A pan-European study by the European Food Information Council (EUFIC), presents interesting information for the food industry - with food labels found to be widely understood and recognised. “While there are several nutrition labelling schemes across Europe, our findings show that people recognise them and generally know how to use them to make informed nutrition choices,” commented Professor Klaus Grunert of the University of Aarhus, Denmark, who conducted the study for EUFIC. “Nutrition... ...Read more »
PepsiCo and their UK bottler, Britvic, have announced they will use one of the hottest trends in Japan, QR (quick response) codes, to strengthen ties with their consumers. The codes will appear on around 400 million Pepsi cans and bottles in the UK. QR codes can be employed for promotional purposes, to gain more traffic to mobile-enabled websites or to give out information. The Japanese immigration service uses them as passport stamps. In the case of Pepsi, it will enable consumers to receive entertainment,... ...Read more »
The Counter, a rapidly expanding American burger chain that enables consumers to build their own burgers, is coming to Sydney in December. At the innovative restaurant consumers are given a clipboard upon entry and asked to choose the ingredients they desire on their burger from an extensive list. The selection process begins with the decision of the type of burger - Angus beef, grilled chicken, turkey or veggie. Then one of ten cheeses, four out of a range of 28 toppings and one of 18 sauces can... ...Read more »
Australians love buying “house brand” cotton wool and sugar but baulk at the thought of deserting trusted brands when it comes to sunscreen and ice-cream. And, while private labels have been a strong growth segment for supermarkets over the past few years, there are a number of product categories in which Australians have tried the no-name option and come back to national brand favourites, according to business information analysts IBISWorld. Last year house brand sales accounted... ...Read more »
Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, is to launch a new feedback service entitled ‘Every Comment Helps’ in 100 of their UK supermarkets. Essentially, their improved customer service process will increase the ease of which consumers can contact the retailer (at no cost for the customer). “Customers can send us an SMS text, an e-mail, dial the freephone number, or use the traditional comment cards to give feedback,” a Tesco spokeswoman told Retail Week. “The system... ...Read more »
McDonald’s, the world’s largest fast-food restaurant franchise, is to banish its current packaging in a bid to improve consumer ties to the brand, with an increased focus to be placed on the product instead of the iconic ‘I’m lovin’ it’ slogan. Speaking to reporters in America overnight, the Global Chief Marketing Officer for McDonald’s, Mary Dillon, noted that the change was the “biggest packaging initiative in the history of the brand”. Each... ...Read more »
Discounted price, dollar menus, and other promotions are driving customer traffic and keeping the American restaurant industry in the black, according to The NPD Group, a leading market research company. NPD figures suggest total restaurant industry traffic rose 1 per cent for the quarter ending August 2008, with the modest gain driven entirely by special offers. As consumers look for ways to moderate their overall food budget without cooking more, restaurant operators have been promoting more deals... ...Read more »
With the world on the brink of a global downturn and a further intensification of competition likely between products and brands, there is more and more pressure on beverage manufacturers to differentiate their brands through radically different and innovative packaging materials and design. As market conditions have deteriorated over the last 18 months, pressure on margins, coupled with highly volatile energy and materials costs and increasing environmental pressures, have shifted the focus of packaging... ...Read more »
Australian food and beverage manufacturers have responded to community concerns regarding some food advertising during children programming by developing the Responsible Children’s Marketing Initiative. Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) Chief Executive Kate Carnell will today outline the food and beverage industry’s response to community concerns about advertising practices in the AFGC’s submission to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) on its revised... ...Read more »
Seafood Experience Australia (SEA), the national marketing body for seafood, made another step forward on Wednesday when it’s Seafood Promotion Act Reference Group (SPARG) and other industry representatives met in Adelaide and progressed discussions into finding a fair and equitable way to share the burden of seafood promotion, both domestically and internationally. The meeting heard from the General Manager of Contracts & Services at DAFF (Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry),... ...Read more »