Cool Cuts Ready Pac

Ready Pac Foods has introduced a new line of Disney-themed Ready Pac Cool Cuts salads and mini-meals to the US market, as it looks to make school meals more nutritious and fun.

The eight-item line is geared specifically for elementary and middle school-age children, the group reported, and started shipping nationwide the first week of September.

The Cool Cuts line includes vegetables and/or fruit in every pack, along with other tasty, nutritious items and an element of fun. Each variety is a nutritious version of some of kids’ favourite foods, including pizza and tacos, with four salad items – Pizzeria salad, Taco salad, Harvest salad and Caesar salad – featuring kid-friendly iceberg and romaine lettuces; proteins such as chicken, turkey, pepperoni and cheese; grains and dressing. In addition, each salad also includes a temporary tattoo that matches the Disney character on the label.

Four mini-meals, meanwhile, also include at least one child-sized serving of fruit or vegetables, and tasty snack combinations including Veggies, Chicken and Pretzels; Turkey, Carrots and Cheese; Pizza Bites and Apples, Ham and Yogurt, along with a free Disney-themed sticker in each tray.

All of the items meet Disney’s strict nutritional guidelines while appealing to kids through the Disney characters and kid-friendly foods, such as alphabet pretzels and fun cheese shapes, the group noted.

'There’s a huge opportunity for retailers to generate incremental sales from selling nutritious items for kids,' said Tristan Simpson, director of marketing at Ready Pac. 'These new items fit the bill with parents looking for more nutritious and convenient options for their kids.'