Do’s and Don’ts of Tweeting Effectively for CPG Grocery Brands

Wednesday, October 26th, 2011 Posted in Food Marketer's Blog | No Comments »

Twitter LogoMany brands are using social media channels, including Twitter, to connect with their customers. I recently read a very informative blog post by Chris Brogan about how grocery brands are “tweeting” on Twitter – mainly poorly, but some well. These days, many brand managers recognize that they must pay attention to Twitter and Facebook. The days of relying solely on advertising and couponing to drive brand share are long gone. However, it seems that many companies still don’t really “get” how to use social media well. Here’s a quick look at  the do’s and don’ts of effective tweeting.

  1. Don’t have a “ghost town” Twitter account. The biggest mistake that many brands make is to start up a Twitter campaign and then drop it.  @Entenmanns, @NECCO_wafers, and @SwansonChicken are all guilty of this.  A social media campaign requires patience and time to develop relationships and engagement.  If you do decide to discontinue a campaign, remove it from the Twitter site instead of leaving an inactive account visible.
  2. Do tweet for your audience.  Make it relevant and personalized to your consumer’s interests.  Inexplicably, @MrsButterworths tweets about football trivia – a definite disconnect. A common mistake: @HormelFoods  mistook their Twitter account for a corporate PR tool. Anyone looking for business information about Hormel can find it on the company’s website.  On the other hand, @EndustFree does a great job of finding creative ways to engage its consumer.  Who would have thought that dusting could be so interesting?
  3. Don’t put too much focus on your brand/products.  Tweets from @RealDuncanHines are all inwardly focused on the brand itself.  It’s all about them.  Remember, effective tweets need to be about engaging WITH your consumer not chattering AT them. Twitter is a place to have a two-way conversation.Woman on Laptop
  4. Do be human and use a real “voice.”  Brands that have a human voice create better engagement.  For example, @butterball’s tweets are personable and engaging.  You could actually imagine meeting this person.  Butterball also uses @replies effectively (a way of dialoging directly with someone but at the same time sharing it with all your followers).  Snack cake purveyor @LittleDebbie is another example of a grocery brand using a real human voice to engage with its followers. Reading the tweets, you really feel as if you are having a personal dialogue with someone who cares at this company.
  5. Don’t re-tweet compliments about your brand, as @Healthy_Choice does. This is awkward and very self-serving.   Overuse of the exclamation point gets rather annoying – don’t do it.
  6. Do vary your content and make it interesting.  Both @Pepsi and @CocaCola do a great job of this.  They are very focused on their audience and are clearly holding their attention. Of course, they also have large marketing budgets to support what is without a doubt a major focus at these huge beverage brands.
  7. Don’t spam Twitter accounts that don’t know you.  Recently, @RaguSauce did this with a series of tweets about how Dads are clueless when it comes to preparing dinner. Ragu found Twitter handles (user names) with “Dad” in them and then tweeted at them with a link to a Ragu video.  This backfired on the company when one particularly vocal Dad blogger, who received one of these tweets, blogged about how “Ragu hates Dads.”  Ouch!  Be very careful about tweeting at audiences who are not engaged with your brand.

For more information on this topic…

Organic Summit & Natural Products Expo

Tuesday, September 20th, 2011 Posted in Food Marketer's Blog | No Comments »

I am in Baltimore this week for the Organic Summit and Natural Products Expo East.

Natural Products Expo East

It’s an exciting time for the industry.  According to the Organic Trade Association the organic industry grew nearly 8% in 2010 at a time when “flat is new growth” is the current trend for many other segments of the economy.   Given the state of the economy this is particularly notable.   It is clear that ever more consumers are choosing to buy organic and natural products, and retailers are beefing up their product selections to meet the demand.  

Organics Store Sign

Where will the industry go from here?  Based on current trends the future looks bright.   However I recently read a less optimistic report about comments made by the chairman of Nestle, the world’s largest food company.   Peter Brabeck-Letmathe says “you have to be rational…there’s no way you can support life on earth if you go straight from farm to table.”  So in other words we rely heavily on industrialized food production to fill supermarket shelves and our own pantries.

Nestle has recently acquired several premium brands that organic food lovers people enjoy, like Skinny Cow ice cream, San Pellegrino water, and PowerBar energy bars.  The Nestle chairman agrees that organic products (known as “bio” products in Europe) are “good” and that Nestle should help the farmers who make those products.   But essentially Brabeck-Letmathe sees organics as a “privilege,”  a “romantic” notion that is not scalable enough to provide for the world’s food supply. 

