Sainsbury's introduce patisserie-style Premium desserts

Sainsbury’s has added patisserie style desserts to its Taste the Difference range, inspired by the growing demand for home entertaining. The new additions include a Passion fruit & Belgian Chocolate Torte, a Mango & Coconut Panna Cotta, and a Raspberry Panna CottaTerrine. The sizes range from individual pots to larger sizes designed to serve 4, with prices ranging from £1 to £5. Sainsbury’s noted: “The new Taste the Difference desserts draw inspiration from the world of patisserie, making them ideal for dinner parties or as an indulgent treat for one. Some of the desserts have taken over six months to develop, so that every final touch and flavour is consistently perfect every time." NamNews - Friday 21st June 2013

Getting the consumer involved in product design: Ugo Foods unveils customer-designed ravioli

Ugo Foods has launched a new range of fresh raviolis today that were created based on entries from its “Design Your Own” competition. The three new varieties are - Olde English (pear, stilton and pinenuts), Nordic Delight (beetroot, cream cheese and smoked salmon), and White Chocolate & Cranberry. The competition offered consumers the chance to design their very own ravioli filling and have the recipe packed into Dell’Ugo’s free-range egg pasta. Dell’Ugo received over 100 entries, with creations such as “chocolate, bacon and chilli” and “tofu with goji berries” being some of the strangest suggestions. Ugo noted: “The overwhelming response we got to this competition is testament to the fact that consumers are keen for something new and different which tantalizes the taste buds! The results are also indicative of how emerging trends are influencing consumers today – including sweet/savoury, where sweetness is balanced with bitterness to give multi-dimensional flavours; authenticity and home-cooking; and the hot and spicy flavours from Thai cuisine.” NamNews - Wednesday 3rd July 2013

Just half of consumers trust the food industry to provide safe food

Six months on from the horse meat scandal, British consumers remain highly sceptical about the efficiency of the British food industry. Indeed, new research from Mintel reveals a startling lack of confidence among British consumers in the UK food industry’s ability to provide food that is safe to eat. The research looking at attitudes towards trust in food found just half (49%) of all Brits trust the food industry to provide safe food to eat, with almost two fifths (37%) undecided. What is more, only 42% of all Brits believe the food industry is able to effectively react to food scares (such as BSE and horse meat) while just 23% of the nation agree that the different elements of the supply chain work effectively together. Consumer concerns about food safety appear to relate to the industry’s lack of awareness of their supply chains. Just 36% of consumers feel that food manufacturers are aware of where their ingredients originate from, with around the same number (34%) disagreeing. Furthermore, a large minority (37%) of Brits disagree that supermarkets are aware of where their ingredients originate from. Today, just 23% of the nation agree that the different elements of the supply chain work effectively together. Alex Beckett, Senior Food Analyst at Mintel, said: “That food should not be harmful should be one of the most basic of consumer expectations, yet only half of adults feel the UK food industry provides food that is safe to eat, signalling a widespread breakdown of trust in the agri-food chain, and suggesting the need for more active communications and greater transparency towards consumers. The fact that just 36% of consumers believe manufacturers know where their ingredients originate highlights just how long and convoluted modern food supply chains can be. The food industry looks set to face much work to regain consumer trust.” Nearly eight in ten (77%) adults consider the food industry to be too reliant on mass manufacturing, with agreement broadly rising with age (70% of 16-24 year olds compared to 84% of 55-64 year olds). The findings also illustrate how labelling concerns echo consumer misgivings about the operators’ inability to control their supply chains. Only two fifths (40%) of adults trust supermarkets and food manufacturers to provide accurate labelling on food packaging. “The grocers and manufacturers have typically not drawn attention to suppliers of own brand products, but providing these details on-pack could help to support consumer trust in the grocers’ sourcing,” Beckett said In terms of food safety, the British public consider the government (38%) and food manufacturers (39%) to have around the same level of responsibility in providing food that is safe to eat. Affordability is largely the responsibility of supermarkets (62%), together with the need to source food from the UK as much as possible (37%). Of all the aspects of the food chain people think the government should be accountable for, food safety takes top spot. Nearly two fifths (38%) of adults consider it the government’s responsibility to ensure that food is safe to eat, which is higher than responsibilities regarding sustainability (29%), health (10%) and promoting sourcing of food from the UK (14%). The top 5 factors which would encourage consumer trust in food are -1. British ingredients 48%, 2. Manufacturing details on food labelling (where and when made) 47%, 3. Animal welfare certificate 45%, 4. Product origin on the pack 43% and 5. No artificial ingredients 43%. However, the uproar brings some positive news for the domestic food industry. Interest in food of local origin (e.g. 30 mile radius) increased from 17% to 21% in the four months to March 2013 and interest in regional produce also increased from 10% to 14% over the same period. Finally, in a separate piece of research consumers who have purchased ready meals labelled as beef were asked about their attitudes towards the market post horse meat scandal. Around one in five (21%) Brits were worried they might have bought affected products. Slightly less (18%) said they will avoid ready meals with beef as a result of the scandal, while one in ten (10%) say they will now avoid frozen ready meals and 9% any ready meal. Price is an issue for 38% who say they don't trust meals that are too cheap (£1). Just one in ten (9%) say they believe the problem has been solved. NamNews - Wednesday 3rd July 2013

