Conagra Brands is launching dozens of new products this fall and promising more innovations in plant-based, frozen, sauces, and salty snacks.

Paul Hogan, Conagra Brands International’s VP and GM, tells strategy the company is responding to a need for innovation in the plant-based category. To meet that need and appeal to evolving consumer and flexitarian demands, this summer Conagra brought two Gardein burgers, Supreme black bean and falafel, to market.

In its product innovation announcement, the company shared that it will soon bring new PF Chang’s Sesame and Teriyaki sauces, frozen meals and sides, as well as Bertolli frozen pasta meals to stores.

With Nestle’s exit from the frozen meals space and its pizza business, Conagra said it saw the opportunity to stand out. “The pandemic accelerated proof that [the death of frozen] was wrong,” Hogan says, adding Canadians discovered the convenience, value, flavour and variety that exists in frozen.

The company said it plans to launch a “frozen with flavour” campaign to remind Canadians of the “great offering that exists within the frozen aisle.” It is also running a retail-focused fall comfort food campaign built around easy meal solutions through its Hunt’s, VH, Swanson, Healthy Choice and Marie Callender’s brands.

Snacking is a “continuous growth area,” Hogan says, and people are gravitating more toward hotter flavours. That said, a new Sweet Chili Puffs innovation has been added to its Boomchickapop snacking brand, which launched in market this August.

“We certainly want to move as fast as we can,” Hogan says, adding that the innovation bundle it plans to launch this fall was turned around in an “unprecedented” six months.

The company is also going to be introducing new packaging, to go along with the flavour innovations.

“Most of our volume is moved through grocery mass in the cases of Walmart and Club,” Hogan says, where it has a “strong presence there.” However, he says, convenience and gasoline is “a key priority” and it sees “nothing but runway for growth” when it comes to innovating in that space.

PerSe (creative), Harbinger (PR), M&K (Media) and MRA (food truck) assisted with upcoming campaigns.