Echinacea-style yoghurt - health innovation continues

Innovations from mainstream food and beverage manufacturers continue to focus on health benefits, with companies adding the newest ingredients to the most traditional products, reveals Mintel's Global New Products Database this month.

German firm Hipp, best known for its baby food and milk formulae, is venturing into the 'good-for-you' adult breakfast cereal market with the introduction of Hippness Crisp. The company already markets somechildren's breakfast cereals, but this is its first adult range for the German market.

The cereal is fortified with vitamins and minerals, with some varieties also offering functional properties, such as 'chocolate & nut with lecithin', 'probiotic strawberry & raspberry' and 'apple & cranberry with vitamins A, C & E'. They are packaged in flexible, stand-up pouches as opposed to the more traditional carton.

More herbal dairy lines are being launched around the world, making the most of the growing popularity of herbals and botanicals seen as both healthy and natural.

Their use in dairy products, yoghurt in particular, seems to be an emerging area, adding a 'supplement-style' proposition, according to Mintel. Recent examples highlighting this trend include Parmalat Kyr PrincipiaAgrumi e Ginseng, a low-fat, citrus flavoured fermented milk drink withvitamins, ginseng and fibre, introduced in Italy. In Malaysia, MagicFood has gone even further adding two ingredients new to the yoghurt market - echinacea and fennel - to yoghurts under the Sunglo brand.

Herbs are also revitalising, literally, that most traditional of beverages, Tetley's tea, who have launched a new line of herbal-enriched iced teas. In the past, British consumers have tended to shy away from iced tea, perhaps finding it hard to associate a popular and traditional hot drink with a cold version, suggests Mintel.

However, this may be changing as new RTD iced teas continue to beintroduced, often focusing on the healthy antioxidant benefits of tea.Many recent launches have tended to be from niche players providinghigh-quality taste and content (e.g. MangaJo Anti-Ox Tea and Indian ChaiTea from Spring Fine Foods), but Tetley's new line is attempting tochange this. Past attempts by the company include Tetley Ice Blend backin 1997. The latest is called T of Life and is described as a refreshingblend of spring water, fruit juice and Tetley tea with energising herbs(ginseng and guarana) and vitamins (B3, B5, B6, B9, and B12). It isavailable in Raspberry & Cranberry, and Lemon & Lime flavours.