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Ghirardelli has launched Dubai-style chocolate squares filled with pistachio and crispy kataifi, now available at major U.S. retailers and its website. PepsiCo and Pilgrim’s Pride are bringing Flamin’ Hot seasoning to frozen chicken tenders and bites, the flavor brand’s first entry into the frozen aisle. California Pizza Kitchen also plans to introduce packaged salads and kits in 2027.
Ghirardelli has launched Dubai-style chocolate squares with pistachio filling and crispy kataifi, while PepsiCo and Pilgrim’s Pride are taking Flamin’ Hot into frozen chicken. The product moves reflect food companies’ efforts to extend familiar brands and in-demand flavors into more grocery categories; California Pizza Kitchen separately plans a packaged salad line for 2027.
Ghirardelli’s new Dubai Style Chocolate SQUARES combine pistachio filling with crispy kataifi, a shredded pastry used in Middle Eastern desserts. The squares are taller than the company’s traditional version to accommodate more filling. Ghirardelli says the product is available at major retailers nationwide and on its website in a 4.4-ounce bag with a suggested retail price of $10.99.
PepsiCo and poultry processor Pilgrim’s Pride are partnering on Flamin’ Hot Chicken Tenders and Bites. The launch marks the Flamin’ Hot brand’s first move into the frozen aisle, according to the report. PepsiCo did not provide a release date or pricing in the source material.
California Pizza Kitchen plans to add single-serve salads and kits in 2027 through a partnership with FiveStar Gourmet Foods. Planned varieties include BBQ Chicken Chopped and Thai Crunch. The companies say they also see opportunities in prepared foods such as dressings, but have not announced additional products or distribution details.
Brands Reach Beyond Their Core Aisles
The three developments show how packaged-food companies are using recognizable names and flavors to compete in categories beyond their best-known products. Ghirardelli is applying its chocolate brand to a trend-led confection, and PepsiCo is extending Flamin’ Hot from snacks into a frozen protein product through Pilgrim’s. CPK is drawing on its restaurant menu as it expands its retail lineup.
These moves offer shoppers more ways to encounter familiar brands in grocery stores, while giving companies a route to test demand in adjacent categories. The source material does not report sales forecasts or expected consumer response for any of the products, so their commercial impact remains unknown.
Ghirardelli Dubai-style chocolate squares pistachio
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How the Products Fit Their Brands
Dubai-style chocolate pairs chocolate with pistachio and crisp kataifi. The trend traces to a confection created in Dubai in 2021, according to Food Dive, and gained wider attention after an influencer promoted it on TikTok three years later. Retailers and chocolate makers including Lidl, Hershey and Lindt introduced their own versions in 2025. Ghirardelli is owned by the same company as Lindt.
PepsiCo made Flamin’ Hot a distinct brand within its portfolio in 2024. The company said then that the brand had generated more than $3 billion in retail sales; that figure describes sales at the time and is not a measure of the chicken collaboration. Flamin’ Hot products already span snacks including Doritos, Cheetos and Funyuns, as well as Jack Link’s jerky.
CPK already sells frozen pizzas and has been expanding its retail presence into other restaurant-inspired products. FiveStar Gourmet Foods is a producer of fresh, single-serve foods. Food Dive cited Grand View Research’s estimate that the U.S. packaged salad market was valued at $5.8 billion last year and could reach $7.1 billion by 2033. The report also said the category was recovering after a summer Cyclospora outbreak contributed to a sales decline.
“Consumers continue to be drawn to the rich pistachio filling and crispy kataifi texture that define Dubai-style chocolate.”
— Bobby Oliver, Ghirardelli vice president and head of marketing
frozen Flamin’ Hot chicken tenders
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Launch Details Still to Come
The source report does not specify when Pilgrim’s Flamin’ Hot chicken tenders and bites will reach stores, where they will be sold, or at what price. It also provides no sales projections or product specifications such as heat level and package sizes.
For CPK’s planned 2027 salads, timing within the year, launch markets, pricing and retailer distribution have not been announced. Ghirardelli’s availability is described as nationwide through major retailers, but the report does not name those retailers or state how long the product will be sold.
packaged salads California Pizza Kitchen
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Retail Rollouts and 2027 Salads
Ghirardelli’s squares are already available through major retailers and the company’s website. The next details to watch for are retailer listings and whether the company adds further Dubai-style products. PepsiCo and Pilgrim’s have not given a launch date in the reported announcement, leaving store availability as the next key milestone.
CPK and FiveStar expect their single-serve salads and kits to arrive in 2027. Further information on the rollout, distribution and product range has not yet been provided.
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Key Questions
What is in Ghirardelli’s Dubai-style chocolate squares?
They contain pistachio filling and crispy kataifi, a shredded pastry used in Middle Eastern desserts.
How much do the Ghirardelli squares cost?
The 4.4-ounce bag has a suggested retail price of $10.99. The price charged by individual retailers may vary.
What is new about the Flamin’ Hot chicken products?
Pilgrim’s Pride and PepsiCo are introducing Flamin’ Hot Chicken Tenders and Bites. The partnership brings the flavor brand into the frozen aisle for the first time, according to the report.
When will California Pizza Kitchen’s salads be available?
CPK and FiveStar Gourmet Foods plan to launch single-serve salads and kits in 2027. They have not announced a more specific release date or distribution plan.
Source: rss
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