currently the company is testing the oil in only Sun City, Fla., and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Ingredients
Canola oil and vegetable oil sterol esters.

Nutrition
Serving size 1 tbsp. (14 g), servings per container about 44, calories 110, calories from fat 110, total fat 13 g, saturated fat 1 g, polyunsaturated fat 4 g, monounsaturated fat 8 g, cholesterol 0 mg, sodium 0 mg, total carbohydrate 0 g, protein 0 g, vitamin E 15%

Hot Cocoa takes a Step Up

Is this product designed to be more convenient or simply more upscale? Nestle Beverage, Glendale, Calif., markets a Homemade Classics Hot Cocoa mix which is different from others we've seen on the market. Essentially, this concentrate--in Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate flavors--is designed to be added to hot milk. The 13.7-oz. glass jars sell for $2.99 and make about 11 servings.

While the price is similar to dry-packet hot cocoa mixes in theory, there is some difficulty in measuring out the right amount, as the package says one serving is one and 2/3 tablespoons of the mix. If the taste is superior to the dry mixes, we can probably expect this one to fly.

Ingredients
Brown sugar, corn syrup, water, cocoa processed with alkali, sugar, salt, cellulose gum, citric acid, potassium sorbate (to preserve freshness), polysorbate 60 (emulsifier), vanillin, may contain traces of nuts

Nutrition
Serving size 1 2/3 tbsp. (33 g), servings about 11, calories 90, fat calories 0, total fat 1g, satu-rated fat 0 g, cholesterol 0 mg, sodium 70 mg, total carbohydrate 21 g, fiber 2 g, sugars 18 g, protein 1 g, vitamin A (0% DV), vitamin C (0% DV), calcium (0% DV), iron (2% DV)

Additional Info
Premium-priced

Upscale Instant Potatoes

Time was when the lowly instant mashed potato was a mainstay in some households and an "emergency ration" in others. People knew that instant potatoes had their own unique flavor and often bore little resemblance to the real thing.

Today, however, the instant mashed potato isn't so lowly anymore. Now, varieties such as these from Idahoan, Tecate, Calif., allow consumers to make flavored potatoes they may not be able to or have the time to make themselves. The three flavors in the line are Four Cheese, Butter & Herb, and Roasted Garlic. Sold in supermarkets, the product is priced at 99 cents for a 4-oz. stand-up pouch.

Ingredients
Roasted Garlic: Idaho potatoes, partially hydrogenated oil (may contain one or more of the following: soybean, sunflower, cottonseed), corn syrup solids, salt, whey powder, nonfat dry milk, sugar, sugar, sodium caseinate, maltodextrin, mono and diglycerides, calcium stearoyl lac-tylate, natural and artificial flavors, dextrose, hydrolyzed soy protein, spice, artificial color, so-dium acid pyrophosphate, dried parsley, dipotassium phosphate, sodium phosphate, sodium bisul-fate, lecithin, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, citric acid, mixed tocopherols and not more than 2% silicon dioxide added as an anti-caking agent

Nutrition
Serving size 1/2 cup prepared (28 g), servings per container 4, calories 110, calories from fat 20, total fat 2.5 g, saturated fat 0.5 g, cholesterol 0 mg, sodium 600 mg, potassium 260 mg, total carbohydrate 20 g, dietary fiber 1 g, sugars 3 g, protein 2 g, vitamin A 0%, vitamin C 10%, cal-cium 4%, iron 2%

Additional Info
Microwaveable