Says Marisa Maccaferri, marketing executive for Woodlands Dairy and First Choice: “Healthy snack options are becoming a worldwide trend. Millennials tend to opt for snacks rather than meals due to their busy lifestyles, Gen X wants to cut down on sugar, and Boomers are changing their diets to become healthier due to their age.

“Traditionally, yoghurt is a chilled snack typically eaten at breakfast, but the emergence of ambient dairy snacks have changed it into a convenient, any time snack.”

Shelf-stable or ambient dairy snacks offer similar nutritional benefits to traditional, fermented and chilled yoghurt, but can be consumed on the move as they don’t need refrigeration.

As the product is heat treated, the culture is eliminated and not present in the final product. The heat treatment extends the shelf life, which means the unopened product can be stored for up to six months.

Marilee Jansen van Nieuwenhuizen, brand manager at Woodlands Dairy and First Choice explains that although it is referred to as a dairy snack and not yoghurt, it is still made with dairy milk with all its nutritional benefits.

“Power Cup is healthy, filling and available in a variety of tantalising flavours. It can be enjoyed at room temperature, chilled or frozen. Another advantage is that no refrigeration is required until opened.”

Expanding on its obvious supply chain benefits, she says: “Ambient dairy snacks solve these challenges as they can be bulk purchased and stored, thereby preventing economic losses – it’s ideal for exports to countries where refrigeration is not always viable.

“We believe shelf-stable ambient dairy snacks are the future of the category, bringing the joys of smooth, flavoured dairy nutrition to consumers all over the world.

“They have become a remarkable success story and we’re excited to be part of their growing popularity. First Choice Power Cup is set to fill a huge gap in the market and will provide a healthy alternative dairy snack to all age groups everywhere.”

Power Cup is available in five flavours including Strawberry, Strawberry and Banana, Granadilla, Cream Soda and Coconut. Priced competitively and locally manufactured, it will be available in 150g cups at selected retailers and at www.shopfirstchoice.co.za.

Courtesy of FoodStuff SA – full article here