Veggie meets convenience

Prepared Foods, Jan, 2002

Ragu Express is positioning itself to meet two of the largest trends impacting the food industry - snacking and teens. A couple of recent studies point to the logic of this move. The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill studied snack consumption among children 2-18 and found that the average daily energy intake from snacks among children and teenagers has risen from about 18% to roughly 25% in the past 20 years. Furthermore, these consumers are eating vegetarian, as evidenced by the "2000 Vegetarian Resource Group Roper Teen Poll" of children aged 8 to 17, which found approximately 2% of 8- to 1 2-year-olds say they do not eat meat, fish or poultry.

Many of these consumers, however, are making unhealthy choices, opting for snacks high in fat and sugar. Ragu Express, Unilever's line of ready to heat and eat pasta and sauce combinations, is positioned as an alternative to unhealthy snacks.

"Teens make their own choices, whether that be in the clothes they wear, the music they listen to or the shows they watch. That also applies to the foods they eat," says Robyn Rothke, innovation brand manager with Unilever Bestfoods. "Each serving (of Ragu Express) offers busy teens the convenience, quality and energy-rich carbohydrates they need to power through their hectic schedules."