Not Just For Dessert Anymore

Dairy Field, Feb 2004 by Cook, Julie

Long considered a sweet treat, pudding struggles to claim status as a healthy snack, too.

Memories are largely based on sensory experiences. As we think back to days gone by, we tend to focus on certain sounds, smells or tastes. The aroma of Dad's cologne or Mom's favorite flowers, the ring of the school bell or the taste of roasted marshmallows fresh from the backyard grill - these are all key components of memories of an earlier, perhaps happier time.

Since dairy products tend to play a fairly significant role in most American children's diets, our memories often include recollections of cool, frothy glasses of milk; toasty grilled cheese sandwiches; ice cream cones piled high with rocky road; or rich, thick bowls of chocolate pudding, with or without the "skin."

"Pudding has a very nostalgic appeal," says Courtney Hodge, director of sales and marketing for Hinsdale, N.H.-based Echo Farm Inc. "Everybody that we talk to at sampling events says, 'My grandmother used to make me pudding.'"

All nostalgic products experience a kind of ebb-and-flow phenomenon. Take movies, for example. For decades, classic flicks sat in warehouses, literally disintegrating in their canisters, until film schools, directors and production companies led the rallying cry for their preservation. Today, many of those films rack up handsome sales on DVD and video. Likewise, fashions of the 1970s, which had long been deemed hideous, became the ultimate in hip, as millennial teens embraced bellbottoms, ringer T-shirts and other long-forgotten styles.

After several humdrum years, pudding, too, is finally enjoying the sweet taste of revival. Throughout U.S. food stores, sales of refrigerated pudding, mousse, gelatin and parfaits rose 4.1 percent in dollars and 3.8 percent in units during the 52-week period ending November 30, 2003, according to Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI). Shelf-stable puddings and gelatins fared even, better, rising 8.3 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively.

Increasing Introductions

In large part, processors credit a sorely needed injection of innovation for helping to revive the lagging pudding category. Over the past two years, new products have flooded store shelves and refrigerated cases, as manufacturers flexed their R&D muscles and came out swinging. Taking a cue from the yogurt industry, ConAgra Foods rolled out the undeniably Go-Gurt-inspired Hunt's Snack Pack Squeez 'n Go Portable Pudding, marketing the product to active teens and tweens. The Omaha, Neb.-based company also teamed up with Hershey, Pa.-based Hershey Foods Corp. to produce Hershey(TM)s Portable Pudding tube packs, similarly sold in a flexible-stick style package.

Likewise, Northfield, Ill.-based Kraft Foods continued its pudding push, rolling out X-Treme Jell-O® Pudding Snacks in variety packs of cotton candy- and bubble gum-flavored product. Kraft also added two seasonal flavors - Orange Creme and Strawberry Creme - to its Jell-O Instant Pudding & Pie Filling line and introduced Jell-O Creme Savers® Pudding Snacks. Borrowing flavors from the popular Creme Savers hard candies, the puddings are sold in three varieties - Strawberries & Creme, Orange & Creme, and Chocolate Caramel & Creme. Seeking to make an indulgent product even more indulgent, Kraft introduced Handi-Snacks Doubles. The two-layer pudding cups are available in chocolate and vanilla, as well as rocky road.

Kozy Shack Enterprises Inc. most recent offerings include its Signature Pace with three fruit variations (strawberry, peaches and apples), plus Cinnamon Raisin Rice and Dulce de Leche. The Hicksville, N.Y.-based manufacturer also redesigned its packaging and revised the names of its flavors, making it easier for consumers to find their favorite Kozy Shack puddings in the grocer's refrigerated case.

Meanwhile, Farmingdale, N.Y.-based Carousel Foods of America Inc. introduced Missy's All Natural Premium Puddings in rice, tapioca, chocolate, vanilla, banana and flan varieties. Low in sodium, fat and cholesterol, they are sold in several different package configurations: two 4.5-ounce twins; 16-ounce, 22-ounce and 32-ounce family servings; as well as a 64-ounce (two 32-ounce containers) club pack.

Despite all this activity, some members of the pudding community are not impressed. Jose Gutierrez, president of J.R. Foods Co. Inc., a Toronto-based manufacturer of private label European puddings, cautions that the performance of the pudding category is nothing to write home about. "The category has not done anything spectacular," he says. "A pudding is a pudding. How much better can you make a pudding?"

Considering the growth in private label pudding sales, one might expect Gutierrez would be a bit more enthusiastic about the category. In both refrigerated and shelf-stable varieties, private label holds the No. 4 position. Sales of private label refrigerated puddings, mousses, gelatins and parfaits rose 11.1 percent in dollars and 14.7 percent in units, according to IRI, while sales of shelf-stable puddings and gelatins surged 29.4 percent and 25.8 percent, respectively.