Leftovers is our look at a few of the product ideas popping up everywhere. Some are intriguing, some sound amazing and some are the kinds of ideas we would never dream of. We can’t write about everything that we get pitched, so here are some leftovers pulled from our inboxes.
IHOP syrup pours into stores
Kraft Heinz is bringing a sweet restaurant staple to retail.
The packaged food maker is introducing pancake-inspired IHOP syrups in traditional and Butter Pecan. The offerings are available at select retailers nationwide starting at $3.98.
Kraft Heinz said the syrup aisle is ripe for disruption as category players have remained “consistent” for more than 60 years. This has resulted in limited innovation and a lack of modern flavor profiles. The company behind its own condiments, including dressings, mayo and sauces, said it can tap into its expertise in this segment to disrupt breakfast.
“Pancakes and syrup are what we do best, and expanding our partnership with Kraft Heinz to develop IHOP syrups for retail was simply a no brainer,” Candice Jacobson, executive director of brand communications at IHOP, said in a statement. “Our purpose at IHOP is to serve more joy to more guests every day, and offering syrup at retail allows even more guests to experience that joy at home in addition to in our restaurants.”
The IHOP syrups are the first breakfast innovation within Kraft Heinz’s Taste Elevation platform that focuses on flavor enhancement. Taste Elevation represents 41% of the company’s global portfolio.
Kraft Heinz is no stranger to IHOP, or restaurant brands. It entered a multi-year agreement with the restaurant chain in 2023 to sell its branded coffee in both bags and K-Cups. It also makes products sold in stores under the Taco Bell, Benihana and TGI Fridays banners.
The prevalence of restaurant brands in the grocery store has surged in recent years.
Restaurants receive an opportunity to enter a new channel, while food and beverage manufacturers get a chance to tap into the equity of a well-known brand to help a new product stand out. As consumers cook more at home, and seek to replicate a dining out experience when they do, restaurant brands should continue to be a popular menu item for large CPG companies.
— Christopher Doering
Permission granted by Kraft Heinz Company
Kraft Heinz picks pickle as latest mayo flavor
The pickle craze is still abundant among consumers, and Kraft is catching on with the debut of its Pickle Mayonnaise Dressing.
This year, “pickle flavor” is experiencing its highest search interest in years, with a majority of millennials sharing that they like or love the taste of pickles via more than 180 million posts on the social media platform TikTok.
Standing under Kraft Sauces’ “It’s not Art, it’s KRAFT” platform, the new product follows the brand’s mentality to help fans “enjoy, explore, and experiment with food and meals freely by delivering a toolkit of flavorful and versatile enhancers,” it said.
The Kraft Heinz Company boasts a plethora of innovative products, from the the Ore-Ida and GoodPop brands launch of the Fudge n’ Vanilla French Fry Pop and a pickle cupcake in collaboration with social media chef and business owner Baked by Melissa.
Food influencers, such as Marki Devo who shares different product launches, have already taken to Instagram to share the sauce.
Between the rising popularity of polarizing pickles and flavored mayos having driven 20% in the mayonnaise and dressing category over the last three years, according to the company, Kraft is hoping its new sauce will fit right into consumers’ latest cravings. The new sauce is available exclusively at Walmart stores nationwide.
The product launch also comes at a time when the company is making notable changes to its C-suite.
Todd Kaplan will take over as chief marketing officer on Aug. 5, and the company said Kaplan will spearhead marketing for a $22 billion packaged foods portfolio that includes the namesake Kraft and Heinz brands, along with products like Oscar Mayer, Velveeta, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, Ore-Ida and Jell-O.
— Elizabeth Flood
Optional Caption
Courtesy of Knorr
Knorr spices up home cooking liquid chili seasoning
Shelf-stable sauces and seasonings maker Knorr is taking advantage of the growth in Asian cuisine in the U.S. with a spicier variety of one of its signature products.
Knorr Liquid Seasoning Chili is designed for a range of meal applications, including marinating it in meats to using it as a dip for vegetables. A hotter variety of the brand’s classic Liquid Seasoning product, taste profile is spicy, sweet and savory, it said.
The sauce is already sold in the Philippines where it is a household name item, Unilever said. The product is available stateside, exclusively at small Asian markets.
The launch is part of Unilever’s “Authentic Meals Start Here” product launch campaign, which was introduced in order to bring some of its most popular items from around the world into the U.S. market.
“Knorr Liquid Seasoning Chili captures the essence of traditional Asian cooking, providing a convenient way for consumers to enjoy meals reminiscent of family recipes,” Guha said.
The launch comes as the Unilever-owned brand has continued to grow its presence in the home cooking ingredients space.
In April, Knorr debuted a line of microwaveable meals designed for working professionals who work in office spaces. Its Rice Cups arrived in four varieties: Three Cheese Mushroom Risotto, Chicken Flavored Fried Rice, Garden Tomato Risotto and Fajita Rice. Knorr’s Pasta offerings featured three varieties, Teriyaki Noodles, Spicy Korean-Style BBQ and Pad Thai.
Asian-inspired flavors are growing in popularity in American cooking, as consumers familiarize themselves with a range of unique flavors with wide appeal in Asia. Early this year, flavoring giant T. Hasegawa named ube — a bright purple root with a nutty, sweet and slightly earthy taste — as its flavor of the year.
— Chris Casey
