Sainsbury has followed Tesco's lead and relaunched its own-label children's range. The retailer has done away with its Blue Parrot Café brand and replaced it with Sainsbury's Kids. "This time the focus is on health instead of fun," said a spokeswoman.
The nutritionally balanced range of over 100 products will have all nutritional information on the back of the pack, including Guideline Daily Amounts for children based on recommendations from retail think tank IGD. The products will also carry Sainsbury's 'green apple' stamp, which symbolises health.
"Parents should be reassured because the entire range has been developed with good nutrition in mind," says Sainsbury nutritionist Beth Flower. "The amount of fats and salts are strictly controlled whilst making sure that the products meet the nutrient and energy needs of children. We've also removed all hydrogenated fats from Sainsbury's Kids products."
Fruit and oat breakfast bars and mini cereal bites in a bag offer a variation on traditional breakfast cereals, while a prebiotic cereal promotes children's gut health.
Lunchtimes are also catered for with mini bagels and wholemeal and white rolls enriched with extra fibre. Kids are expected to find the unusual size of the products appealing, while small portions are more manageable in a child's mouth.
Sainsbury is the first retailer to remove cartoons from its own-label children's range in line with Food Standards Agency guidelines.