September Launch Pad: Fall brings a burst of color, nostalgic flavors & back-to-school solutions

CPG companies also introduce new products to simplify the morning routine and keep children fueled as they return to school.

Spirulina, ube support colorful beverage, breakfast launches​

Just in time to keep consumers hydrated during the last hot days of the year and chase away the end-of-summer blues, FUL Foods launches BLUwater​ – an antioxidant-packed canned beverage with a natural bright blue hue from spirulina. Spirulina’s benefits in the beverage extend beyond color as it also is the base for the drink’s hero ingredients, phycocyanin, which the company says delivers hydration, detoxification and immune-boosting properties.

Birch Benders’s Ube Mochi Pancake & Waffle Mix​ allows consumers to enjoy vibrantly purple pancakes and waffles with a “uniquely sweet flavor” thanks to the inclusion of purple yams, also known as ube. The colorful vegetable is blended with sweet rice flour for a gluten-free alternative to a breakfast staple that otherwise is off-limits to those with wheat and gluten-allergies or intolerances.

From breakfast to bedtime, Blume’s Blue Lavender Blend​ promises to “soothe restlessness” and help consumers unwind before bed with its “dreamy blue hue” that comes from a combination of blue spirulina and lavender which are “micro-ground for better absorption of health benefits,” according to the company. The fine grind also lends itself to more versatility as the blend, which also includes coconut milk powder and coconut sugar, can dissolve into a hot or iced latte, smoothie, oatmeal or baked good. The blend tastes “gently floral and subtly sweet,” according to the company.

Back-to-school breakfast, lunch and snack solutions​

To kick off the start of the school year, Thomas’ Breads and WK Kellogg’s Froot Loop Mini Bagels ​offer a nostalgic mash-up of snack-sized bagels with iconic Froot Loops cereal. The Thomas’ Froot Loops Mini Bagels are available only through Oct. 1. The companies are promoting the limited-edition breakfast blend as an “on-the-go option packed with the sweet crunchiness of Froot Loops cereal flavor and the savory goodness of Thomas’ bagels.” Bags of 10 pre-sliced mini bagels are available at retailers nationwide, including Kroger and Walmart, for a suggested retail price of $5.49.

Better-for-you beverage and frozen dessert brand GoodPop​ reformulated its lunchbox-friendly Mini Cans​ with more fruit juice and without added sugar or artificial sweeteners. A 15-pack of Lemon Lime and Orange Mini Cans launched in Costco in LA and the Northeast for an SRP of $9.99. The bubbly beverages are positioned as an alternative to classic juice boxes, which have more total sugar than GoodPop’s flavored sparkling water. The brand’s orange flavor comes in 50 calories and 9 grams of total sugar and is 41% juice from concentrate. The Fruit Punch flavor comes in with slightly fewer calories – 40 – and the same amount of total sugar and is made with 39% juice from concentrate from apple, white grape, cranberry and concord grape. Lemon Lime has 45 calories, 9 grams of sugar and 33% juice from concentrate from grape, lemon and lime juices.

Crispy Green​ is offering back-to-school deals of its freeze-dried fruit, including a sample pack for $17.98 that combines two of its flavors, which include apple, banana, pear, mango, pineapple, strawberry and tangerine. Consumers can also create on the company’s website a “mix & match lunchbox bestie,” which includes eight four-packs of any Crispy Fruit flavors for $68.32.

Each sample includes four individual packs that are easy to pack in lunches or eat on-the-go. The products are non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan, allergen-free, Kosher and have no added sugar.

Nostalgic flavors, collaborations usher in fall festivities​

Iconic caramel brand Werther’s Originals​ adds limited-edition Caramel Apple Hard Candies​ to its seasonal Harvest Line, which includes six flavors that are available nationwide now while supplies last. The new Caramel Apple Hard Candy blends the brand’s traditional creamy caramel base with a tart caramel dipped apple flavor. The blend also includes Maple Crème Soft Caramels, Caramel Apple Soft Caramels, Pumpkin Spice Soft Caramels, Cinnamon Crème Soft Caramels and Caramel Apple Filled Hard Candies. That candies are available for a SRP of $4.09 to $6.99.

Waterloo Sparkling Water​ brings back carefully crafted Spiced Apple​ flavor​ along with a juicy new Pomegranate Acai flavor​ for a limited time this fall. The company tested 50 versions of cooked and fresh apple flavors combined with brown spice notes before it found the perfect blend for its Spiced Apple, which it says is reminiscent of apple pie filling with a hint of vanilla sweetness. The new Pomegranate Acai flavor carefully balances the earthy notes of Acai with ripe pomegranate that the company says is “perfect for all your fall activities." To encourage sharing, the company created new cocktail and mocktail recipes that include the new flavors.

Keebler​ teams with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Products to offer a limited-edition Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Dark Chocolate & Vanilla Fudge Stripes​ cookie that launched weeks before the debut of the classic Halloween movie’s long-awaited sequel, which opens in theaters Sept. 6. The cookie recalls the main character’s classic black-and-white striped suit with vanilla-flavored fudge stripes on top of a dark chocolate shortbread cookie. The launch is further supported by a digital hub with family-friendly content, games and recipes. The cookies sell for a SRP of $4.80 at retailers nationwide.