Cheesy chips and sweet potato fries will be available in 500 main Tesco stores this month, with 250 Tesco Express stores offering sweet potato fries only.
The 300g sweet potato fries come in a clear plastic tray, ready to be tipped out onto a baking tray. The 440g cheesy chips are in a foil tray that goes straight into the oven to bake.
‘Influenced by social media’
Penny Francis, head of category at Branston, said: “The convenience sector is growing as a whole and we’re seeing consumers’ demands being heavily influenced by social media and restaurant trends, such as the growing popularity of premium burger restaurants and ‘loaded fries’ at American-style diners.
“It’s no secret that cooking from scratch is high on the agenda for shoppers today, but customer behaviour is showing that there’s a need to balance this with a need for relaxed indulgence too. These products allow customers to emulate the taste of eating out with the convenience of ready prepared food that you just pop in the oven.”
Millennials, in particular, have been driving the convenience trends, claimed Francis, as they are more “vocal about what and how they eat through social media.
‘Loading’ and pimping’
“They are often more adventurous with their shopping and the new cheesy chips product meets demand for the emerging trend of ‘loading’ or ‘pimping’ an otherwise basic side dish, elevating it to a treat, main meal solution,” she added.
“Sweet potato products have been growing in popularity for a while and our fresh fries offer restaurant style and quality.”
Meanwhile, the past month has seen a number of new product launches from food and drink manufacturers, including snack manufacturer Tyrrells and protein bar brand Battle Bites.