Pilgrim’s Food Masters has launched OXO frozen ready meals into Asda, giving shoppers an opportunity to trade up within the frozen ready meal (FRM) category.
The range, which focuses on batch cooking styles, includes six inspiring meals offering a flavourful twist on the norm – Chicken In Red Wine with Boulangère Potatoes, Beef & Pancetta Ragu, Beef Bourguignon with Dauphinoise Potato, Creamy White Wine Chicken with Garlic Mash Potato, Dijon Chicken with Rice and Minced Lamb Lancashire Hotpot.
It is one of the first FRM launches from Pilgrim’s Food Masters since it was rebranded from Kerry Group’s UK and Irish consumer meats and meals business, following its acquisition by Pilgrim’s Pride which completed this June.
Andrea Flemming, Senior Category Manager at Pilgrim’s Food Masters, said: “OXO has been transforming mealtimes for over 100 years and the new range of frozen ready meals is perfect for consumers who are competent cooks but who lack time and are looking to trade up in the category.”
The OXO launch comes at the same time as a major brand refresh for Pilgrim’s Food Masters’ Bisto and Sharwood’s FRMs, with both ranges benefitting from NPDs, recipe reformulation to improve flavour and nutritional value, and a modern packaging revamp.
Bisto has made the move into meat-free for the first time with the launch of four new NPDs, including meat-free Cottage Pie, Spaghetti Bolognese, Lasagne and Chicken Hotpot, available in Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Heron Foods. Elsewhere, all 24 of the existing Bisto SKUs feature new and improved recipes, and across the range there is 10% less salt.
Meanwhile the biggest Indian and Chinese FRM brand, Sharwood’s, has added five new meals to its line up to reflect the changing tastes of consumers. NPDs include Chicken Katsu and Kung Po Chicken, as well as Low Fat variants of its existing Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Korma meals, and a Low Sugar Sweet & Sour Chicken. Throughout its 11 existing SKUs, saturated fat has been reduced by 22% and calories by 11%.
Andrea Flemming added: “Frozen ready meals provide a real lifeline to shoppers who are looking for delicious, convenient meals – either those without the time to cook every day, or those who are no longer able to – and they are a great way of locking in flavour & nutrients, without needing to use preservatives. The category continues to attract new consumers who are drawn to the benefits of frozen meals; namely value for money, great taste and a reduction in wastage.
“The Bisto and Sharwood’s ranges have a very loyal consumer base and the changes this year across both brands reflect their changing tastes, needs and shopping habits. For example, our core Bisto shoppers are very engaged with the meat free movement and see it as the number one driver to better health, so this trusted brand can help to enable behaviour change among consumers who want to reduce meat intake more frequently by giving them a helping hand in doing so.”