In Hungary Spak Konservgyártó is launching a new flavoured cottage cheese spread named Körözöttvariációk Tavaszi. Retailing at €1.19 for a 200 gram plastic tub, the spread is flavoured with garlic and onion. The food company is hoping that the flavouring will help to differentiate it from other cottage cheese products, in this highly competitive sector of the market.
And to go with the cottage cheese Hungarian consumers might want to try Barilla savoury crackers, which have also been launched onto the market this month as part of a product range extension. Packaged in flexible foil and retailing at €1.88 for 250 grams, the product is being marketed on its 'Mediterranean' flavouring, which includes chopped green olives baked into the product.
The sophistication of both the flavoured cottage cheese and the olive crackers is a sure sign that the Hungarian snack market is showing signs of maturation, as food companies race to meet the increasingly adventurous pallets of consumers there.
In Russia the Resurs food company has extended its Uvelka range of rice products by launching fast-cook Pekin Round Grain Rice in five individual sachets. The range extension comes in 100 gram carton board packaging, which retails at €0.85. Portion servings are becoming an increasingly way of packaging rice and have been growing in popularity in the western European markets for some years, a phenomenon that is now being mirrored in Eastern European markets.
In Poland, which is particularly well known for its high level of meat consumption, Stól Polski is launching its Pasztet Domowy Pie - an individually meat pie serving. Priced at €0.66 for a 270 gram serving wrapped in opaque plastic and foil, the pie contains a mixture of pork and liver meat, which together with spices is said to give a traditional and home-made taste.
Finally Belgium's Best is launching its PaperMints on to the Czech market. This kind of product first emerged on the world market some eight years ago and has gradually gained a steady niche market. Launched this month the mints consist of 24 sheets of primarily gelatine based sugar-free paper mints, which are said to rapidly melt on the tongue and aim to freshen the breath. The mints retail at $0.78 for a 1.25 gram novelty plastic dispenser pack.