Prepared Foods showcases new products hitting restaurant and foodservice channels in November 2020.

Award Winner

J&J Snack Foods Corp., Pennsauken, N.J., earned one of the National Restaurant Association’s 2020 Food and Beverage Awards (FABI) for the company’s new SUPERPRETZEL Soft Pretzel Fries.

“Tired of the same old French fries on the menu? Soft pretzel fries are the perfect way to mix it up and can be enjoyed as a side or delicious appetizer dipped in your favorite sauces,” says J&J Snack Foods. “And as an added bonus, it’s vegan and baked, not fried!”

Officials say there has been a 25% increase in soft pretzels served on menus as a side dish since 2017. Additionally, soft pretzel appetizers have risen 8% across the top 1,500 restaurants and leading convenience stores, outpacing all other bread appetizers in 2019. Technomic menu trends data also suggest that consumers prioritize novelty and uniqueness when purchasing appetizers at restaurants.

Jalapeno Cheddar

General Mills Convenience & Foodservice division, Minneapolis, helps foodservice professionals spice up their menus with the new Pillsbury Jalapeno Cheddar Freezer-to-Oven Scone. With no thawing required, the easy-prep scones are a versatile option that work across a range of applications—as a standalone menu item, in mini form, as a sandwich carrier and much more.

Says General Mills, “The new, bold flavor from the top brand in foodservice scones combines two of consumers’ favorite roll ingredients—jalapeno and cheddar—with a touch of heat. As flavor innovation, particularly savory versions of sweet items, continues to trend, the new Jalapeno Cheddar Scones give foodservice operations a new option to wow patrons with a more adventurous palette.”

Officials say the 3.7oz scones contain no artificial ingredients, no colors from artificial sources and no high fructose corn syrup.

General Mills Convenience & Foodservice serves the convenience, foodservice and bakery industries. Its brand portfolio includes Big G Cereals, Yoplait, Nature Valley, Gold Medal, Pillsbury, Chex Mix, Bugles, Gardetto’s and Annie’s.

Take-Home Pizza

Foodservice distributor US Foods Holding Corp., Rosemont, Ill, introduced its Fall Scoop 2020 program. Titled “On Point With Off-Premise – Designed To Make It,” the new platform has 14 products to address trends within off-premise dining.

One new offering is a Chef’s Line Gluten-Free Italian Pizza Crust. Produced in Italy, US Foods says this certified gluten-free pizza crust is the perfect DIY meal-kit starter for take-home pizza nights. It is an approximately 10-1/2” thin crust made with buckwheat flour, potato starch, rice flour and Italian olive oil. It is versatile and suited to many applications, including classic and dessert pizzas, strips for appetizers and chocolate fondue.

Crusts are pre-cooked and are ready to bake in just minutes from frozen or thawed state. They also come individually wrapped for an ideal take-home DIY meal-kit starter. Crusts are made without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.