Mars Consumer Drinks has launched two new innovative Super Thick Shakes: Twix and M&M’s. The company claims the new shakes are set to revolutionise the flavoured milk and dairy desserts market by establishing a new dessert drinks category in the UK. The Twix Super Thick Shake is a rich, velvety caramel shake, served with a bag of baby Twix Mini Stix. The M&M’s Super Thick Shake is a creamy, real chocolate milk shake, served with a bag of crunchy chocolate M&M’s. Both shakes are packaged in a frappucino-style cup, with the confectionery stored in the lid, to be stirred in or eaten first. A special straw spoon delivers the crossover from shake into dessert drink category and enables consumers to eat them on the go.

Minnesota-based Old Home Foods has added a locally produced organic milk to its portfolio. The company believes that, by sourcing the milk locally, it's able to reduce the carbon footprint on the environment and provide consumers with the freshest milk possible without using ultra-pasteurisation techniques to extend shelf life. Old Home’s Organic milk cartons are also made with renewable energy and are 100% recyclable. “Organic products are in high demand from today’s consumers who care more about health, community and environment,” said Old Home Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Dave Holdsworth. “The timing is perfect to offer locally produced organic milk for those individuals and families seeking the pure and wholesome benefits of milk without the worry of antibiotics, synthetic hormones or pesticides.” Old Home Organic milk is certified by the Midwest Organic Services Association (MOSA). It's available in gallon and half gallon sizes in whole, 2%, 1% and skim varieties.

US-based Cabot Creamery Cooperative has launched Cabot Greek Style Yogurt. “Our new line of Greek Style Yogurt melts in your mouth – better than ice cream if you want rich, luscious taste,” said Cabot Creamery Cooperative CEO, Richard Stammer. “The family farmer owners of Cabot Creamery Cooperative have produced another world-class product. And, like our award-winning cheeses, our Greek Style Yogurt is in a class all by itself. We’re proud of that and we think our customers will agree.” The new yogurt is packed in 6oz cups and is available in a range of flavours: peach, strawberry, chocolate, vanilla and tropical fruit. There's also a Cabot plain flavour variant in a 32oz size. The new Greek Style Yogurt was launched in Publix supermarkets throughout the south-eastern part of the US and will eventually be rolled out across the country.

Packaging company Elopak has recently celebrated its 50th birthday. The story began when a Norwegian cellulose engineer, Christian August Johansen, had been in the US and had learnt about the American Pure-Pak carton. He had a vision and applied for a European licence. He was turned down – but, not to be denied, he sat on the steps of the Pure-Pak offices until the people inside would see him. His persistence paid off and he obtained his European licence agreement for the American Pure-Pak carton, as well as an agency for Pure-Pak filling machines. But Johansen needed an investor and had already been in contact with several when, in the spring of 1956, he found an interested listener in Johan H Andresen Sr at Tiedemann’s Tobaksfabrik in Oslo. Norwegian dairy companies had tried single-use packaging, but there was great scepticism: “It's clear that the packing will make the milk so expensive that it cannot be considered for normal sales,” was the common reaction from the country’s dairy company managers. But Andresen wasn't easily frightened off. In February 1957, Elopak (European licensee of Pure-Pak) was founded and a production plant was built in record time. All this was before they had a single customer. But they had a vision and a belief in what they were doing. I wonder: who are the dairy visionaries of today? Any ideas?

The limited edition pack, available in 9x 40g tubes in strawberry flavour, replaces the limited edition Doctor Who Frubes. The new pack includes cutouts and is supported by an on-pack promotion to win a trip to New York City, the home of Spider-Man’s Peter Parker. Yoplait group brand manager for teens, Angelica Costantini, said: “Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man is one of the most recognised superhero characters in the world. By linking Spider-Man 3 with Frubes, children can enjoy this tasty, fun product even more, while contributing to their dairy intake, one of the major food groups needed to meet a healthy balanced diet.”

R&R, formerly Richmond Ice Cream, a major player in the UK ice cream market, has been busy with a series of new product launches and relaunches. Among the new products is Rodda’s luxury clotted cream Cornish ice cream. Its 800ml tub is filled with the finest Rodda’s Cornish clotted cream and West Country milk and butter. It's the first super-premium Cornish brand launch in the market and is made with 25% clotted cream. It capitalises on the consumer trend for traditional, quality home-grown products that's a driving force behind market growth. R+R has added to its Loads More Fun ice cream range with 950ml tubs of Maryland Chocolate Chip Cookie ice cream. This vanilla ice cream infused with chunks of Maryland Cookie, licensed from Burton Foods, builds on the success of the Maryland Cookie brand. The new Maryland Cookies Ice Cream joins the existing line up of Fab, Smarties and Milkybar. The new After Eight Dessert is based on the popular after dinner chocolate treat. The new dessert contains cool mint ice cream layered with crisp, dark chocolate smothered in chocolate ice cream and dark chocolate sauce and squares.

