Smooth Sailing

JULIE GALLAGHER

Consumers are beginning to sip and even slurp their fruit as new introductions make it easier to “strive for five.” Frozen smoothie mixes, shelf-stable organic fruit purees and even chunks of fruit in juice are among products geared toward the fruit-deficient.

Take for instance Small Planet all-natural smoothie kits. Sold at Whole Foods, the product combines frozen fruit and dairy pieces with a boost of wheat grass — said to lower blood pressure, stimulate metabolism and cleanse the blood, organs and gastrointestinal tract. Shoppers add water and blend for a serving of fruit.

There is also blend-and-serve Chiquita frozen Smoothies touting a daily dose of vitamin C and a serving of fruit for less than $1 in Peach Mango, Mixed Berry, Banana Colada and Strawberry Banana flavors. It joins frozen offerings like Yoplait Smoothies in Strawberry Banana, Strawberry Mango Pineapple and Triple Berry. Shoppers add milk and blend.

Sold at Jungle Jim's International Market, Yoplait Smoothie is so popular that shoppers call the store in advance to make sure it's in stock, said frozen and dairy manager Donna Michaels. Strawberry varieties are most popular.

Yoplait Smoothie is also refreshing shoppers at Crossroads County Market, Wausau, Wis., where a two-serving container retails for $3 or $2.50 on promotion, Douglas Hinkens, frozen food manager, told SN. He featured the product last month on an end display alongside 40-ounce bags of frozen fruits and fruit blends as part of March Frozen Food Month.

“I brought in 15 cases [of Yoplait Smoothie] and we pretty much sold through,” he said. “We've had it for about six months and it holds its own.”

The smoothies help fulfill daily health needs at a time when seven in 10 Americans do not consume the recommended amount of fruit, according to Mintel, Chicago.

What's more, fruits that are typically used in smoothies differ from those consumed day-to-day, so the frozen concoctions add variety to shoppers' diet, noted Sarah Theodore, senior food and drink analyst for Mintel.

“When consumers buy fruit to eat it tends to be apples, pears, bananas, grapes and oranges, but when they make a smoothie they tend to use strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and even pomegranates came up” in a consumer poll, she said.

The practice of “eating a rainbow,” or fruits representing a range of colors, is said to provide a number of benefits. Fruits that are deep red or bright pink, for instance, contain the antioxidant lycopene, which helps neutralize free radicals implicated in cancer, heart disease and macular degeneration, while orange fruits have beta-carotenes, said to prevent night blindness and other eye problems and skin disorders.

Since even the best-intentioned shoppers have trouble eating fruits before they spoil, many have turned to products that will last.

Maintaining their integrity for weeks rather than days are frozen fruits — fast movers at Crossroads County Market, according to Hinkens who dedicates 10 feet of space to an extensive variety including mangoes, blackberries, sweet dark cherries, blueberries, boysenberries — “basically anything I can get my hands on,” he said.

Sales of the fruit, packaged in resealable bags, gained momentum this winter when sourcing fresh varieties from frost-ridden Florida became an issue. Frozen fruits that Hinkens can't obtain through wholesaler Supervalu are ordered directly.

“It's very appealing fruit,” said Hinkens, who'd also like to bring in additional smoothie brands as they become available.

“Especially now that we're getting into summer, people are looking for refreshment,” he said.

That may be why Jamba Juice has timed the release of its new frozen smoothie mix for grocery with mid-May. The three flavors most popular at its 742 foodservice locations — Rassmatazz, Mango-a-Go-Go and Strawberries Wild — will be available in the do-it-yourself version containing frozen fruit, non-fat yogurt and an antioxidant boost. Consumers add fruit juice and blend.

The offering could gain adoption by the 36% of Mintel respondents who said they didn't drink a fresh smoothie from a juice or smoothie bar in the past 30 days because it was too expensive. Each mix makes two 8-ounce servings and retails for between $2.99 and $3.29.

Jamba Juice will distribute coupons for the grocery product in its foodservice locations this summer. Each frozen kit will in turn contain a $1-off coupon for a made-to-order smoothie.

When it comes to choosing a cold fruit-based beverage, smoothies have a leg up on fruit juices, said Mintel's Theodore, since consumers associate whole fruits with smoothies more so than juice. Many, for instance, have added a whole banana to their blender or watched strawberries make their way into a made-to-order smoothie, she said.

“Consumers look at juice as a good way to get fruit, but smoothies have even more potential since they're that much closer to the actual fruit,” she said.

Their health benefits are already driving consumption. When asked “other than taste, what is the main reason you drink smoothies,” three in 10 consumers polled by Mintel said it was because “they are good for me.”

Another new product-type gaining appeal with moms and dads are shelf-stable fruit purees in squeezable, kid-sized reclosable containers, noted Anne Berlack, executive vice president of SymphonyIRI's business insights practice.

“Everyone is always trying to get five a day,” she said.

Revolution Foods' Organic Mashups Squeezable Fruit is one brand comprised of 100% organic fruit puree, with no added sugar, trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup or artificial ingredients. Sold in 3.5-ounce pouches, grape, berry, tropical and strawberry banana four-packs retail for $5.99 at Whole Foods, and are available at Wegmans, Fairway and H.E. Butt Grocery Co. Also sold at Whole Foods is GoGo Squeez with 100% fruit and no added sugar. Packets in 3.2 ounces sell four for $2.99.

“There are both store-brand and national versions of this product,” noted Berlack.

Another new item, Hero/White Wave's Fruit2Day, is also changing the way shoppers consume their fruit. The no-sugar-added 100% juice blend is positioned as a snack since it contains real bits of fruit that add up to two servings.

“This is really one of the first companies to try to position a fruit juice as a snack,” noted Theodore. “If they're successful, it will pave the way for some of these other things that are shelf stable and sort of a cross between fruit and a drink.”

Products like these are hitting the mark with consumers since they're easy to open, can be kept fresh for later and don't require a bowl, plate, spoon or fork, she said. In the case of the fruit purees, kids unscrew the cap and sip through a straw-like opening. Fruit2Day, meanwhile, promises a way to eat a peach without being hunched over the garbage can; a way to open a mango in two seconds; and a way to eat grapes or cherries without spitting.

While the market has been deluged with health and wellness offerings since 2004, convenience attributes have also become very mainstream, said Berlack. So much so that they're no longer a means for differentiation.

“Convenience is now something that's a requirement to be successful in the marketplace,” she said. “It's not the only reason for success, but it's a requirement.”