New Food Review: a Recipe for Male Success

Positioning food towards men is not that unusual, yet Productscan has recorded some novel approaches to gain male attention in a couple of recent product launches, namely a mint selection presented in a mirrored case, and a range of food seasonings designed to be used in conjunction with beer. Expect to see more innovative ways to attract the male consumer in the future.

Frente International has released a new line of mints in Japan that are presented in a sleek-looking aluminum container. The mints, designed for men, are said to have a sharp minty taste, while the case contains a mirror inside the lid to satisfy the needs of the vain consumer. While positioning mints towards men has been done in the past, the inclusion of a mirror is somewhat more unusual as it is more typically associated with women’s products.

Also targeted at men is Wildly Delicious Fine Foods Beer Seasonings, distributed in the US by Wildly Delicious Fine Foods. The seasoning is designed to be mixed with a can of beer, and then used on the barbeque to create seasoned chicken and steaks. The company said it came up with the idea as a way of creating a male line of products, to counterbalance the distinctly feminine slant of its current product line.

The same company has also released another novel seasoning in Canada, this one designed to be added to potato. Wildly Delicious Fine Foods Mashed Potato Seasoning is offered in apple and horseradish flavor and is designed to give mashed and roasted potatoes a gourmet taste. Both the flavor combination and the concept of mashed potato seasoning appear to be new to this market.

Meanwhile, Sturm Foods’ Morning Spark Oatmeal, which has been recently launched in the US, is designed to help energize the consumer in the morning, aided by the inclusion of caffeine in the cereal mix. A bowl of cereal is said to contain the equivalent of the caffeine content of a cup of coffee. Caffeine is an unusual addition to cereal, but could encourage the user to do without their usual early morning caffeine fix of coffee. Given caffeine’s popularity in beverages such as energy drinks, there may be potential for other foods to “go caffeinated” as in this case.

Attempting to enhance the popularity of fish is Cuisimer, with the launch of a new range of fish snacks in Canada called Les Petits Coraya Mini Snacks. These crab flavored fish sticks, made in France, come with a cocktail dip and are presented in two-count individual plastic wrappers. This could be a convenient way to add more fish to the diet at snack time, which tends to be a low-consumption occasion for fish.

Another unusually flavored product has been launched in Sweden by Unilever Sverige. The company’s new ice cream sandwich, GB Glace Lussebulle, is flavored with saffron and designed to mimic the taste of the country’s traditional Christmas roll. This certainly beats vanilla ice cream in terms of originality.