The market for high-fiber, low-carbohydrate cereal bars is becoming increasingly crowded, with New Jersey-based Food and Culinary Technology Group the latest to launch introduce a range of products.
The company, a subsidiary of FACT Corporation, a Canadian developer and marketer of functional food products, is targeting both the wholesale and retail sectors with its product, which as yet has no name.
The new snack line will be offered in a premix form for bakers and manufacturers, and also as finished, ready-to-eat. A variety of flavors will be available, including chocolate chip, mixed berry and brownie. Each 40-gram bar will contain from 100 to 120 calories, total net carbohydrates of 2 to 4 grams and a fiber content of 7 to 9 grams, the company claimed.
"We are delighted that our new snack products will be ready for early 2004 retail marketing campaigns," said Jacqueline Danforth, CEO of FACT Corporation. "The nutritional profile designed for these items spans a variety of target categories for FACT, including reduced-carbohydrate, weight-loss and low-glycemic lifestyles, a benefit that we believe may greatly enhance our new line's market appeal."
Over the last two years or so, FACT has worked to develop a range of functional doughs and batters for baked product manufacturers. In November 2002, California's Western Bagel Baking Corporation became the first company to launch products containing the FACT premix - Alternative Bagels - while the following month Destinos Fresh Pasta launched a new line of functional fresh pastas using FACT's formulations at its Tutta Pasta restaurants.
This was followed, in April 2003, by Tribeca Oven's launch of a range of functional breads using the Healthy Lifestyle premix formula from FACT. The carbohydrate-reduced white and rye breads are available at the Gourmet Garage retail supermarket chain in New York City under the Tribeca Oven label.
FACT said it had also reached an agreement with an unnamed major bakery industry distributor for the addition of its functional premixes to the current bakery product line and that it was in discussion with other major distributors for the same purpose.