Procter & Gamble has developed an innovative new product that allows flavored filter water to be delivered to the consumer straight from the tap. The Pur Flavor Options Water Filtration System consists of flavor cartridges and a device which adds the flavoring straight from the tap. The device, called a faucet mount, filters the tap water, while the cartridges can be fitted into the faucet to create fruit-flavored water. The strength of the flavoring can be varied by pressing the button for longer. The product also comes in a pitcher variety, which provides the option of adding flavor cartridges to filtered pitcher water.
FlavorX has also released a novel flavor mixer in the US, this one designed to be added to medicine. The FlavorX Flavorit Home Flavoring Kit comes in watermelon, grape, bubblegum and orange varieties, as well as a sweetening enhancer variant, which allows children to choose a sweet flavor to add to their medicine to improve the taste.
Green tea extract is becoming more popular with manufacturers, with the ingredient featuring in a number of new types of drinks. It has recently been included in a new yogurt drink in Spain by Danone, called Essensis Pro-Nutris Yogurt Drink. The product contains fruit extracts and lactic active ferments, as well as green tea extract, which are said to feed the skin from the inside, helping it look more healthy.
Suntory's new health drink, recently released in Japan, also contains green tea extract, as well as a host of other health-giving ingredients. In total, the health drink, called Suntory Hyakunen Cha Ready-to-Drink Tea, contains 24 natural ingredients, ranging from mushrooms, seaweeds, Chinese wolfberry (goji berries) and barley, making this a unique drink offering.
Also claiming to offer health benefits is XanGo's Xalo drink, which has recently been launched in Germany, Austria and Belgium. This new functional fruit juice is claimed to provide several health benefits, including improved digestive health, skin regeneration, and increased natural energy levels. Like the previous product, this juice drink also consists of a variety of ingredients, such as mangosteen, aloe vera, grape seed, green tea extracts, and a variety of fruit juices.
Moving onto a new coffee launch, Whitewave Foods has begun to distribute an innovatively presented coffee in the US, which is packaged in a plastic cup that looks like a dairy creamer. Each Stok Black Coffee shot is the equivalent of one shot of coffee and comes both sweetened and unsweetened. The product is described as providing "a powerful caffeine hit for consumers on the go", therefore offering a useful pick-me-up for today's hectic lifestyles.
