Expanding its spread of offerings, ITC's Foods Division today diversified into two new segments in the biscuits market with the launch of Sunfeast Golden Bakes & Sunfeast Snacky. The 3 Golden Bakes variants along with 2 snacky variants to the company's `Sunfeast' range announced by the company marks its entry into the competitive cookies & salted crackers segment.

Ravi Naware, Divisional Chief Executive, ITC - Foods Division, told newspersons today, "The new differentiated offerings - Golden Bakes Honey & Cashew flavour along with Snacky with chilly flakes - present a unique value proposition for consumers in terms of healthy and nutritious snacks with distinct tastes." The latest offerings from ITC Foods will hit shelves in Andhra Pradesh and other south Indian States immediately and will be available across the country by September.

Naware said the products were launched in view of the significant growth in the biscuit market, which is around 15 per cent annually. Cookies segment grew 30 per cent. This segment alone accounts for Rs 500 crore of the total biscuit industry size of Rs 4,000 crore. In Andhra Pradesh alone, ITC had a market share of 15 per cent of the total Rs 100-crore market, he said.

The new range of Snacky is priced at Rs 6 and Rs 6.50 for a pack of 75 gm of classic slated and Snacky with chilli flakes, respectively. The Golden Bakes are priced at Rs 10, Rs 12 & Rs13 for 100gm of butter, cashew and honey & cashew flavours respectively. The Company will launch a multi-media ad campaign including two fresh television commercials for its new sub-brands featuring Sunfeast brand ambassador Shah Rukh Khan, he said.

On way to Guinness?

ITC Foods also announced plans to enter the Guinness World Record through a plantation drive. To be taken up under the Sunfeast Hara Banao Campaign, the company aims to plant a record breaking 2,00,000 saplings in the Bhadrachalam area of Andhra Pradesh during the last week of August.

The record aimed is for the maximum number of saplings planted on a single day. A number of farmers and children are expected to participate. The Sunfeast Hara Banao campaign has been initiated to spread environment consciousness among school children. It found support from over 100 schools in Mumbai last year.