Natra launches healthy chocolate bar for private label needs

The product, that proffers a biscuit base, with a strip of cream on top mixed with either muesli, red fruits or cereals, will target retailers and food makers looking to scoop up private label sales in the growing domain of health-orientated confectionery and biscuit products.

Against the backdrop of galloping food inflation that, according to figures from the OECD released last week saw food prices, overall, rise 6.5 per cent in the 12 months to June, the private label appeal is set to stride ahead. Traditionally, in a challenging economic context, consumers may defect from branded products towards cheaper private-label rivals.

And this latest contribution from Valencia-based Natra, launched onto the market in September 2008, will seek to harness such changes in consumer buying patterns.

Defined as a 'new light snack', with key natural ingredients - low-fat milk, cereals and low-fat chocolate - flavours available for the 'Vital Crusty' product are: muesli; yoghurt and red fruits; and a cereals mix.

A Natra spokesperson told ConfectioneryNews.com that target markets for the product are "mainly Germany, Switzerland and Austria, where the consumption of snack bars is consolidated."​

"Our new product does imply a novelty within the private label sector,"​ they added.

On the question of price, Natra said the there is no fixed price on its products, "as every distributor will adapt it according to their price policy."​

Further launches announced this week sees UK confectioner Cadbury bringing its 1980s bubble-filled chocolate bar Wispa back onto the confectionery shelves.

In response to a successful internet campaign by Wispa fans on a social networking site, Birmingham-based Cadbury announced the Wispa bar, to cost 45p, will be back on full sale on October 6. The original sale price was 16p.

On the market for 20 years, production of Wispa bars ceased in 2003 due to poor sales. But pleas by thousands of fans on social networking sites, such as Facebook, inspired Cadbury to bring a trial batch of the bars to market last year.

The firm said that 20 million Wispa bars were sold in a matter of weeks, shooting the product to the top of the chocolate charts.

Following such demand, the company opted to bring the product back, with the same recipe, on a permanent basis to the shelves.

Cadbury spokesperson Tony Bilsborough said: "Wispa is a true icon loved by its fans everywhere. We brought it back temporarily to see if the desire was genuine, but fans are still rallying so we took the decision to bring it back for good."

Nostalgia-driven consumer demand may continue to hold some sway over the confectionery behemoths. In a recent online survey in the UK, the YouGov poll of 2,200 consumers for the Superbrands group revealed consumers placed the rebranding of the Mars' Snickers bar back to the original Marathon brand in second place, in addition, they are keen to see Starburst sweets returned to the previous brand of Opal Fruits.