Trending Flavors

Riviana Foods Inc., Houston, Texas, extended its Minute Rice Cups product offering line with two new varieties: Jalapeño Rice and Jasmine Rice & Red Quinoa. 

Riviana says Minute Jalapeño Rice Cups offer a blend of onion, green peppers and jalapeños. Minute Jasmine Rice & Red Quinoa Cups combine the Minute brand's authentic Jasmine Rice with the brand's crunchy, 100% whole grain red quinoa.

Like the other 4.4oz Minute Rice Cups, the new varieties come in single-serving BPA-free cups and are ready in just one minute in the microwave. They are also Non-GMO Project Verified, Gluten-Free, contain no preservatives, are MSG and cholesterol free, and vegan.

"These two new exciting flavors are part of our promise to continue to meet the wants and needs of today's ever evolving consumer," said Erica Larson, Senior Brand Manager at Riviana Foods. 

Plant-Tastic

Nestlé USA, Arlington, Va., said its Gerber brand introduced Plant-tastic, the brand's first complete range of organic-for-toddler, plant-protein foods. The pouches, snacks and meals are all made with plant-based, nutrient dense ingredients.

Gerber's Plant-tastic line also can help parents follow the new dietary guidelines for young children. The Dietary Guidelines recommend legumes (beans) as part of a healthy dietary pattern for children under 2 years and each Plant-tastic recipe is made with beans—such as chickpeas, black beans, navy beans and lentils.  Look for other nutrient dense foods across the Plant-tastic line such as whole grain millet, quinoa, oat, spinach, peppers, cherries, berries and more.

"We hear from parents they want more plant-based protein options that align with their food and climate values," said Gerber President and CEO Tarun Malkani. "Gerber Plant-tastic offers stage-based nutrition across milestones starting with organic toddler pouches, snacks and meals."

Fan Favorites

RW Garcia, Scotts Valley, Calif., said it began distributing three “fan-favorite” organic cracker varieties in select Whole Foods Market stores nationwide in May. 

Available in 5.5oz boxes, the crackers are made from root vegetables, seeds, and lentils, are Non-GMO Project verified and are certified gluten free. 

RW Garcia’s Organic Sweet Potato crackers are, made with yellow corn, sweet potato, flaxseed, chia seeds and black sesame seeds. Organic Everything crackers feature white corn, plus poppy and sesame seeds, onion, garlic and sea salt. The company’s Organic Lentil with Turmeric crackers are a blend of corn and lentil with a savory turmeric seasoning and flaxseed, sesame seeds and chia seeds.

"RW Garcia provides delicious snacking options for those who prioritize clean, organic, high-quality foods," said RW Garcia Chief Operating Officer Genelle Chetcuti. 

Family-founded RW Garcia, recently acquired by Utz Brands, is celebrating its 40th year in 2022. 

Plant-based Compostable Bags

Boskovich Fresh Food Group, Oxnard, Calif., said its Fresh Prep LLC subsidiary Fresh Prep introduced six organic salad kits and salad blends under the Fair Earth Farms brand. Officials say Fair Earth Farms will be the first in its category to package organic salad kits and salad blends in plant-based, fully-compostable bags, printed with water-based inks that will break down into organic soil. 

"We invite our customers to assist us in building a more sustainable future with Fair Earth Farms' disruptive, first-of-its-kind fully compostable packaging,” said Deep Silver, senior marketing director at Fresh Prep, LLC and Boskovich Family Farms. “Consumers can now not only feel good about what they are putting in their bodies, but how they're helping the planet as well."

The USDA-Certified Organic Fair Earth Farms line offers two salad kit flavors and four salad greens blends. The two salad kits include Superfood Crunch and Honey Coconut Cashew. New Superfood Crunch contains baby kale, baby spinach, and baby chard with fresh cauliflower rice, carrots and red cabbage topped with crispy quinoa, cranberries and antioxidant-rich walnuts, alongside a lemon poppyseed dressing for a burst of flavor and a rich source of vitamins A and K.

Let’s Go Bowling

Nestlé USA said its Sweet Earth Foods brand introduced two plant-based entrée bowls: a Korean BBQ-Style Chik'n and Cacio e Pepe. Both bowls are Non-GMO Project Verified, vegan, and made with veggie-forward ingredients. Each serving includes between 15g-16g of protein and 5-7g of fiber. 

Sweet Earth® Korean BBQ-Style Chik'n Entrée Bowl combines sweet and spicy Korean BBQ-style Chik'n with veggies including edamame, carrots, snap peas and sesame seeds over a cauliflower and brown rice blend. The new Cacio e Pepe Entrée Bowl has a creamy and flavorful vegan parmesan-style cheese and black pepper sauce made from cashews over chickpea pasta with added veggies.

"At Sweet Earth, we're always looking to offer plant-based versions of the unique flavors and dishes consumers love," said Jennifer Barnes, vice president and general manager of Sweet Earth Foods. 

Both entrée bowls are available at select Target locations nationwide and have a suggested retail price of $4.99. Additionally, the Sweet Earth® Korean BBQ-Style Chik'n entrée bowl will be available at select Meijer, HEB, and Giant Food stores nationwide 

Domestic Sourcing

In contrast to products from South America, Quinoa Corporation, Golden, Colo., says its new Ancient Harvest Quinoa is domestically sourced from Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. 

Officials say quinoa is consumers’ most desired ancient grain and this new pre-rinsed, ready-to-cook product comes in a 3lb bag.

Quinoa Corp. notes that it uses a unique rinsing process to reduce water usage by 1 gallon per pound of quinoa versus similar processes used on South American quinoa. 

The Side Show

Conagra Brands, Chicago, greeted summer with more than 50 new meals, sides and snacks across its portfolio.

"We're excited for consumers to try our newest offerings," said Burke Raine, president, frozen and refrigerated foods, Conagra Brands. "Food can be inspiring, satisfying, comforting, and nourishing, and we think our debuts for summer 2022 deliver against those qualities."

Highlighting Conagra Brands' newest foods is a broad collection of single-serve and multi-serve frozen meals from brands such as Healthy Choice, Marie Callender's, Banquet, Frontera and more. Raine says Birds Eye also introduced new sides appetizers and meal starters.

They include four new microwaveable Birds Eye Veggies & Grain side dishes. Varieties are Creamy Pesto, Green Goddess, Buddha and Harvest. Each variety features a blend of cooked brown rice and red quinoa.