Allied Bakeries has launched Kingsmill Bagel Thins. Available in a six-pack format with an rrp of £1.39, each bagel thin contains 122 calories, compared to 231 calories in a regular Kingsmill bagel.

Head of innovation at Allied Bakeries Janene Warsap said: “Across the food and drink industry we are seeing a rising demand from consumers for smaller, lighter, healthier versions of their favourite foods.  With this insight front of mind, we have developed our unique Kingsmill Bagel Thins, which are thinner with a less doughy texture, making them lighter to eat, but still high in taste.”

Allied Bakeries category director Martin Garlick hoped Kingsmill Bagel Thins would emulate US success of bagel thins.

“Interestingly, the US bagel thins market is already well established and currently worth nearly 10% of the total US bagel market in volume terms,” he said. “We believe there is a similar opportunity in the UK which will help retailers drive growth in the bakery category by encouraging incremental sales and attracting news customers to the category.”