LONDON — Mars Food & Nutrition, a Mars Inc. business segment with some of the world's leading food brands, has announced its expansion in the ready meals space, starting with the launch of Ben's Original Street Food in the U.S. and Canada and Ben's Original Lunch Bowls and Favorites in the U.K.
Investment in the new ranges is an exciting next chapter for Mars Food & Nutrition as it seeks to respond to changing consumer needs, helping more people easily access healthy and tasty food.
Mars Inc.
The newly launched ready meals tick all these boxes.
To create the new products and make them delicious, the Mars Food & Nutrition team engaged consumers in the development, tapped into chefs' creativity and leveraged AI powered insights. The next step in the process was to ensure the meals were nutritious and could be eaten regularly as a healthier choice. Finally, they addressed consumer pain points relating to time spent cooking and the desire to have meals ready almost immediately.
Ben's Original Street Food is a range of entrées being launched across the U.S. and Canada in four delicious, bold flavors, such as the bean and rice burrito bowl. The new product offers entrée options packed with fiber and protein, making them the perfect satisfying dish for busy schedules. In the U.K., Ben's Original Favorites and Lunch Bowls, are launching in Tesco, with wider rollout later in the year. Containing no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, Ben's Original™ Lunch Bowls include a range of tasty grain and vegetable bowls with different grains and products that are a source of fiber and high in protein. The Favorites range includes ready to eat, rice-based dishes with delicious vegetables and popular flavors from around the world. The new products meet Mars Food & Nutrition's nutrition criteria based on strict and widely agreed recommendations from the World Health Organization and other leading public health authorities, and contribute to our five-year Health & Wellbeing commitments.
In addition to innovating and extending its core range, Mars Food & Nutrition has continued to meet changing consumer needs through M&A, acquiring fast-growing, trailblazing businesses such as Kevin's Natural Foods. Kevin's Natural Foods is a nutritious meal company helping empower even the busiest people to eat clean without sacrificing flavor. Kevin's Natural Foods saw record sales in 2023, growing by 50%, and recently launched a new line of frozen products. Roxanne Bernstein, a seasoned professional with 20 years of experience in the food and beverage industry and a successful track record in growing brands, was recently named chief executive officer to support the brand's continued growth.
