McCain Foods Australia/New Zealand has extended its range of Healthy Choice Wholegrains frozen meals with two more single-serve offerings: Chicken & Mushroom Risotto (350 grams of cooked brown rice, freekeh wheat, mushrooms, asparagus, kale, chicken, parmesan cheese and other ingredients) and Japanese Teriyaki Chicken (340 grams of cooked brown rice and wild rice, chicken, teriyaki sauce, garlic, ginger and chili).
They followed five meals launched in April featuring international flavors, ancient grains such as quinoa, brown rice, chia seeds, pulses and wholemeal pasta. Varieties in the initial rollout, retailing at $6.49, included:
- Thai Beef and Basil Stir Fry with Brown Rice & Quinoa
- Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Chickpeas & Brown Rice Pilaf
- Mexican Slow Cooked Beef with Brown Rice & Quinoa
- Italian Beef and Chia Meatballs with Wholemeal Spaghetti
- Malaysian Beef Curry with Brown and Wild Rice
Mike O’Brien, McCain Foods’ marketing director for Australia/New Zealand, said: “A lot of frozen healthy meals are heavily grounded in ‘what’s out,’ claiming either lower fat or fewer calories. Australians and New Zealanders are now more focused on ‘what’s in,’ and are increasingly looking for good carbs and good grains.”
According to the 2014 Australian Grains and Legumes Consumption and Attitudinal Study, three out of four Aussies are not eating enough whole grain foods. McCain Healthy Choice Wholegrains selection, now available in all major Australian and New Zealand supermarkets, provides a convenient way to boost consumption of such products.
“Taste is really what brings customers back, so while nutritional benefits and convenience are a must, offering great tasting meals is the key to success at McCain,” said O’Brien.
McCain Australia/New Zealand, a subsidiary of Toronto, Canada-headquartered McCain Foods Limited, specializes in producing frozen potato products, vegetables, dinners, pizza, desserts and fruit for both the retail and foodservice sectors. It operates production facilities at five sites in Australia (Lisarow, New South Wales; Ballarat, Victoria; and Smithton, Tasmania). New Zealand factories are in Hastings and Timaru. Globally, the privately owned parent company has 46 production plants on six continents and employs approximately 18,000 people. Sales last year topped C$7 billion.
