A new study by leading consumer group Choice of more than 100 different brands and types of cows’ milk has suggested the only meaningful differences are between full-cream, low-fat and skim.It contends the generic brands typically sold by supermarkets under their own labels, which command 43% of the market, are effectively the same quality as the well-known brands, which can cost up to twice as much. The consumer group also claimed that most people get no real benefit from the more expensive... ...Read more »

Australians have made various lifestyle changes in response to the recession, including sacrificing some of their favourite brands to save money. However, it is the type of sacrifices being made that has proved most interesting, according to Datamonitor’s Recession & Recovery research. Madam Butterfly The downturn has prompted the majority of Australians to make some sort of sacrifice in their everyday spending. Whether it is bringing lunch from home, renting DVDs instead of going to the... ...Read more »

The growth in private label is likely to slow, although a shift in consumers’ loyalty from branded to own-label lines is “permanent”, according to European research. A report by retail consultancy Verdict Research showed that, since the fourth quarter of 2008, EU consumers have switched to private label on an “unprecedented scale”, Verdict said, with trading down and switching having become endemic. As a result, value has become the overriding objective for retailers... ...Read more »

Goodman Fielder, Australia’s largest publicly listed food manufacturer, has reported a 6.5 per cent surge in sales despite headwinds from “depressed consumer confidence” and increased private label pressure. The company saw profits rise to $177.7 million from $27.7m last year, largely due to asset sales and last year’s write-offs. “During the majority of the year operations continued to be impacted by an extended period of substantial and rapid increases in commodity... ...Read more »

Mintel’s Global New Products Database (GNPD) has discovered that amid rampant private label food product development, manufacturers of the products are staying current with the latest food trends. Attempting to provide more than just cheap alternatives to national brands, the newest private label foods try to woo shoppers with premium ingredients, portability and health benefits. So far in 2009, Mintel’s GNPD has seen nearly 1,800 new US private label foods appear on retail store shelves:... ...Read more »

New research suggests that the salt content of some popular global brands varies across the world, with some consumers consuming twice as much from the same brand as their counterparts elsewhere in the world.The World Action on Salt and Health (WASH) surveyed over 260 food products available around the world from food manufacturers such as KFC, McDonald’s, Kellogg’s, Nestle, Burger King and Subway. Not one product surveyed had the same salt content around the world, according to the... ...Read more »

Strong demand for national brands has ensured a change of heart at Woolworths’ Thomas Dux upmarket grocery stores, according to a report in The Age. The burgeoning grocer is set to double the number of branded goods it currently sells to appease customers complaints that there were too few on offer. General Manager of Thomas Dux, Pat McEntee, said they would increase the number of branded products from 15 per cent to 30 per cent of the 3000 lines their average store sells. The rest of the products... ...Read more »

The economic downturn has not created a ‘health crunch’ when it comes to new product innovation, according to research conducted for UK manufacturing representative the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) by independent consultancy Mintel’s Global New Products Database.Based on its tracking of new product launches in the UK grocery market, Mintel has discovered that nearly 250 reformulated products were launched in the first six months of this year – similar to the same period... ...Read more »

The Product of the Year awards, heading into their third year in Australia, have now joined the successful global franchise that sees consumers in 28 countries choose the best new product launches every year. Australia’s largest independent consumer survey of product innovation, initially started by infomercial advertiser ‘what’s new?’ and conducted by Roy Morgan, will this year be carried out by global research company TNS – in line with the global program. Winners... ...Read more »

Grocery manufacturing giant General Mills has posted 8 per cent sales growth for the year to May 31 as core brands like Cheerios, Yoplait and Betty Crocker drove a volume increase of 2 per cent. The maker of Latina and Old El Paso continued to show the resilience of food manufacturers, and their ability to increase volumes highlighted their strength given the amount of destocking undertaken by supermarkets. The company performed particularly well in the Asia Pacific region, with a 16 per cent sales... ...Read more »