Australian grocery shoppers have no excuse for looking after their health with an array of brands and items available to choose from in addition to regular staples and the products that feature each week in supermarket catalogues, namely chips, drinks and confectionery.

Over the past four or five  years brands such a Coles 'Simply'  and Woolworths 'Macro' have led the way in putting a healthier,  and sometimes organic choice onto the supermarket shelves. This initiative has also caused other manufacturers to rise to the occasion and either create or reinvigorate old brands.

A case in point is the Henry Jones name. Once an old fashioned Australian purveyor of jams Henry Jones commenced in Hobart in 1891, He eventually expanded to the mainland in the site of the now shopping precinct The Jam Factory at Prahran in Melbourne. With ownership changes initially to American spreads manufacturer JM Smucker. the Henry Jones name fell by the wayside.

However earlier this year SPC Ardmona, owner of the trade mark launched a range of Henry Jones preserves with chia seed using the theme 'Fruit and Chia' on the tastefully old fashioned label. The Raspberry and Chia contains a full punnet of raspberries in each 290 gm jar so its tastes full of flavour and fruity goodness. The chia seed content is four per cent. So it's designed to meet the expectations of good food aficionados 

Taking into account the popularity of so called super foods the company has combined old fashioned Henry Jones heritage with the latest health food trends. So how is the old and new combination described? The brand creatives at SPC Ardmona have gone with the line 'Henry Jones & Co -The new taste of tradition"

Trends towards gourmet foods and healthier eating are being driven by consumer demand and retailers and producers not afraid to kick start something new.

And now new with oats

Golden Crumpets is a long standing brand that has provided a tasty comfort snack for generations of Australians. Simply toasted and quickly lashed with real butter, who could resist? Or add a sweet or savory spread such as jam, honey or Vegemite for a quick breakfast.

However back in the day a crumpet was a crumpet. White and traditional. Then the advent of eating healthy launched the wholemeal crumpet. And the latest crumpet creation? It is the one with Oats. Proudly sporting a "New" flash they are  sitting on supermarket shelves right now waiting for consumers that have bought into the health benefits of oats to whip them off to the checkout.

The Oxford English Dictionary traces the history of the word and recipe for crumpets back to 1382, with reference to a 'crompid cake'. Here in Australia, according  the book "To Feed A Nation: A History of Australian Food Science and Technology,' a particular breakthrough in automation and continuous process of crumpet making occurred in 1947 when Sydney firm R J Hastings was granted a patent for its newly invented machinery. 

After generations of supplying mouth-watering crumpets, the Golden Crumpet people have recognised the trend to oats which are recommended for heart health. But it's not just crumpets where oats are the new flavour of the month.

Consumers that have lactose intolerance can purchase Pureharvest Oat Milk

Made from whole organic oats, water and a tough of organic sunflower oil it is positioned as an alternative to dairy milk for breakfast corals or in cooking. So old fashioned foods can appear in new ways or as a healthy addition to well trusted items such as the original crumpet, now with oats.

Written by David Burton