PepsiCo rolling out gluten-free Quaker oatmeal range across US retail
Claimed to deliver the same taste as traditional Quaker Oats, the new line-up comprises three products: an 18 oz canister of Quaker Quick 1-Minute Standard Oats (srp $3.99) and single-serve pouches of Quaker Instant Oatmeal in Original ($4.19/10-pack) and Maple & Brown Sugar flavors ($4.19/eight-pack) flavors.
National distribution of the products is under way following a limited launch in selected stores last November.
Consumer demand for free-from
The manufacturer is seeking to tap the surge in demand for free-from foods, adding that the launch was driven by calls from consumers.
“We're always striving to deliver products that meet families' evolving needs,” said Quaker Foods senior vice president Becky Frankiewicz. “Requests for gluten free oats have been among the top inquiries from our consumers for the past several years.”
Breakthrough cleaning system
PepsiCo said its millers had developed a “rigorous and breakthrough cleaning system” to remove stray grains and meet FDA standards for gluten free.
“Our expert millers are the best and most passionate in the business, and they've taken the time and extreme care to develop great-tasting, gluten free offerings in which consumers can be confident,” added Frankiewicz.
The launch comes three months after rival manufacturer General Mills was forced to recall 1.8 million boxes of Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios when undeclared wheat was detected in the products. General Mills told consumers at the time that an “incident involving purely human error” had caused wheat to be introduced to its gluten-free oat flour system at its manufacturing site in Lodi, California.
Select Starts range
Quaker’s gluten-free oats join the brand's Select Starts line – which includes Instant Quaker Oatmeal products designed to address a variety of consumer needs, such as fiber and protein.
Hot cereals continue to outperform the cold cereals market, with category value up 0.9% to $1.3bn versus a 1.2% decline in cold cereals to $8.9bn.