NestleBrabeck-Letmathe stated that “from a nutritional point of view, studies show no nutritional difference from bio to other foods, but it’s more dangerous.”  He went on to cite a statistic about the 30-40 deaths a year caused by organic foods fertilized with livestock manure. 

Many would dispute these claims,  and consider such comments to be viewpoints that the largest food corporations promote because organics runs counter to their business model and profit base.  There are certainly large growing companies that do have a strong commitment to organics and wellness, like Amy’s Kitchen and Eden Foods,  but the question is whether such firms would ever achieve the scale necessary to feed the planet. 

This is a key issue that will be debated, and to some extent worked out in the marketplace,  in the years to come.

I will be searching for what’s new and exciting at the Natural Products Expo and connecting with industry colleagues there.  

  Please contact me at npeterson@emergingbrandsmarketing.com if you would like to set up a meeting at the show.

Summer Fancy Food Show Observations

Sunday, July 24th, 2011 Posted in Food Marketer's Blog | No Comments »

The Fancy Food show took place this year in Washington D.C., instead of its normal location at the Javits Center in New York City, which is under renovation.  Surprisingly, the July timing (very hot and humid in D.C.) and change of venue did not seem to have a major impact on attendance. 

Summer Fancy Food show entrance

Show Entrance

The show was packed on the two days that I attended and most companies I spoke to reported having quality visitors in their booths.   I observed some common trends and innovative new products which I will describe in more detail here.  Click here for the Summer Fancy Food Show Photo Gallery.

Restaurant to Retail

I attended a workshop on the topic “Restaurant to Retail Product Trends” (click here to view the Restaurant to Retail Presentation) given by Kara Nielsen, “Trendologist” at the Center for Culinary Development and David Sprinkle with Packaged Facts.  One interesting point was that restaurant trends no longer start just from fine dining, but from a broader, more “populous” landscape, including street food, bar snacks, campus foodservice, and beer gardens.  They described some international products that are of interest for the U.S. market, including a number of Japanese products derived from miso. In fact, I saw many companies at the show exhibiting Japanese cuisine-inspired products.  

Japanese Cuisine

I read recently that when a disaster happens in a particular region, often there is a subsequent spike of interest in foods from the affected area.  The truth of that was certainly proved at the Fancy Food show.  I observed numerous booths selling Japanese-style products, including Tonton, which was showing a line of sauces made with authentic ingredients from Japan.  This business was started by Yoshi Shioda, whose Restaurant Tokyo (opened in Charlotte, N.C. in 1984), offered authentic Japanese cuisine at a time when sushi was still an exotic and unknown dish for most Americans.   Delice Global was showing Taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped cake.  ICrest was showing a line of Yatta (which means “I did it” in Japanese) brand products such as Panko crumbs, Maifun Rice Sticks, Sushi Nori, etc

Translating Asian Concepts to American Palettes

I observed many companies offering what I would call “Asian-ness translated” type products.  One such purveyor is SnapDragon Pan-Asian Cuisine, whose tag line is “journey to the culinary capitals of Asia where every stop brings a new taste discovery.”  Their products include Vietnamese Pho, Rice Noodle Soup Bowls, and Wasabi Cashew Crunchies. 

Appetizer Adventures

Appetizer Adventures

Appetizer Adventures, touting “Bold New Tastes to Explore,” has a line of “taste of” products, including “A Taste of Beijing” as well as more European concepts like “A Taste of Tuscany.”  Modern Day Masala, “where American life meets Indian cuisine,” takes the labor and guesswork out of Indian spice preparation.   Many companies offer sushi kits – I was especially intrigued by Japan Gold’s Sushi Kits marketed as “Sushi for Dummies,” as well as Miso to Go and other products designed to help people with Japanese cuisine.   Finally, there was Kaurina’s, offering Indian ice cream “dessert bars.” 