Waitrose helps consumers to eat appropriate portions (with IGD's help)

Waitrose is a British supermarket; it has 291 stores and is the sixth largest grocery retailers in the UK. Living well is one of the four strands of 'The Waitrose way', and helping its customers to eat healthily is a priority for Waitrose. Back in May 2011, it launched the LOVE Life range - focusing on eating more variety and more of the right things instead of restricting choice.

According to Waitrose Nutrition Manager, Moira Howie,

“Shoppers generally know the right types of foods to eat, however healthy intentions can all come unstuck when it comes to working out the right amount to eat. The question of how much is just as important.”

In 2009, IGD conducted consumer research to explore consumer perceptions of portion size and find out which foods consumers find the hardest to achieve appropriate portion sizes for - starchy carbohydrates, cheese and savoury snacks such as crisps and nuts were all cited as being tricky. The research included consumer focus groups as well as asking healthcare professionals which foods their clients struggled most to measure.

Waitrose has considered the findings from IGD research in the development of a range of new kitchen utensils to help consumers get the portion size right.

The tools make it easy to manage the quantities needed to make popular family dinners including a sauce ladle, a cheese grater portion pot and an easy-measure pasta bucket. These ensure appropriate portions to avoid overeating and they can help prevent leftovers going to waste.


Snacks can also be hard to measure making it easy to overconsume certain foods. Waitrose nut pot has serving indicators to help keep portions in perspective and the supermarket has also created a simple cereal scoop to avoid families pouring too much.

The Waitrose LOVE life kitchen utensils are designed to make measuring portion sizes simpler and take the guesswork out of cooking and eating - making healthy eating easier for consumers.

Source: IGD.com

Leerdammer in new sandwich box giveaway

Cheese brand Leerdammer has launched a new on-pack promotion that offers shoppers the chance to claim an exclusive sandwich box. The promotion aims to emphasise the brand’s credentials as a filling for sandwiches. Running across packs of Leerdammer Original and Light Slices, the promo will go live from the first week of July and will run through until the end of August. Consumers will be invited to enter two codes from the on-pack label onto www.leerdammer.co.uk, to then be sent their own Leerdammer lunchbox. Bel UK noted: “With the majority of Leerdammer slice usage currently in sandwiches, we believe this on-pack offer is a great way to give a little something back to our loyal lunchtime shoppers, as well as encouraging new customers to trial the brand.” NamNews - Thursday 27th June 2013

Bitesized confectionery market is thriving, says Mars

 Bitesize confectionery has seen 40% growth over the last four years in the UK and is now worth £550m ($859m), according to Mars which has launched its first share bag versions for its Twix and Mars brands.
Twix Mix will be rolled out across UK retailers from July in 140g sharing pouches, while the company also recently announced the arrival of Mars Mix. Mars reports that the bitesized confectionery category is "thriving" and claims to hold six of the top ten bestselling large pouch lines in the UK.

Consumers staying at home

The company said the growth came as consumers were opting to stay at home more often. Nicola Lacey, central sales director, Mars Chocolate UK, said: "As we continue to see consumers swapping their Big Night Out for a Big Night In, we have witnessed the incredible impact this has had on the confectionery market and in particular on Bitesize products.

"The Twix Mix launch is backed by a £9m ($14m) media spend this year and Mars is hoping retailers position the bags at prime point of sale locations in stores.


