Launches

We continued to offer products that meet the needs and preferences of consumers and expanded the range of foods that contribute to more responsible consumption patterns.

Poland

Biedronka introduced 73 new Private Brand products on the market that encourage healthy eating habits.

A total of 39 new products from the Go Active range were launched, most notably chicken curry (a combination rich in protein with a low fat and sugar content) and couscous salads (sources of protein and fibre). The Go Active range offers solutions to help active people recover post-exercise or who are preparing to train.

To extend access to foods that meet consumers’ specific needs, diets and preferences, Biedronka launched seven gluten-free products (e.g., Kraina Wędlin curried turkey fillets). In the vegan and vegetarian product categories, produced without genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and in compliance with other legally required criteria¹, Biedronka launched 13 references, most of which under the Go Vege range.

In the case of perishable foods, new launches included free-range chicken legs and giblets under the Kraina Mięs Nature (Land of Meat Nature) range, a product that did not exist on the Polish market, and duck leg with red cabbage from Wolno Gotowane (Slow Cooked). This range, introduced by Biedronka in Poland in 2016, offers ready-made convenience products, thus helping to retain nutritional properties and avoid the use of preservatives, and extending product shelf life.

Portugal

Among the products launched in 2023, most noteworthy are the Pura Vida honey and cider flavoured lactose-free milk (fortified with B vitamins), the organic oatmeal-based drink, with no added sugars, suitable for vegans and produced in Portugal, and the Pingo Doce UHT semi-skimmed milk, also organic.

Pingo Doce also launched several organic dried fruit options, pesticide- and GMO-free, such as raw cashew nuts, raw without-skin almonds, walnut kernels and a dried fruit mix.

For customers with specific needs, in particular vegans, Pingo Doce launched an avocado mayonnaise, containing 30% avocado oil. The Pura Vida range also includes effervescent supplements of magnesium, calcium, vitamin C and a multivitamin, as well as a dairy speciality enriched with collagen, antioxidants, calcium, vitamin E and protein, and with no fat, sugar or added sweeteners.

At Pingo Doce, six new products were added to the Go Active brand range, aiming to target consumers who prefer diets rich in protein. These include a dried fruit and seeds mix, the cashew and hazelnut spread with no artificial colouring or preservatives, and the whey protein with a biscuit and cream flavour, with no added sugars and suitable for coeliacs.

As regards perishable foods, of note is the launch of Pingo Doce’s slow cooked range, which are cooked at low temperature. Duck breast with cranberry sauce and turkey thigh with plums are two of the products available.

In the fruit and vegetables category, Pingo Doce strawberries, in one-kilogram packs, and the launches of sweet onions and red onions are of particular note.

In the meal solutions and takeaway areas, the offer now includes six new vegetarian options (such as apricot couscous and ras el hanout, a traditional mixture of spices in the Maghreb cuisine, and lima bean gratin with mushrooms). During the year, our Central Kitchen in Aveiro implemented new protective atmosphere packaging in 18 references, which helps preserve the product’s appearance, colour and organoleptic properties during its shelf life, while limiting the growth of bacteria and slowing down product degradation.

Colombia

Ara launched the Bien Vida range, which, given the care with which it has been developed, was placed on the market without any of the warning symbols required under Colombian law for products high in sodium, sugar, saturated fat, trans fat or sweeteners. Most noteworthy is the natural, cold-pressed virgin coconut oil made in Colombia. Also of note are the De La Cuesta Slim semi-skimmed milk, with 40% less fat than the regular product sold under the same brand, Top Tea Blanco kiwi-mint iced tea (with no added sugars), and the Solei grape juice, with no added sugars or preservatives.

¹ The claims regarding suitability for vegan consumption must meet certain criteria, such as compliance with the Polish Agriculture and Rural Development Regulation on food labelling, under which products whose production process does not include animal-based ingredients can be labelled “Certified Vegan” or “Suitable for Vegans”; good production practices so as to minimise cross contamination with non-plant-based ingredients; and be GMO free.