Brand new 'Cravings Collection'

by Emma Barlow | 6 February 2016

Parenting on Female First

Virgin Trains has launched a package of services for expectant mothers and parents, including the 'Cravings Collection', a selection of foods to keep its pregnant customers' cravings at bay while on-the-go, a 'mums-to-be pass' which commits the train operator to finding the pass-holder a seat, and a package of essentials for new parents.

The Cravings Collection has been inspired by research revealing that over half (52%) of expectant mother's experience cravings whilst on the move, with nearly a third (31%) feeling irritable if their cravings aren't satisfied. For one in 25 (4%) women, the cravings have been so strong that they've had to get off a train to satisfy their taste buds.

Chocolate (34%), crisps (21%) and sweets (16%) topped the list of most craved foods, while chillies, chorizo, marmite and anchovies also appeared in the top 20. More unusual cravings include charcoal for four in every 100 expectant mums, and toothpaste, newspaper and even stones for one in 50.

With these findings in mind, the Cravings Collection has been curated to accommodate the more unusual foods women crave, such as curry, marmite and even charcoal.

Cravings Collection

• Anchovies

• Charcoal biscuits

• Chilli sauce

• Chocolate sauce

• Chorizo jam

• Curry sauce

• Ginger biscuits

• Ginger tisane

• Ice

• Marmite

• Strawberry jam

In addition, Virgin Trains has committed to finding expectant mothers carrying a 'mums-to-be' pass a seat on board its West Coast Mainline services. As well as this, two seats on every Pendolino on its network have been reserved for vulnerable customers, including mums-to-be, and each train is now equipped with a box of essential items to help parents cope with life's little emergencies. The box includes nappies, baby foods and disposable sterile bottles. These new services are available now, with the Cravings Collection launched on January 28 as a trial on selected services between Manchester and Euston.

Anita Brown, Customer Experience Strategy Manager at Virgin Trains, said "At Virgin Trains, we're always striving to make sure our customers have the most enjoyable journey possible. With our new mums-to-be pass, our pregnant customers can feel confident that we will get them a seat when they travel with us, and now that we know from research that travelling increases cravings for over a third of expectant mothers (37%), we are looking forward to seeing how customers respond to the Cravings Collection."