UK bitesized confectionery market

Euromonitor International last year published its ‘Confectionery Packaging in the United Kingdom’ report, which indicated growth prospects in the UK confectionery packaging market were sparse, but bite-sized and share bag versions of well-known brands could be the saving grace. Francisco Redruello, senior analyst for food at Euromonitor told ConfectioneryNews: "They [share bags] have been doing very well in the UK and US. Specifically last year because of the Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee". He echoed Mars’ sentiments that cash-strapped consumers were choosing to stay at home and were sharing treats with their families and friends. The bitesized bag format, which Euromonitor calls bagged selflines, grew 15% in constant value in the UK from 2011 to 2012.  Mars and Mondelez  Redruello said that Mars and Mondelez were the main players in the category. As well as the new launches, Mars also has bitesize bag varieties of MMs, Maltesers, Minstrels, Milky Way, Galaxy and Revels. Mondelez International-owned Cadbury has bitesized versions of many brands including Wispa and Milka. The company has named ‘Bitesize’ among its four global chocolate innovation platforms, which also includes ‘Bubbly’, ‘Choco-bakery’ and ‘Hollow Wafer’. Source: Oliver Nieburg - foodanddrinkeurope.com, 19th June 2013 

Consumer confidence in June at highest peak since 2011

Consumer confidence rose to its highest level in two years in June, as more shoppers said they were ready for large purchases. The levels rose as consumers said they were less pessimistic about the economy and their ability to make major purchases. The monthly Gfk survey of consumer confidence rose to -21 in June, the highest level since October 2010 and up from -22 in May. The report noted: “A one-point rise is not in itself important, but what matters more is that it is another marker in what now appears to be a clear upward trend”. The survey found that the main factors behind the rise in confidence were an improved outlook for the economy in 2014 (up 2 points to -16), despite consumers' view of their personal finances over the coming year weakening. Gfk warned: “What makes this apparent good cheer somewhat surprising, and what may prevent the government from breaking out the champagne quite yet, is that the improvement comes at a time when there has been a flurry of recent reports showing that people are not only getting worse off, but they are likely to continue to do so”. NamNews - Friday 28th June 2013

Coca-Cola to push "Smoothies For Breakfast" agenda

Coca-Cola is set to work on convincing British consumers to consume smoothies or juices for breakfast, instead of the regular cup of tea or coffee. The strategy was unveiled by bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises, through a report last week, which looked at ways to boost sales over the next five years. The report includes a category titled ‘Complete the Meal’, which notes that a quarter of all drinks consumed are done so before 10 a.m. It asks: “How do we motivate people to make soft drinks, like smoothies, juices and other on-the-go products, part of their morning ritual in the same way as tea or coffee?”. The report also highlighted that there are no soft drinks in the UK designed as ‘relaxation’ drinks, as exist in the US and Japan – an absence it may seek to rectify. It also will look to promote soft drinks as a pick-me-up at work, tap into the ‘Daytime at Home’ category, and offer better packages for teenagers. The report notes that people want to be more healthy by drinking more water but that soft drinks can offer "refreshing, health and tasty alternatives." NamNews - Friday 28th June 2013

FEAST - Brick Lane Yard, London - July 4th-7th 2013

London’s most exciting and adventurous food event is back. The fourth incarnation of Feast’s rambunctious round up of London’s top chefs and street food hero’s promises an alternative spin on the traditional village fete. With hot air balloons, hampers and high jinks, the Feast Village Fete promises to delight the cook and epicure alike. From Coconut shies, bat the rat and tug of war to hot air balloon flights, picnics and strawberries and cream the Summer Feast promises a unique and memorable day out for all the family.

The exciting new line-up includes Spuntino, Brindisa, Flat Iron, Patty and Bun, James Lowe (Young Turks), Bonnie Gull, The Pig and Butcher, HIX, Moro, Meringue Girls, Big Apple Hot Dogs, Rum Kitchen and many more which have been featured in foodwatching.
You can buy tickets and find out more information at www.wefeast.co.uk/feast-now

Source: thefoodpeople, 20th June 2013

The Truck Stop 4-5th July 2013

 

 

 

The Truck Stop convoy rolls into Wood Wharf E14 on 4th & 5th July and will feature the largest collection of quality food trucks ever assembled in London.
Alongside the UK's best food trucks, there will be a craft beer bar, a roadside diner, a Camden Town Brewery keg party with a Rotary Smoke barbecue pit, a taco shack, a 'secret' Gin Bar and the Rotary cocktail bar; all packed onto the waterfront at Wood Wharf with live music and tons of seating and eating.
Tickets for Truck Stop are £10. When you arrive at Truck Stop you can trade your ticket in for 10 Truck Stop dollars which you can spend at any of our cocktail and craft beer bars.

Source: thefoodpeople, 28th June 2013