#OnShelf: Fresh new product launches

by Louise Burgers. The frozen vs fresh debate is tackled in a joint new campaign by McCain and Sea Harvest.

The freshness in frozen

McCain and Sea Harvest, both leaders in the frozen foods category, have joined forces in a new campaign to promote the “fresh” in frozen foods. “Freezing is a safe and natural way of preventing bacterial growth and enzyme activity and eliminates the need for undesirable chemical preservatives,” explains Catharina Bester, marketing manager: McCain foodservice & retail. The message they want to get across is that contrary to popular belief, freezing causes very little nutrient loss and preserves the vitamins and minerals in food; and that frozen foods are affordable as frozen vegetables and fish have a much longer shelf-life than fresh produce, so there’s less wastage. The central message is one of freshness and convenience and that Sea Harvest and McCain are the “friends in your freezer”. Cute. There’s even an activity book to download for the kids. Consumers have enough on their plates right now, so frozen foods are a quick and convenient solution that will still offer great nutrition to families and requires minimal time spent in the kitchen, says Sea Harvest marketing manager, Jared Patel. The campaign also includes a special website, www.friendsinyourfreezer; a hashtag #FriendsInYourFreezer; and a competition with 10 PlayStation 5 consoles up for grabs.

Montego expands to cat food

Montego Pet Nutrition has announced the expansion of their super-premium Karoo pet food range to a whole new “cat-egory”: Karoo Cat and Kitten. The newest addition to Karoo’s family of super-premium, limited ingredient recipes for cats is made with hearty and nutritious ingredients, vitamins and minerals, fatty acids, and high levels of antioxidants for an optimally balanced diet. The Montego Karoo Cat range contains up to 36% protein, which helps build and repair fur, skin, claws, and muscle. It is made with real ingredients, containing flavours of chicken, lamb, and rice. “We are so excited about the new Karoo Cat range and have kept to our standard of manufacturing products with the highest quality ingredients, giving pets a complete and balanced meal. The health and well-being of pets remain a priority to us, and that is why we are committed to providing products that cater to all their nutritional needs in new, innovative ways,” said Wilfred Cawood, marketing manager at Montego. The Karoo Cat range comes in 2kg-4kg bags for kittens and 2kg-10kg bags for adult cats, from R 175.00.

Fair Cape Dairies launches Mango Litchi nectar

Mango Litchi is the latest flavour in the Fair Cape Dairies’ 4 litre fruit juice range. High in age-busting antioxidants and vitamin C, the 20% mango litchi juice has a RRP of R44.99. Fair Cape Dairies is a once small-scale dairy farming operation run by the Loubser family for more than five generations, which has grown to become one of South Africa’s leading commercial dairy brands. The business has developed three pillars on which it positions its business: Animal Welfare, Environmental Welfare and Social Welfare.

Louise Burgers is the Publisher and Editor and Co-Founder of RetailingAfrica.com. She has spent over 20 years writing about the FMCG retailing, marketing, media and advertising industry in South Africa and on the African continent. She has specialised in local and Africa consumer trends and is a passionate Afro-optimist who believes it is Africa’s time to rise again and that the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) will be a global gamechanger in the next decade.

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