Private Label Brands Front and Center
In Upscale Retail Store Brand Programs
By J.J. PIERCE, QFFI Associate Editor

You won’t find Mango & Lime Glazed Tilapia with toasted coconut couscous and tropical fruit salsa anywhere but Target Stores under the Archer Farms brand, and that’s the whole idea.

No plain old chicken parts for Wegmans’ private label; these wings have a flavor all their own.

Three signs of exotic private label: Stop & Shop’s Simply Enjoy Cashew Chicken, Wegmans’ Travels of Asia Shrimp & Vegetable Egg Rolls, and Hannaford’s On the Go Bistro Walnut Shrimp.

Supermarket chains increasingly offer gourmet-style seafood, exotic Asian fare and much more to consumers who seek quality and variety at a price that is not necessarily upmarket.

Private label in frozen food used to mean just the basics: fruits, vegetables, fries and a few other common items like breaded fish or beef patties. But store brands in North America today have gone upscale, and often outshine the national brands.

The basics still dominate the market, but even in the basics, aggressive retailers are going beyond the usual in private label. Target Stores, Minneapolis, Minneapolis, which has large frozen sections at its supercenters and small ones even at its conventional discount stores, is one example.

Steam-in-bag vegetables are a hot trend in national brands and some store brands, but Target doesn’t stick to just broccoli florets or petite peas. Its Archer Farms steam-in-the bag line also includes American Blend, Harvest Blend, Southwestern Blend, Edame Asian Blend, Grilled Pepper Blend and even Wok Bali.

Mango & Lime Glazed Tilapia with toasted coconut couscous and tropical fruit salsa is one of Target’s single-serve entrees under the Archer Farms brand; others include Maryland Mini-Crab cakes, Crab-Filled Butterfly Shrimp and Chicken with Sherry Sauce. There are even breakfast entrees like Western Style Egg Scrambles and Thick-Cut Pepper, Bacon, Cheddar & Egg Paninis.

Under the Ming Tsai-Blue Ginger brand, created exclusively for Target by an Asian chef, there are such specialties as Shrimp Pad Thai, Chicken Pad Thai, Kung Pao Chicken with Rice, Pot Stickers, Spring Rolls and Shrimp Lollipops. Most come in 20-ounce bags, but some are also available as 10-ounce bowls, and the bowl meal line offers a few additional items such as Curry Vegetables

Asian fare has been getting a lot of play recently at Wegmans, Rochester, New York. Under the Travels with Asia and Travels with India sub-brands, it began offering items like Pad Thai with Shrimp and Chicken Curry last year. New this year as part of the Travels with Asia line are egg rolls in pork, shrimp and vegetable varieties.

“Need a quick side dish for your stir fry tonight?” Wegmans teases at its website. “Well look no further than our Travels of Asia frozen egg rolls. Because they are already fully cooked, you are only minutes from hot, crunchy egg rolls any time you want.”

For the holiday seasons, from Christmas through Easter, Wegmans offered 10-pound packages of Red King Crab Legs at $99.90 – which is perhaps the priciest store brand frozen item ever. It has followed up this year with Mexican Lobster Tails under its healthy Food You Feel Good About sub-brand. This was an item the chain figured called for some explaining in its new product announcement:

“Mexican Lobsters are also called spiny or rock lobsters and are identified by forward pointing spines and no claws. Our supplier of Mexican Lobster Tails operates a small fishery that is highly regulated to protect future populations of this species. Our lobsters are processed without any preservatives or additional liquid. So you pay for tender, delicious, natural lobster meat – not added liquid that drains off when the tail is thawed. We also have our supplier score the shell for easier meat removal.”

For Wegmans, seasoned chicken wings are a more everyday matter. It offers both Buffalo and Barbecue versions, saying of the latter: “Lactose free. Chicken wing sections glazed with a sweet & tangy sauce. Fully cooked. Heat & Spice: Mild. Wing it. Wait till you see the size of these wings. Wegmans Frozen Chicken Wings are meaty and juicy with finger lickin’ sauce. Don’t forget the napkins.”

On the Go Inspirations

At Hannaford, Scarborough, Maine, the On the Go Bistro brand was created several years ago to offer premium frozen dinner and dessert items that consumers couldn’t find at other stores or even in national brands. Introductions this year include Crispy Walnut Shrimp, Buffalo Chicken Wings and Cajun-style Shrimp.

But Hannaford’s parent company, Salisbury, North Carolina-based Delhaize America, has come out with an On the Go Bistro line of fresh take-out food for its other divisions – Food Lion, Bloom and Sweetbay – and there are indications that the frozen On the Go Bistro items will be repackaged under the Hannaford and Taste of Inspirations brands.

Rice and Chicken Casserole, for example, is new under the Hannaford brand, while the Taste of Inspirations brand – which was pioneered by Hannaford for shelf-stable premium foods but has also been revamped by Delhaize America – is being used for a growing variety of frozen items such as a Mini Cheesecake sampler, Buffalo Chicken Calzones, Bacon-wrapped Scallops; and pastry shells with various fillings, from blueberry-lemon crème to basil pesto.

Upscale frozen foods are catching on at other retailers in the Northeast, as witness items like Cashew Chicken and a Mini-Cheesecake assortment under the Simply Enjoy brand at Stop & Shop, Boston, Massachusetts; and Braised Cabbage & Bacon and frozen Onion Soup under the Central Market Classics Solutions banner at Price Chopper, Schenectady, New York. Price Chopper also offers a full range of ice cream under the same brand – including a tiramisu ice cream cake.

Safeway, Pleasanton, California, one of the largest supermarket chains in the country, is now appealing to the healthy eating niche with the Eating Right brand, which covers both shelf-stable and frozen and refrigerated items, with color-coded call-outs hailing their benefits. Balsamic Chicken (“high in protein”) is typical of the frozen items, which were promoted earlier this year with a unique gimmick.

For a limited time, online grocery shoppers could get a free Eating Right frozen entree. The entrees typically sell for $2 each. The offer came at a time when Safeway was heavily promoting the 150-item better-for-you line with a Web link that includes frequently asked questions about the brand, and a $1 off coupon that can be used on any Eating Right product. The line has also gotten good reviews from bloggers.

“Yummy and convenient. Much better quality than Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones,” raved one. “I had been eating Lean Cuisine and Smart Ones for lunch for years, and recently switched to the Safeway in-house brand Eating Right,” agreed another.”

More consumers may get to try Eating Right products next year, under a plan to license the brand to stores all over the country beyond the Safeway orbit.