Healthy snack launches

Vietnam now features two healthy snack products, reflecting the huge growth in the sector there. Euromonitor statistics show that in 2003 the market for processed foods in Vietnam grew by 11 per cent, with the snack segment contributing significantly to the overall growth. Another boon for the industry came this week when the Vietnamese government announced that it is to launch a campaign to encourage the Vietnamese population to follow a more nutritious and healthy diet in order to increase the average height of the population. Undoubtedly this move will boost the market for healthy snacks.

Taking this particular factor into account, Deltafoods' fruit 'Chips' product launch is likely to make a big impact on the market. Retailing at €1.32, it is packed in a shelf stable flexible wrapper and contains 500 grams of assorted dried fruit made with vegetable oils. The company claims that using a special chemical substance enables the mineral and vitamin content to be preserved without having to use artificial colours or flavourings. The selection is also said to benefit from a crunchy texture and enhanced sweetness.

The other Vietnamese snack launch aims for quite a different market - the children's savoury snack segment - and is the exception to the nutritious rule that the rest of the featured snacks share. Trang Confectionery's Bon Bon Trangan is a savoury snack range which is being extended with the addition of a new flavour. This time it's Oyster, a favourite for many an Asian palate. Launched this month on the Vietnamese market, the snack comes in a 21 gramme flexible wrapping that retails for €0.05. It is made from wheatflour, corn starch and a number of flavourings and additives, including monosodium glutamate.

Moving on to the Philippines, Kraft Foods is launching Eden Pasteurised Filled Cheese. Aa brand new product for this market, it comes in a 200 gram paper/board wrapping and has a recommended retail price of €0.39. The product is a pasteurised cheese spread made with buttermilk and fortified with vitamin A palmitate, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and iodine.

Finally, in Singapore, Hood is launching its Carb Countdown Daily Beverage. Singapore has been hit by the low-carb food craze in a big way, and Hood's milk drink is joining a rash of other newly launched and repackaged products on the market. The milk has a reduced fat content of 2 per cent, is ultra-pasteurised and is said to have a reduced carbohydrate content of 75 per cent, whilst containing 50 per cent more protein. The company also says that it is fortified with vitamins A and D, and is an approved product for the contentious Atkins diet. The product is imported from the US by Cold Storage Limited.