Icy and Spicy

For a cool treat that is hot to eat, J&J Snack Foods offers Tio Pepe's Hot Ice or Congelada Picante. These sweet and spicy ice pops have the ability to appeal to those that favor cool treats, but still desire a spicy edge. They are packaged in convenient squeeze tubes, which consumers need only squeeze to eat.

This Hispanic-inspired treat comes in an assortment pack featuring four of each of the following flavors: Chamoy (apricot and chili) and Tamarind. Each container holds eight 3-fl oz tubes and should be kept frozen until they are ready to be consumed.

Inside Out You Turn Me

Seasoning meat and veggies can sometimes be an arduous task, as it may require hours of marinating, and the uncertainty of under or over-seasoning. However, Callisons Fine Foods' Seasoned Skewers offer a simple flavoring system that consumers are likely to enjoy.

There are five steps to attaining consistent flavor: skewer the food, allow the seasonings to permeate for a minimum of 15 minutes, place the food on the grill, in the oven or stove top, add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! Honey Bourbon, Citrus Rosemary, Thai Coconut Lime, Indian Mango Curry, Mexican Fiesta and Garlic Herb flavors comprise the collection and are 100% natural, infused with essential oil and herbal extracts. Fat and sodium free, the skewers feature a rectangular shape, so food stays put, eliminating messes. Each pack has 10 skewers and retails from $7.95 to $8.95.

Can You Veal It?

For a fancy feast in the comfort of home comes the Italian Bistro line from Catelli Brothers. These entrées for two are claimed to be restaurant-quality main courses created by America's leading culinary experts and can be prepared in five minutes. The Veal Piccata variety contains fresh, pan-ready veal cutlets (that are pre-tenderized), seasoned with a light and flavorful white wine and lemon sauce. The simple cooking instructions ensure a classy cooking experience; one that does not require advanced culinary skills. The product pairs well with Italian side dishes such as pasta or risotto, or even simple mashed potatoes. A 454g pack houses the Veal Piccata and should be kept refrigerated.

Tiny-finger Food

Millions of snacks are geared toward adults, in a variety of forms and flavors. However, kids and toddlers need variation, too, and more such items are starting to populate store shelves. Gerber Graduates for Toddlers Mini Fruits, for example, is a healthy, freeze-dried snack made from 100% real fruit.

Designed especially for toddlers, it contains a quick-dissolve formula that allows the snacking bits to melt into soft pieces upon consumption, alleviating choking hazards. The flavor selection includes a banana pineapple flavor, featuring bananas from Ecuador and pineapples from Thailand. Gerber Mini Fruits are a no-mess way to give children a full serving of fruit. It is sold in a resealable pouch and is sized for little fingers.

Ice Cubes, No Freezer Needed

From Hershey is a novel new concept in the form of Ice Breakers Ice Cubes Gum. Made with xylitol, the gum is purported to produce an instant cooling sensation in the mouth. The cubes have a sparkling, crystallized appearance that not only resembles real ice cubes, but also carry the same chilling effect. The gum comes in a Dragonfruit Freeze flavor; dragonfruit is the name of several species of cacti that grow in Central and South America, Southeast Asia and Mexico. It tastes like sweet kiwi fruit. Additionally, the product is sugar-free and packaged with 10 gum cubes per carton.

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To keep beverages cool on the go, some consumers choose to freeze them solid and allow them to gradually thaw throughout the day, ensuring long-lasting refreshment. However, many bottles are not up to the task and become brittle or may even split. In Japan, 7-Eleven launched Super H2O Frozen Bottle, a hypotonic sports drink packaged in a new PET developed between Seven-Eleven and Toyo Seikan. The new bottle is designed to be robust for frozen use, as it is made of materials carefully selected after investigating how the bottle inflates and how the printed label reacts when frozen. The bottle should be placed vertically in the freezer, rather than horizontally. Unfortunately, this rules out usage in smaller freezers.

For Japanese women, good circulation and nicely moisturized skin is now as easy as having a cold drink. House Foods' Moisturizing Beauty Proportion is a beauty drink with 30% fruit juice and functional ingredients. While drinks with ingredients that are beneficial to the skin are fairly common in Japan, this one is not only formulated with collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid (all components of dermis), but they also occur in the same ratio as they do in human skin (4,000mg, 80mg and 5.3mg, respectively). This may, presumably, give consumers more confidence in the drink, as it seems to have a scientific base for the formulation. Available in a conveniently portable aluminum bottle, the drink is muscat grape and aloe flavored.

One of the biggest difficulties for consumers trying to lose weight is that they tend to eat less to cut down on calories, but feel permanently hungry. Some consumers take pills to reduce their appetite, but others do not like to take supplements. For such consumers in Portugal, Lactogal introduced Adagio, a yogurt drink claimed to reduce the appetite when taken four hours before a main meal. The product is formulated with a Molecular Vegetable Complex (with fractionated palm and oat oil), said to be proven to reduce appetite. The manufacturer states this is not an appetite suppressant, but only a reducer, which will help consumers eat less and feel less hungry after a smaller meal.