Leftovers: General Mills drops Progresso into candy | Ragu fires up Hot Ones pasta sauce

Food Dive staff

Fri, Jan 17, 2025, 1:00 AM 4 min read

Progresso Soup Drops contain the flavor of the brand’s Chicken Noodle Soup in the same shape as a lemon drop candy. The brand referred to the product as “soup you can suck on.” According to the press release, the candy contains the tastes of broth, savory vegetables, chicken, egg noodles and parsley.

“When you’re sick, nothing is truly more reassuring than Chicken Noodle Soup. So, we thought, why stop at the soup bowl? We took the beloved flavors of our Progresso Chicken Noodle Soup and packed them into a fun, savory candy Soup Drop for a totally new way to enjoy the taste you love whenever and wherever you want,” said MC Comings, vice president of Progresso at General Mills, said in a statement.

Progresso Soup Drops are available for a limited time each Thursday this month on the brand’s website while supplies last. A bag of the candy also comes with a can of Progresso’s Chicken Noodle Soup.

The power of social media has allowed CPGs to experiment with wacky limited-time offerings to drive heightened awareness of food items with household names. Some of the more bizarre flavor pairings play with expectations, often blending sweet and savory flavors that are not otherwise associated with one another in the same package. In 2022, Kraft Heinz teamed up with Van Leeuwen on a Mac & Cheese ice cream flavor, and the food company partnered with a winery on a wine blend with the flavor of Grey Poupon mustard.

— Chris Casey

Ragu turns up the heat

Italian sauce brand Ragu is taping into the sizzling interest in spicy foods.

The 88-year-old offering is partnering with YouTube series Hot One to bring a new level of heat to the pasta-sauce aisle. The new Ragu Hot Ones Heat Pack is touted as a complement to meals and snacks.

The limited-edition pack features three, 14-ounce jars of sauce in progressively hotter flavors: Fiery Garlic (Hot), Chipotle Blaze (Hotter) and Chile Inferno (Hottest).

“We’re always looking for opportunities to push the boundaries of flavor while also delivering delicious, quality sauces,” said Megan Frank, senior vice president of marketing with Mizkan America, the maker of Ragu. “With this launch, we are so excited to partner with a leader in ‘spice,’ expert in ‘heat’ and one of the most on-trend entertainment properties around to introduce the hottest pasta sauce available nationwide.”

Spicy food shows no sign of slowing down.

More than half of Gen Z consumers identify themselves as hot sauce connoisseurs, according to a 2024 survey published by NC Solutions. It also found that 62% of all consumers surveyed indicated they are more likely to buy a food or beverage item if it is advertised as spicy.

It’s a big reason why food and even beverage products are leaning into spice.

Kraft Heinz launched Spicy Ketchup in 2023. A year earlier, seasoning and sauce maker Tajín collaborated with Kellanova on a pairing with Pop-Tarts, encouraging consumers to use its spicy chamoy sauce on the toasted pastry. And last year, PepsiCo established Flamin’ Hot as its own brand within the beverage and snacking giant’s portfolio to make it easier for consumers to identify the products.

— Christopher Doering

Cheez-It picks pizza flavors for latest snack

Fans of margherita and pesto pizza can decide for themselves whether the new Cheez-It flavors properly capture the foods’ essence.

Kellanova announced the launch of two new varieties of the cracker inspired by pizza flavors. Cheez-It Snap’d Extra Crunchy Margherita Pizza contains pizza flavoring with tomato, basil, olive oil and mozzarella tastes, according to the press release. Cheez-It Duoz Pesto + Mozzarella introduces a blend of flavors, such as green herbs, savory Italian cheeses and garlic, the company said.

The new Cheez-It products will be available nationwide by March, according to Kellanova.

The billion-dollar Cheez-It brand is a major focus of Kellanova’s since its spinoff as a snacking-only company in 2023. The company’s CEO Steve Cahillane told investors that year growing the brand is a key part of the packaged food giant’s strategy to increase its market share in the snacking category.

Kellanova has innovated the brand from its traditional square cracker format in recent years, namely with Cheez-It Puff’d and Snap’d. Last year, the company debuted two collaborative products with Clorox’s Hidden Valley Ranch: crackers and dressing, capitalizing on the viral popularity of ranch flavor on social media. Last fall, the company leaned into the TikTok trend of consumers sharing foods with smoky tastes, launching Smoked Cheddar and Smoked Gouda Cheez-It flavors.

Kellanova has found success taking inspiration from pizza in the past, with Pizza becoming one of the most popular Pringles flavors since the chip brand introduced it in 1999.

— Chris Casey

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