Chef-Inspired Products

This concept is hot these days, as evidenced by the popularity of TV shows featuring chefs and the growth of restaurant-branded retail products.  Chefs have a lot of credibility that can spill over to their branded products.   At the Fancy Food show, I saw many chefs working the booths, including very well-known folks

Cat Cora

Cat Cora Sofi Awards Speaker

like Cat Cora, who has a line of Cat Cora Kitchen products made by the Gaea company (and was the featured speaker at the show’s awards ceremony).  Colavita, which had a major presence at the show, is a brand that takes the culinary arts and the development of chefs very seriously, providing the financial support for the Colavita Center for Italian Food and Wine at the Culinary Institute of America in New York.  Colavita has aligned with Master Chef Ken Arnone.  There were many restaurants (small and large) dipping their toes into retail waters, ranging from a well-known restauranteur such as Davio’s to a small Thai restaurant,  Thai Feast.

Gluten-Free

There were gluten-free products everywhere.  In fact, it now seems that gluten-free is a benefit that most companies will try to offer, whenever possible.  It was interesting to see even Cabot Cheese advertising their products as “naturally gluten-free.” 

Ancient Grains

There was plenty of quinoa at the show.  You can tell it’s become mainstream when it’s offered under the Near East label.  I asked around about what was the next up-and-coming ancient grain and heard about “teff,” which is an ancient North African cereal grass.  I found it on Bob’s Red Mill website.

Other Cool Innovations

Elizabeth Jeans Apple Pie Kit

 Elizabeth Jean’s Homemade Pie Kit, an assembly kit for making fresh apple pie, even includes a pop-up timer.

BLK – literally, bottled water that’s black.  It’s a naturally black Canadian spring water that offers natural minerals and nutrients derived from fulvic acid.  Could this be the next “hot” (or should it be “cool”) water product? They certainly have their work cut out for them convincing consumers to buy what to most will appear to have come from a less than pure source.

Dean Jacob’s is offering a line of Advanced Spray Technology oil spray, made without propellants, additives or preservatives.  A key benefit is that it is not flammable.

Todd’s Dirt Seasonings -  a very creative name for a line of seasonings in a competitive category.

Buddy’s Fruits - a line of blended fruit in pouches that offers a snacking alternative to whole fruit

Yanni Grilling Cheese, from Karoun Dairies, is a Mediterranean cheese made specifically for grilling.

Osem Whole Wheat Pearl CousCous is a new and healthy side-dish offering.

Cal Hancock

Cal Hancock Accepting Sofi Gold Award

I have to also mention that Hancock Gourmet Lobster and Cal Hancock, whom I got to know when managing Gorton’s mail order business, won 3 more Sofi gold awards, including the very prestigious “Best Product Line” award which is the equivalent in the foodie world of winning the Oscar Best Picture award.  Hancock Gourmet is a perennial Sofi awards nominee and has won many awards at previous shows.

Top 4 Takeaways

Here are my top four takeaways from this summer’s Fancy Food show:

  1. Look for more growth in Asian-inspired products, particularly Japanese products.
  2. If you can claim your products are gluten-free, or can reformulate them to be so, you should consider promoting this popular benefit.
  3. Restaurant-branded and chef-inspired products are experiencing high growth, presenting potential opportunity for food marketers.
  4. Look to the street, such as Street Food Trucks and to popular venues like Beer Gardens for up-and-coming food trends.

 

As always, if you’d like to discuss how these trends might apply to your product or business, contact me here.

Fancy Food Show Preview

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 Posted in Food Marketer's Blog | No Comments »

I’ll soon be heading to the Summer Fancy Food Show July 10-12 at the Convention Center in Washington, DC.  This is a new time and venue for the show, while the Javits Center in New York City is being renovated.  Given all the changes in the food industry in the past year, I anticipate that this will be a very interesting show.  Specialty food companies are well-positioned to leverage and react to current trends in the marketplace.  Here are some of those trends, which we’re sure to see reflected at the show:

-  Government efforts to fight obesity

              – New dietary guidelines from the USDA encourage healthier eating, and particularly eating more seafood.

              - The  Food Pyramid makeover “My Plate,” presents a visual reminder of how to make more healthy choices for meals.

- Consumers eat more meals at home and continue to cut back on eating out (FMI, 2011).  Yet many consumers are unsure about how to prepare their own meals. This suggests a market opportunity for those offering simplified, back-to-basics how-to’s. For example, The Boston Globe recently featured an interview with chef/entrepreneur Jasper White, whose newest cookbook touts simple preparation of top-notch ingredients. White’s cookbook emphasizes buying the best produce or seafood available locally, and then offers simple recipes. Food marketers can take advantage of this trend by offering simple recipes and meal suggestions along with their own products, or introduce new products that tap into the desire for easily prepared yet healthy home-cooked fare.

