Asian-inspired food brand Itsu has announced the launch of its first chilled lunch range that consumers need to ‘heat to eat’ into UK supermarkets.
Itsu will begin the phased launch with three new products available in the food-to-go and chilled ready meal aisles: lucky katsu hotsu’potsu, bao’buns and gourmet’gyoza.
Lucky katsu hotsu’potsu features vegetable fusion gyoza, rice noodles, vegetables and katsu broth (made by blending miso with herbs, spices and Japanese curry powder). The katsu pots are available now in Tesco for an RRP of £2.75 and can also be bought as part of the Tesco meal deal, alongside seaweed thins or prawn crackers and a drink.
Itsu bao’buns are available in spicy veg and hoisin duck varieties. Meanwhile, the brand’s chicken & spring onion gourmet’gyoza comes with a ‘sweet and tangy’ ponzu dipping sauce. Both lines are available in Waitrose stores from 21 June for an RRP of £3.50.
Julian Metcalfe, founder of Itsu, said: “When lockdown hit last year, we were spurred on and realised the world was going to shift permanently, so have been busy building out our new products to launch into the chilled ‘heat to eat’ section in supermarkets.
“With hybrid working on the rise, it looks like the ‘heat to eat’ category is a trend that is about to explode in the UK, and Itsu is proud to be at the forefront of this food to-go revolution.”
Marking the first of an expansive rollout into the category this year, Itsu says its latest launch follows a year of strong growth for the brand’s supermarket range that includes vegan protein noodle pots, ramen broth bases and frozen dumplings.
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