Disney World has begun offering children’s portions of such adult entrées as meat loaf, pot roast, and roast turkey in some of its eateries, Wronski says. “It’s not about burgers and hot dogs anymore. I think kids have moved on and gotten more sophisticated.”
But tweens aren’t above fun food sensations. General Mills just introduced Yoplait Fizzix, fizzy yogurt in a tube that comes in Strawberry Watermelon Rush and Blue Raspberry flavors. It’s a cool and edgier version of the company’s Go-GURT, says Kelly Dean-Bailey, senior consumer insights manager for the General Mills foodservice division.
“This is a mouth-feel experiment,” she says. The company expended lots of research to get the flavor right and not make it so “sizzley” that it overpowers the yogurt flavor.
The edgier aim of Fizzix extends to the packaging, which features a black background with neon color accents.
At Pretzelmaker and Pretzel Time, a national chain of more than 380 franchises, Pretzel Dogs deliver the standard hot dog kid fare in a different and fun way, notes Raj Ghosh, a franchisee in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The hot dogs are wrapped in pretzel dough, which makes them different and less messy. To capitalize on the substantive difference, the chain developed its Kickbun.com marketing campaign—a YouTube video contest asking kids to submit a video of a Pretzel Dog in a challenge with a standard hot dog.
A Move to Healthy
By the time kids reach their teens, they think more about healthy food. “In focus groups, we never mentioned ‘healthy.’ They brought it up on their own, and more so among high schoolers; in junior high a little; and not so much in grade school,” says Jirka with Tyson Foods.
For its part, Just Kid Inc. found that even the younger kids are aware of the importance of healthy food. The company conducted an online survey of 300 kids ages 8 to 12 about school lunch, and 72 percent said they wished there were healthy products with a taste they like at school lunch, Klein says.
Teens want more sophistication. “Experimenting with ethnic and healthy options becomes more important in high school,” Jirka says. “They want menu items to satisfy their maturing taste cravings.”
In response, for both the school and commercial market, Tyson recently introduced its Italian chicken fillet with Italian parmesan breading and a bacon cheeseburger (called BCB) with real bacon bits and cheese chunks blended into the patty.
Disney World’s method of bringing in bolder flavors is not to spice up the entire dish, but to offer something neutral, like grilled chicken strips with a marinara sauce or barbecue sauce, Wronski says.
The park also puts a greater emphasis on incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables. “Pretty much every menu has those components represented, even in the dessert aspect,” he says. Even if the produce is hidden, it’s still a focus. After talking to parents, Wronski discovered kids don’t like to see vegetable chunks in their food. So in some recipes, the vegetables are finely diced or puréed and incorporated as a sauce or coulis, or used as a dip. “It’s the stealth approach,” Wronski says.
Even the Disney beverage menu has changed. Soft drinks no longer are automatic with meals. Kids also can choose 100 percent juice, 1 percent milk, or a small bottled water.