                – There is growth in takeout meals and restaurant-branded products (IFT, 2011).

- More “real” food.  The growth in organic and natural food products continues along with interest in farmer’s markets.  Consumers are looking for more “local” and sustainable food choices (FMI, 2011).

- The ranks of “foodies” are growing, as evidenced by the growth in specialty foods and television cooking shows.

- Gluten-free products have become more mainstream. Witness the surge in sales at supermarkets and mass merchandisers, as opposed to at the specialty food stores where gluten-free products were more often found just a year ago. There is some question whether this is a trend that’s here to stay or just a passing fad.  Packaged Facts predicts that the market will double to $6 billion by 2015.

- Consumers are shifting from traditional fortified foods to natural sources of nutrients.  Protein and whole grain are “superstar” nutrients.

I will report back on what I observe at the show and welcome any input from my subscribers as well. 

If you’d like to arrange a meeting at the show, call me at 978-468-6123 or email npeterson@emergingbrandsmarketing.com as soon as possible.

Veteran Maine Food Producers Share Lessons Learned

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 Posted in Food Marketer's Blog | No Comments »

I recently attended the “Maine Food For Thought” Forum, sponsored by the Maine Food Producers Alliance, and gleaned a number of very helpful tidbits that will be useful for food marketers.   One of the most interesting segments of the Forum was a panel discussion where a variety of company founders shared key lessons they have learned over the years.  

Maine Food Producers AllianceThe companies represented on the panel were Stonewall Kitchen (Natalie and Jonathan King), Stonyfield Farm Café (Mac McCabe), Winterport Winery (Joan and Mike Anderson), Grindstone Neck of Maine (Carl and Mason Johnson), and  Raye’s Mustard  (Karen Raye).   These are all well-established businesses, involved in a variety of food products and run for the most part by the people who built these businesses from scratch.  The points the panelists made really resonated with me, both in view of my own professional experience and because I have heard these same issues  and concerns raised many times over by clients and industry contacts.

Here are the key lessons these food industry veterans shared about distribution, finances, marketing, and people:

Distribution, Pricing, Costs

  • Have a clear distribution strategy.  Network with your peers and do your own research on all distribution channels –  retail supermarkets, specialty food stores, warehouse clubs, military commissaries,  foodservice,  etc.
  • Understand the pricing and margin structure for each channel – they are all different.  For instance, a supermarket retailer’s margin will be in the range of 30-40%, while a specialty food store’s will be about 60% (including distributor margins). 
  • Understand your true costs.  Put the tracking in place that will help you to accurately determine every aspect of your costs.  Make sure you factor in yields for both raw ingredients and finished product.  
  • Price consistently – be very careful about discounting.  Stonewall Kitchen, for instance, has never discounted their prices.

Finances

  • Plan for capital investment.   New food producers often underestimate their capital needs.
  • Control your growth.  Develop a relationship with the oldest bank in the area and then deal with the youngest bank manager there who will spend time with you and fight for what you need.

Marketing/Sales

  • Know your market.  You need to know everything about the market you are in and be passionate about what you do.
  • Sampling is the key to growing a food business.   You can gather critical feedback and create buzz about your product.
  • Always be creative, innovative.  Maintain your enthusiasm and the positive driving force of your business.

People 

  • Surround yourself with the best people you can afford and be sure to take care of yourself.  This latter point is very important and often overlooked.
  • Figure out what you are good at and what you are not good at.  Hire good people to do the latter. 
  • Know when to hire staff in order to grow.  In fact, having the right people is critically important for start-ups. Hire good people who are passionate about what you do.   
  • Promote from within, but remember that sometimes you also need to hire outside.

 

3 Key Takeaways

1. Hiring decisions (and timing) are critically important to a successful business.

2. Know your business, inside and out, particularly your financials, pricing, costs, and capital needs.

3. Be passionate about what you do.

If you’d like to discuss how these lessons apply to your brand or business, contact me at npeterson@emergingbrandsmarketing.com.

How Do Food Trends Start?

Friday, April 22nd, 2011 Posted in Food Marketer's Blog | No Comments »

A recent article about “the great food trends mystery” recently caught my attention. Just how do food trends start? Why is bacon such a big deal in food these days and what, I mean really, what is the big deal about cupcakes? Other recent “hot” food trends are sliders, bubble tea, and food trucks. What is the source of these trends?

