Kraft Foods enters new segment with Barni

Global snacks powerhouse, Kraft Foods Inc, has opened up a new regional segment with the launch of its latest product, ‘Barni’. Establishing the never-before touched upon sector of healthy children’s snack food, the spongy treat is presented in a ludic teddy bear shape, containing no preservatives or artificial colourings. “Today with the launch of Barni, we take on a new mission in our snacking portfolio, a mission of children’s development. We believe that young kids three to six years old learn and develop through playing. They have a natural curiosity to explore and Barni will feed their imagination to help them discover the world and grow up happy and bright,” said Khurram Siddiqi, marketing director, Snacks and Chocolates, Kraft Foods Middle East. He said Barni is an important addition to the company’s portfolio in the Middle East. “We aim to bring our top tier innovations from around the world to this region and delight the consumers. Barni will add to our already strong portfolio of brands in the region which include Tang, Cadbury, Oreo, Flake, Philadelphia and Kraft cheese and Ritz. “We will continue to bring innovations and will invest to build their awareness. Just on Barni, we will be spending approximately $5 million on advertising this year,” Siddiqi said.   With an unrivaled portfolio of brands people love, Kraft Foods markets biscuits, confectionary, beverages, cheese, grocery products and convenient meals in approximately 170 countries. Kraft Foods had 2011 revenue of $54.4 billion. The Middle East is projected to the fastest growing snacking market in the world and Kraft Foods Middle East business has been witnessing very healthy double-digit growth rate. Kraft Foods intends to fast track and bring in their global innovations to the Middle East.