A new UK premium food brand, Mrs Beeton’s Rediscovered, is hoping to meet current consumer purchasing demands for premium, indulgence, natural ingredients and British provenance, with the major launch of new product ranges, including ice cream. Mrs Beeton’s Foods Managing Director Tony Corscadden commented: “Our products have been carefully developed to be as at home on the stall of a local farmers’ market as they are on the shelf of a multiple grocery chain. Our dairy ice cream is made in Yorkshire using only the finest double cream from a herd of 500 Guernsey cows.” The range of 500ml ice cream is inspired by great British puddings or traditional British flavours: Apple Crumble, Old English Toffee, Ginger and Rum & Raisin.

Rowan Glen, Scotland-based supplier of locally produced yogurts, butters, spreads and cheeses, has extended its range with the launch of a new yogurt dessert, the Rowan Glen Crumble. A first for the Scottish market, the new Crumble comes in a 150g twin pot, with a mild and creamy yogurt on a layer of fruit and a separate serving of crunchy biscuit crumble. There are three fruit varieties to choose from: rhubarb, strawberry and apple. Rowan Glen Sales Manager Ronnie Wilson said: “At Rowan Glen, we pride ourselves on using only the freshest Scottish milk in our products and we are constantly striving to bring new tastes and experiences to our customers. “We're now introducing the Rowan Glen Crumble, which uses fresh Scottish milk and promises to be a valuable addition to the already impressive Rowan Glen dairy range.”

After more than a century of waiting, Arla Foods has brought its international speciality Castello cheese to the UK. Since Henrik Tholstrup took over his father’s dairy in Denmark, his prize-winning Castello cheese has been a firm favourite on cheese boards, selling 21 million packs a year across 50 countries worldwide. The UK launch of Castello by Arla Foods forms part of an ambitious global strategy for the brand and will be supported by a £2.1 million marketing campaign for the rest of 2007. Castello Blue is an award-winning blue-veined gourmet cheese with a subtle and creamy taste. Its mild flavour develops steadily as it matures, without becoming too strong. Castello White is a distinctive, rich and creamy soft cheese with a delicate white rind covering. As the cheese matures, it becomes softer and creamier.

The Irish Dairy Board’s German subsidiary, IDB Deutschland, has launched a new grated cheese pack onto the German market. Kerrygold Original Irischer Käse mild-würzig is a mix of Kerrygold Cheddar Cheese (40%) and Kerrygold Blarney Cheese (60%). Available in a convenient double pack (2 x 75g), the mix of the two cheeses claims excellent taste, perfect melting results and a crispy crust.

Onken Mousse has been relaunched and rebranded as German owner Dr Oetker makes its mark on the UK chilled pot desserts market. It has introduced a continental-style chocolate mousse under the Onken sub brand. The new range – offering three variants: chocolate, chocolate with a hint of mint, and chocolate with a hint of orange – is available in single packs with a sleek, black pot design. The 100g pot is larger than many competitor products, offering extra value for consumers. In addition, the Onken Mousse range has been rebranded Dr Oetker Onken Mousse, and resegmented into Creamy and Fruity Lite. The range offers a combination of Bio yogurt and Fromage Frais, Creamy contains a hidden layer of real cream, in orange mango and lime, strawberry, peach, chocolate and hazelnut flavours. The lemon and strawberry Fruity Lite varieties – with a layer of rich fruit – are complemented by the addition of a new apple and blackberry flavour.

Yoplait is expanding its fromage frais range, Petits Filous, with the launch of Petits Filous Strawberry Mousse, the first mousse-based product to be included in the Petits Filous range. Yoplait Group Brand Manager – Kids, Gemma Baggaley, said: “The launch of a mousse-based product will not only provide more choice within the range, but help generate incremental sales across the category. We are confident Petits Filous Strawberry Mousse will be a big hit with consumers.” Petits Filous Strawberry Mousse is available in 4 x 71g packs.