Baking & Snack - February 2008 - 132

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NEW PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT

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With an eye toward healthier eating and a desire to indulge, Blue Bird Bakeries
creates 100-Cal snacks with a decadent, yet not too naughty, appeal.

lue Bird Bakeries, a division of Flowers Foods,
Thomasville, GA, has produced snack cakes
since 1923. With the slogan "Big taste now comes
in a small package," the company prides itself on
encouraging consumers to treat themselves - just on
a smaller scale.
While indulgence remains a crucial element of consumer purchases, the 100-Cal pack's popularity shows no
signs of cooling in 2008. And Blue Bird Bakeries is capitalizing on calorie-conscious consumer demand with three
new bite-size indulgent treats. Continuing the company's
successful momentum of the Blue Bird 100-Cal products introduced in November, including its Pecan Spins
and Swiss Rolls, the company introduced 100-Cal mini
Chocolate and Golden cupcakes as well as mini Blueberry muffins in January. The 7.8-oz carton contains six
1.3-oz 100-Cal packs and retails for $2.89. The product is
available nationwide through warehouse distribution.
"People want to eat great-tasting snacks, but they don't
want to feel too guilty about it afterward," said Brent Bradshaw, brand manager, Flowers Foods. "Our strategy is to
provide consumers with a wide array of snack choices."

BAKING & SNACK / February 2008

Blue Bird has had great success with the 100-Cal
products because of the obvious portion and calorie
controls, but the smaller size also provides a convenient,
portable snack option that can easily be stored in a purse,
briefcase or lunchbox. For many food manufacturers,
before and after-school eating occasions, vending machines and school lunch offerings form the newest front
in product reformulations and the war on obesity. Mandated by legislation regarding calorie, sugar and sodium
reductions, familiar favorites are taking on a new life with
ingredient revamps and size reductions.
In response to school nutritional standards, Blue Bird
also designed its newest treats in a single-serve format
to meet the requirements of school districts, as well as
vending requirements of nutrition-conscious offices.
"Our 100-Cal snacks meet most of the new nutritional
requirements that are going into effect in schools across
the country," Mr. Bradshaw said.
During the January launch, Blue Bird took advantage of
the New Year's better-for-you resolutions with consumerdriven coupon promotions and chances to win gift certificates to their favorite supermarkets. "January is the prime
time to promote better-for-you products, and the mini
size and multiple of three cakes per pack are somewhat
of a novelty, while the cakes and muffins in themselves
are classic comfort foods." Mr. Bradshaw said.
As life seems to speed up, comfort foods garner an
increasing significance among consumers. In choosing its newest Blue Bird varieties, Flowers Foods
recognized the success of its classic SnackAway and
Mrs. Freshley's 100-Cal packs flavors along with
focused consumer research to launch the classic varieties most preferred by consumers. The products were
not introduced into a test market.
"It's all about offering consumers a choice," Mr.
Bradshaw said. "The demand is there, and we are
right on trend with some great-tasting snacks."
- Jennifer Barnett Fox

Baking & Snack - February 2008

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