More than two-thirds of Australians, who made resolutions in January to eat better food and cut out unhealthy snacks did not manage to stick to their plans. Independent research, commissioned by McCain Foods, found while 52 per cent of Australians made a New Year’s resolution to improve their diet, most failed to keep a commitment to healthy eating beyond two months. Only 30 per cent of those that made a healthy eating resolution have kept it. A lack of time to prepare meals was the leading... ...Read more »
The latest in a long line of functional or ’super’ foods, coloured chickpeas have recently been found to be more beneficial than the more well known cream and beige chickpeas. Coloured chickpeas have significantly higher antioxidant qualities than the regular cream and beige color varieties, according to a new study in the Journal of Food Science, published by the Institute of Food Technologists in Chicago. Known to be high protein, chickpeas are the second most important pulses in the... ...Read more »
New consumer research released today by Millward brown, using the ‘TrustR’ metric, named Cadbury Dairy Milk as Australia’s third most trusted brand, after Colgate and Nokia. Nescafé came in fifth, Coca-Cola’s Mount Franklin at seventh, and Woolworth’s/Safeway in the tenth place. The metric measures consumer responses to the question “How trustworthy is this brand?” and “Would you recommend this brand?” The scores are indexed and combined to... ...Read more »
An industry expert has emphasised the importance of economic and environmental sustainability in the food industry in the face of global upheaval during a speech to the British government. According to to the CEO of market insight group IGD, Joanne Denney-Finch, the food industry needs to be flexible and responsive in order to overcome the challenges of the next decade: environmental degradation, economic recession, shifting markets, climate change and a 25% increase in food requirements. “Most... ...Read more »
Asia-Pacific consumer brands will succeed in the recovering economic markets if lessons are learnt from the last two years, according to new research from independent business analyst Datamonitor. The study has revealed the difficulties brands face in capturing the attention of consumers, with 67% of Australians saying they simply don’t even notice new alcoholic drinks on the shelves. Datamonitor figures show manufacturers bombarded the FMCG market with over 1600 product innovations launched... ...Read more »
Nearly a third (30%) of shoppers claim to have specifically purchased locally-produced food over the last month, double the number from 2006, according to new consumer research released by food and grocery analysts IGD. Support for ethically produced foods in general has withstood the pressures of an 18-month recession and is in fact growing. When asked about food they have specifically purchased over the last month, shoppers responded: * 30% said locally produced food (up from 15% in 2006) * 27%... ...Read more »
The latest Nielsen Top 100 Brands - released this week - has shown food products dominating the leading grocery products in 2009, with Cadbury claiming top place in consumers’ hearts. The UK-based confectioner - soon to be purchased by Kraft - saw their Cadbury brand surpass the ever popular Coca-Cola beverage and Bega cheese. Rounding out the top five were Smith’s and Kleenex Cottonelle. “Recognising that consumers own and determine the performance and strength of a brand, we... ...Read more »
Frugal behaviours adopted during the global recession may reflect a new normal regarding consumer shopping, dining, and eating preferences, according to the American-based Packaged Facts. What constitutes value is being redefined and consumers are making different choices than in years past that will drive their food and beverage purchases for the foreseeable future, the Food Flavors and Ingredients Outlook 2010 report discovered. “The outlook for 2010 is best viewed with guarded optimism.... ...Read more »
Analysis of supermarkets’ loyalty schemes by consumer group Choice has questioned the merits of rewards programs for shoppers, arguing that most will have to wait a long time before receiving any real benefits. The consumer group argues that loyalty schemes can discourage consumers from finding better buys elsewhere and encourage them to trade large amounts of personal data which may be worth much more than any rewards. Choice research found rewards programs offer significantly less than a... ...Read more »
A pan-European study by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC) has provided further insights into the shopper relationship with food labels. The study, which questioned 17,300 people from various European countries, both in supermarkets and at home, found that only 18% of Europeans regularly look for nutrition information on food packaging in-store. Independent market research agencies carried out the field work in each country. Results showed, however, that the better established forms... ...Read more »