On the Shelf!

100-calorie bagels
Thin Bagels from Dempster’s is the first line of 100-calorie bagels available in Canada. At less than half the calories of regular bagels, the new bagels are low in saturated fat, and contain no trans fat or cholesterol, making them ideal as a breakfast or snack item. Thin Bagels are currently only available in White with WholeGrains, but by March 18 new varieties  Cinnamon Raisin and Multigrain with 100% Whole Grains, will be introduced. Each six-pack of bagels sells for a suggested retail price of $3.79, and are currently available at major retailers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

Unique aperitif
Aperol is a bright orange liqueur with a unique bittersweet and complex citrus flavour, and an alcohol content of 11 per cent. Made in Italy since 1919 and currently part of the Gruppo Campari portfolio, the beverage is now available in Canada for the first time. Aperol can be enjoyed as an aperitif or mixed in a cocktail.

Gluten-free
Kettle Cuisine’s new line of premium, gluten-free, single-serve frozen soups are now available in Canada. The hand-prepared soups come in five varieties – Angus Beef Steak Chili with Beans, Chicken Soup with Rice Noodles, New England Clam Chowder, Three Bean Chili, and Tomato Soup with Garden Vegetables – all of which are certified by the Gluten-Free Certification Organization. Soups are packaged in 10-oz. recyclable bowls, and retail for an average price of $4.99.

Low-calorie muffins
New 100-calorie Apple Crumb VitaTops from Vitalicious are delicious, low-calorie snack alternatives. Crunchy on the outside and moist on the inside, each two-ounce serving contains eight grams of fibre, three grams of protein, eight grams of whole grains, one gram of unsaturated fat and just 105 mg of sodium. Four-packs of VitaTops are available at major retailers across Canada, selling for $4.49 to $5.99.

Nutritious choice
Life Choices features a range of nutritious and convenient frozen foods that are ideal for busy families. Products include all-beef, nitrite-free hot dogs; meatballs with “hidden” organic vegetables; thin-crust organic pizza; organic mini pizzas; pierogies featuring omega-3, fibre, iron and vitamin A; organic macaroni &cheese; organic cookies; and a range of healthy breaded products. Many of its products are nut- and soy-free.

Chocolate treats
Just Born, makers of yellow marshmallow Peeps Chicks, have added chocolate to their lineup with the introduction of New Peeps Peepsters and Peeps Chocolate Dipped Chicks. The bite-size New Peeps Peepsters feature rich milk or dark chocolate with a marshmallow-flavoured cream centre, and are available individually wrapped in 11-oz. bags. Peeps Chocolate Dipped Chicks are the traditional marshmallow Peeps Chick dipped in milk or dark chocolate, and are available in three packs.

Healthy cereals
Kellogg Canada has launched several new healthy cereals and cereal bars to their lineup. Kellogg’s Fibre Plus cereal offers 40 per cent of the recommended daily fibre requirements per serving, and is available in mixed berries and brown sugar flavours. Special K Oats & Honey cereal contains toasted multigrain flakes and oats flavoured with honey. The new bars include Special K Chocolatey Delight cereal bars, with just 90 calories per serving, and Kashi Soft-Baked bars, featuring real fruit and wildflower honey.

Breakfast options
McCain Foods (Canada) introduces a convenient and easy new breakfast or sidedish solution, McCain Breakfast Potatoes Diced Vegetable Hashbrowns. Similar to McCains’ classic hashbrowns, the new product also includes diced red peppers, green peppers and onions. Made with 100-per-cent real potatoes, the hashbrowns are low in sodium, and contain no artificial colours or flavours.

Meal replacement
Nourishment, a U.K. beverage offering a daily dose of nutritional supplement, is now available in Canada through GraceKennedy (Ontario). The healthy drink is lactose free, is enriched with 24 vitamins and minerals, and is designed to restore energy levels quickly and in a healthy manner. Nourishment is available in chocolate, strawberry and vanilla flavours.

Antioxidant powerhouse
Happy Planet now offers two new antioxidant-packed beverages. Organic Acai Berry Bliss is a 100-per-cent juice and purée blend featuring acai berry. The drink contains only certified organic and kosher ingredients, with no added sugar, preservatives, artificial ingredients, colourings or flavours. Pomegranate Anti-ox Fruit Smoothie is made with Happy Planet’s “Berry Boost” blend of wild blueberry, strawberry, cranberry, bilberry, elderberry and raspberry seed extracts, and offers the equivalent of five or more whole pieces of fruit in every serving. A 1.89-L container of Organic Acai Berry Bliss sells for a suggested retail price of $4.99 per 1.89-L container, while a 325-mL bottle of Pomegranate Anti-ox retails for $2.99.

Thin crust
McCain Ultra Thin Crust Pizza from McCain Foods (Canada) offers pizza lovers great taste without the extra calories and crust. The 357-g pizzas are almost twice as thin as most leading thin-crust pizzas on the market, and range from 150 to 170 calories per quarter pizza, with less sodium and fat. They feature wholesome, recognizable ingredients, and do not contain artificial colours or flavours. Ultra Thin Crust Pizza are available in three varieties – Spinach & Provolone, Roasted Mushroom and Garlic, and Pollo. The new pizzas will appear in most major grocery chains this spring, and will retail for an average of $5.99 to $6.99 each.