PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Meet the new Green Giant. B&G Foods, Inc. has unveiled four new product lines the company developed since acquiring the frozen vegetable brand from General Mills last year. Touting “a fresh take on yesterday’s side dishes,” new Green Giant offerings include Veggie Tots, Riced Veggies, Mashed Cauliflower and Roasted Veggies.
“Since the acquisition of this iconic brand, we have been working tirelessly to meet consumer desire for new, delicious ways to incorporate more vegetables into their daily lives,” said Robert Cantwell, chief executive officer of B&G Foods. “This consumer desire has inspired the creation of new Green Giant frozen innovations, as well as the brand’s modernized persona, with the intention of bringing back the Green Giant with a purpose — adding more vegetables to America’s plates.”
Made with cauliflower or broccoli instead of potatoes, Veggie Tots are positioned as a healthy alternative to traditional tater tots and french fries. Varieties include cauliflower, broccoli, and broccoli and cheese.
The Riced Veggies products, available in cauliflower, cauliflower and broccoli, cauliflower and sweet potato, and cauliflower medley, are vegetable-based alternatives to traditional rice and contain 70% to 85% fewer calories per serving than the leading brand of prepared white rice, according to the company. The products contain all vegetables with no sauce or seasoning.
Mashed Cauliflower products, in original with olive oil and sea salt, cheddar and bacon, and garlic and herb varieties, contain a full serving of cauliflower per half-cup serving and 40% to 45% fewer calories than prepared mashed potatoes.
The Roasted Veggies lineup includes corn, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower and carrots. The products contain no sauce or seasoning and feature the flavor of oven-roasted vegetables.
Rolling out to stores nationwide in late September, the new Green Giant products were developed to meet demand for convenient, time-saving options in contemporary formats. To support the innovation, the brand is launching a $30 million “The Giant Awakens” media campaign, signaling a new era for the classic brand.
During an investor conference this past June, Mr. Cantwell said the company sought to develop products for Green Giant that didn’t exist in the marketplace. B&G Foods partnered with The Kerry Group P.L.C., Dublin, Ireland, to develop the four frozen vegetable platforms.
“Two of those platforms are very unique; nobody was selling anything like it in the frozen space,” Mr. Cantwell said.
Historically, B&G Foods has collaborated with its more than 50 co-manufacturers to develop new products, but the addition of Green Giant has enabled the company to build out a research and development team, Mr. Cantwell said.
“We have a very strong team in place today, but we also have no issue with using outside parties to help us, and Kerry, for example, who we’re using today … has some very interesting abilities from pilot plants, etc., to really bring stuff up in a very quick fashion,” Mr. Cantwell said. “So, we expect to use our partnership long term, but certainly now we have a team internally that can also help manage that through.”