Food TrendsNot so long ago, before the web played such a big role and the explosion of food-related cable TV shows on media outlets like the Food Network, the genesis of trends was fairly straightforward. There were authorities like Gourmet magazine and Martha Stewart, and serious chefs like Paul Prudhomme and Julia Child. People turned to cookbooks and acquired recipes from friends. Restaurant reviews were written by a few “expert” reviewers in print media outlets.

Of course, the food world is not quite like the fashion world or the music world. There are no runways to strut down or award shows or “Top 10” charts for hit foods. What has changed the creation of food trends and increased the speed at which they spread and die out is the rise of social networking. Thanks to websites like Yelp and Foodspotting for restaurant reviews and other opinions, everyone – whether an experienced chef or a “regular Joe” diner — becomes an instant expert. Twitter and Facebook give people still more vehicles for spreading their unfiltered opinions widely and instantly. Popular chefs, bloggers, “eater tweeters,” and journalists all play a heightened role today.

All these forces come together in a hard-to-pinpoint combination to drive trends. It could be that something happens on a popular TV show and then it quickly goes viral over the web. The characters of Carrie Bradshaw and her friends on the cable TV show “Sex in the City” are credited with starting the cupcake craze, for instance. Other food trends start with a popular, media-savvy “celebrity” chef like Rachael Ray or Bobby Flay.

So what’s a food marketer to make of all this? How are we to know, for instance, if the current popularity of “gluten-free” is here to stay? Certainly the increased incidence of celiac disease is real, but we can also observe that there is clearly a larger non-celiac population buying these gluten-free products in the belief that they hold benefits to their health. As a food marketer, you have to watch the marketplace, monitor the blogs and web sites, and make your own judgment. A healthy dose of common sense certainly helps. I personally don’t have a crystal ball, but I do my best to make informed decisions based on credible authorities and what’s actually happening in the marketplace. Here are some tested suggestions, based upon my own experience in the food industry:

• Read trade magazines, blogs, etc. for your industry.
• Talk to your peers at networking events and trade shows.
• Make judgments based on your target consumer and category. Don’t jump too fast on the hottest trend unless your consumer is similarly inclined.
• Feel free to contact Emerging Brands Marketing at 978-468-6123 for advice and recommendations

To read more about how food trends get started, read more here.

Related articles about food trends
Food Trends – Why We Eat the Way We Do
From the USDA – Dietary Recommendations and How They Have Changed Over Time

Boston International Seafood Show Presentation

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011 Posted in Food Marketer's Blog | No Comments »

“10 Key Ingredients to Launching a Successful Retail Product”

 

I gave a presentation at the Seafood Show on March 21 for anyone who is, has, or will be considering launching a retail product or is struggling with go to market strategy or execution.    A detailed description, as it appeared on the conference program, is shown below.  Download a copy of the presentation 10 Key Ingredients to Launching A Successful Retail Product.

When:    Monday March 21, 3:30-5pm

Description:

Seafood processors (or any food manufacturer) who focus on a wholesale, food service-oriented business often want to develop new products to sell in the retail environment.  Local markets, restaurant groups, or other emerging businesses look to diversify and grow with a new product.

But if these businesses lack knowledge of the key steps of a retail product launch, or “Go-To-Market” strategy, they can make costly mistakes and create products doomed to fail. What are the key steps involved in launching a successful retail product? How can businesses avoid the most common mistakes? This panel of seasoned experts in marketing, packaging design, and regulation/food safety will share their own experiences developing successful new products and packaging, providing specific examples.

Whether attendees represent a retail market, restaurant group, family-owned seafood distributor, or veteran seafood processor, they will take away a valuable, actionable checklist to use in their own business, as well as a list of “Do’s and Don’ts of Packaging Design.”

Co Presenters:

Dale Casto, President and Co-owner Wright Design

Bob LaFreniere, Food Safety Lead Auditor, TUV SUD America

Seafood Show Preview- What Not To Miss

Wednesday, March 16th, 2011 Posted in Food Marketer's Blog | No Comments »

This year’s International Boston Seafood Show, which opens this Sunday in Boston, (along with the adjacent New England Food Show) promises something for everyone.  The conference program features almost 20 presentations, some of which will be of particular interest to seafood marketers.  Many of us attend the show to check out new products and trends, and judging from what’s being featured in the New Products Showcase, this year’s show will not disappoint. 

Of course, on everyone’s minds will be the devastation in Japan that has followed the massive March 11th earthquake and tsunami. The disaster has damaged many Japanese fishing ports, and it’s not yet clear (as of this writing) what the full effect will be on Japan’s seafood industry. SeafoodSource.com is a good resource for up-to-date information on this situation.  For more details about the Seafood Show conference program and new products that will be featured at the show, read on. 

Conference Program

The topic of sustainability is clearly of interest to the seafood community, judging by the fact that a full 20% of the Seafood Show’s conference sessions (4 presentations) are related to sustainability.  Most of them focus on aquaculture and business practices, but you’ll also find one on “Selling Diners on Sustainability.”  It will be interesting to see how the sustainability theme crops up in products featured at the show.  Some of the other more consumer-focused sessions are “Consumer Trends in Seafood Purchases” and “Supermarkets 2011: Looking Ahead at Seafood Retail Performance & Consumer Trends.”  Lastly, I encourage you to come to my presentation on “10 Key Ingredients to Launching a Successful Retail Product,” which takes place on Monday, March 21st at 3:30 pm in Room 151B at the Boston Convention Center.  See more details about this presentation here. For more information and to register for the show, go to the Seafood Show website, www.bostonseafood.com.

New Products and Trends

The New Products Showcase at the Seafood Show will feature a variety of tantalizing new offerings like Morey’s Fish Creations, and Calendar Islands Maine Lobster Pizza,  both of which are finalists for the 2011 Seafood Excellence New  Products Competition.  A number of products feature marinades, including Vita Food’s Perfect Catch line, which has a packaging innovation that that keeps the fish fillets separate from the marinade until the consumer is ready to prepare them for cooking.  Scoma’s Restaurant Retail Foods (of San Francisco) is launching a new line of crab cakes, another product that’s a finalist.  Sea Star Seafoods will be showing their top selling Steam Series Line.  I would definitely give the prize for most unusual product to the Seafood Doctor Swai Burger, which promises a “delicious departure from the usual bland, low-calorie, heart-healthy fare.”   Hmmm, I for one, will be interested to see just what this product does taste like…

New England Food Show

This show takes place at the same time and venue as the Seafood Show.  Anyone registered for the Seafood Show gets entrance to the Food Show, but not vice versa (you need to register separately for the Seafood Show).  The products and services showcased here are primarily targeted at restaurants and the food service market, but you will also find some local food manufacturers like Kettle Cuisine and ORC Foods (Falafel Republic) who have consumer-focused products as well.

Top 3 Must-Sees at the Boston Seafood Show

  1. “10 Key Ingredients to Launching a Successful Retail Product” – session is part of the conference program, Monday March 21 at 3:30 pm.
  2. The New Products showcase.  Click here for a preview of the products.
  3. Sustainable seafood – what’s featured on the trade show floor that reflects this trend or movement?

Contact Nancy to schedule a meeting at the Seafood Show today!  Call 978-468-6123 or send an email.

What to Make of the New USDA Dietary Guidelines

Thursday, February 17th, 2011 Posted in Food Marketer's Blog | Comments Off

The USDA’s recent release of its 2010 Dietary Guidelines (USDA Web Site – Dietary Guidelines) has generated a storm of media coverage and responses from every point of view.  What are food marketers to make of these new guidelines? What level of awareness is there among consumers and what opportunities does it present for food companies? This month, I’ll share the highlights and offer some perspective on what this means for marketers. 

USDA Dietary Guidelines

USDA Dietary Guidelines

What’s New?

What makes these guidelines different from past iterations (they are released every five years) is the context in which they’ve been released, namely, the alarming growth in the incidence of obesity in the U.S.. Two-thirds of the people in this country are overweight (one in three children is obese), setting them up for a higher risk of developing such chronic ills as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes. (Check here for more details and statistics about the issue of obesity.)  As a result, the food industry has been under pressure to make changes in what it sells. First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign in particular has received much attention.  

Specific Recommendations

The guidelines stress reducing the intake of sodium, saturated fat (and trans fatty acids) and refined grains (particularly in foods that contain fat, added sugar, and sodium). They recommend increasing consumption of vegetables and fruits, whole grains, fat-free or low-fat milk products, a variety of protein foods. For the first time, the guidelines recommend consumption of more seafood. Also on the recommended list: foods that contain more potassium, dietary fiber, calcium and vitamin D.  This iteration of the guidelines stands out from previous USDA recommendations by virtue of the focus on whole grain, dietary fiber and seafood.  

Do Consumers Care?

How aware are consumers of these new recommendations – and will awareness translate into action?  The general population seems to demonstrate a growing awareness of healthier eating advice, but the new government guidelines really put some teeth into the recommendations. Media coverage has been extensive, which will certainly help bring new attention to the USDA guidelines. Marketers can also educate consumers about the guidelines as appropriate to their business.

Market Opportunities

Any food company that has not yet addressed whole grain ingredients, the increased focus on protein, and/or the call for reduced sodium, fat and added sugar in their product development  and product messaging would be well advised to consider doing so now. There may be an opportunity to add and promote fortified ingredients that include vitamin D, calcium, and potassium.  Seafood companies in particular have a huge opportunity to offer up their products as the solution for increasing seafood consumption in line with the USDA guidelines.  There’s a definite window of opportunity for focusing on new, healthier product benefits while consumers turn their attention to healthier eating in the wake of the release of the new federal guidelines.

Political Overtones – The USDA’s Conflicted Roles

The USDA is charged with promoting agricultural products as well as with giving nutritional advice, which some see as a conflict of interests. Some media reports have claimed the guidelines are unduly influenced by political considerations. For example, see this report from nutrition and public policy expert Marion Nestle. The guidelines avoid identifying specific foods that people should eat less often (like meat and cheese), and instead use terms like cholesterol, saturated fats and solid fats without specifying which foods they are found in.  Some say this is due to the lobbying efforts of special interest groups like the National Cattleman’s Beef Association and the National Dairy Council.  The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, a Washington-based non-profit dedicated to preventative medicine and a vegan diet, is actually suing the USDA, claiming that the agency has too many conflicts of interest to issue clear and science-based dietary guidelines. The PCRM’s advocacy stance must be taken into account when considering the validity of their assertion. But they are not alone in challenging the USDA’s motives — see also the commentary from That’s Fit, Grist, and Healthy Eating Politics.   

Key Takeaways

In summary, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines will be in force for the next five years and are focusing new attention on the issues of health and nutrition in America, specifically the goal of reducing record levels of obesity. The public is becoming more aware of recommendations for better eating and will continue to change consumption habits.  Here are the key takeaways for food marketers.

1.  The USDA Dietary Guidelines will affect the eating habits of consumers who are increasingly aware of the issue of rising obesity.

2.  Marketers should put more focus on products that incorporate whole grain ingredients, have more dietary fiber, and offer reduced levels of sodium, saturated fat and other components that can contribute to obesity.

3.  Seafood companies should seize the opportunity to promote their products as a way to help consumers incorporate the recommended amount of seafood into their diet.

If you’d like to discuss the implications of the new USDA Guidelines on your food marketing strategies, please contact Nancy at npeterson@EmergingBrandsMarketing.com

More Articles About the Dietary Guidelines  

USDA Web Site – Dietary Guidelines 

Mark Bittman’s Take on the Guidelines – New York Times Blog

Physician’s Group Sues USDA over Guidelines – Washington Post

How the New Guidelines Affect Food Technologists – IFT

Winter Fancy Food Show Observations

Friday, February 4th, 2011 Posted in Food Marketer's Blog | Comments Off

Once again the Winter Fancy Food Show did not disappoint those seeking exciting new products, flavors, and product concepts.  fancy food show floor2

To give you a flavor of the show’s highlights, I have bundled my thoughts into 6 categories: 1) Products with whole grains or healthy ingredients, 2) Healthy products for kids, 3) Hummus in great variety, 4) Products made with or to be consumed with wine, 5) Gluten-free products, and 6) A sampling of unusual items.   

Whole Grains/Healthy Ingredients

I was looking for new products featuring healthy whole grains and ingredients and saw many such items. TruRoots and Urbane Grain Urbane grain whole grain quinoa blendshowed easy-to-use, quick-cooking product concepts featuring quinoa and other wholesome ingredients such as lentils and mung beans. Linwoods, an Irish brand, introduced a line of “Super Foods,” mixes of ingredients like ground flaxseeds, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, goji berries and other healthful ingredients. These can be mixed with oatmeal, salads, cereal or granola to add a dollop of extra nutrition. Laxmi’s Delight’s Flaxseed Spreads are another creative option for eating more healthy grains.  San Gennaro Foods showed a line of frozen breakfast items – oatmeal, polenta, and grits. Fall River Wild Rice showed a brand-new snack product, Wild Rice Bites, which is being marketed for both children and adults.

Healthy Products for Children

The greater industry focus on healthier products for children meant I found many examples of these.sensible foods crunch dried snacks The Happy Baby Food company offered a number of healthy frozen meals, baby “finger foods,” yogurt snacks, baby food, and puree items. There was a line of Healthy Helpings “fun kid’s food” at the Perfect Bite Company booth which turned out to be a BJ’s Wholesale Club private label item. The Sensible Foods company offered a line of crunch-dried snacks with a variety of dried fruits and nuts. What I really liked about this booth was their video, which showed kids at a preschool just going to town eating their product. Very convincing!  A little less convincing was the PequeOliva line of olive oil specially formulated for kids. I just can’t envision a need for such a product.   

Hummus Bonanza!

Hummus is a hot category right now (35% increase in US consumption over the past 21 months as reported by Fox Summerfresh Meal to goNews in April 2010), and I saw many innovative new versions at the show.  Tryst Gourmet offered edamame, yellow lentil, and Tuscan white bean varieties under the Eat Well Enjoy Life label, while Fountain of Health offered hummus cocktail products, each topped with olive oil. Summer Fresh had a nice twist with their offerings of “Snack’n Go” products as well as “Meal to Go!” with three different varieties of hummus combined with flatbreads and other healthy salad ingredients.

 

Wine-Related Products

At last summer’s Fancy Food Show, I reported on an ice cream made with wine. It seems that products either made Chocolate for winewith wine or developed to complement wine are all the rage right now. I saw at least five such products: Cookies & Corks by CookieZen, sweet and savory cookies to pair with wine; Wine Snaps, shortbread biscuits made with wine and black pepper; California Wine Wafers, a product originally from the Czech Republic; Wine Nuts, nuts flavored with chardonnay and merlot; and even Brix Chocolate for Wine, chocolates designed to complement wine.

Gluten-Free… Everywhere

I was looking for gluten-free products and I found them…everywhere. At this point, I think many companies simply assume that they should have a gluten-free version of their regular product, if at all feasible. I saw so many gluten-free products that I stopped keeping track of it. This trend is here to stay, at least for now.  

Odd & Unusual

Plush Puffs Gourmet marshmallowsUnder the odd and unusual category, I spotted these products. Plush Puffs Gourmet “artisan” Marshmallows buck every trend out there (at least the health-oriented ones) and it’s hard to imagine that we really need a gourmet marshmallow…  There is nothing new about functional chocolate, but I love the attitude of the CocoXan functional chocolates with benefits (from Xan Confections). How can one ignore products like Coco PMS (“Un-Bitch Yourself” is actual copy from their marketing materials) or Coco Preggers (“Happy Mommy – Happy Baby”)? Along the same lines, TeaMotion offers teas for emotional well-being.  Retro branded products were predicted to be a trend this year, so the Bosco Milk Chocolate Bar is launching at an opportune time. There are a number of noodles out on the market that are made with unusual ingredients, for example, GreeNoodle (made with Moroheiya, a super-healthy vegetable also known as mallow leaf), and Nooodles (made from yam flour). Finally, a product that takes the prize for the strangest juxtaposition of flavor and concept – Skillet Bacon Jam.  Enough said!

 

What were the big take-aways from the Winter Fancy Food Show?

1) Many innovative products offered more convenient ways for people to consume whole grains and healthy ingredients. Surprisingly, the key recommendations in the new USDA Dietary Guidelines do not specifically recommend eating more whole grains, just fewer refined-grain foods. Nonetheless, I expect there will be many more products to come in this category.

2) Since hummus is such a hot category right now, more companies are trying to figure out how to leverage this growth. I wonder, what will be the next innovative product that offers a convenient, healthy alternative for time-starved consumers?

3) Enough wine products! While these products are very creative, I personally would rather enjoy my wine in the traditional way – maybe some cheese and crackers, but skip the sweets!

If you would like more information about any of these products or have questions about the show as it relates to your business,  please contact Nancy Peterson at info@emergingbrandsmarketing.com.

Check out our Winter Fancy Food Show Photo Gallery for more photos of the show.

 
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