The FDA has been very reluctant to address "natural" as a food claim with a definitive regulation for the claim. Consumers have become increasingly aware that natural claims on food and beverage packaging are unregulated, and lawsuits regarding misleading natural claims have been flying fast and furious. In response, some food marketers have turned to [...]
Remember good carbs, bad carbs? It was not so long ago that all carbohydrates were to be shunned in pursuit of a healthy diet. Then, thanks to food industry and dietary professionals, the word spread that some types of carbs are actually an important part of a healthy diet and everyone moved on. Well, fats and oils [...]
Coca-Cola found out just how iconic its packaging really is when consumers complained about being confused by regular variety Coke holiday packaging. In an effort to support the World Wildlife Fund to celebrate polar bears, the company introduced new white cans for its regular Coke variety for the holidays. The problem? To consumers this holiday [...]
In terms of eating, a normal day is breakfast, lunch and dinner...right? Not so much, any more. The new norm is anytime, anywhere, and anyhow when it comes to feeding ourselves. Food manufacturers and marketers are responding in large numbers by ignoring the traditional food "day parts", and positioning their products as great choices whenever consumers [...]
Hats off to those food brands and products that are so iconic they become Halloween costumes. Party goers in bottles, cans, packages, and actual product likenesses, displaying brand identities. I personally saw a hot sauce, a candy bar, a couple of insurance spokespersons, and a dizzying array of beers, including "the most interesting man in the world". And, [...]
Artisan...the word that elevates any food or beverage product. According to researcher Datamonitor, there are over 800 food products that proudly display this moniker, 200 of which were introduced or re-branded in 2010 alone. Why? Producers and marketers adopting this descriptor have claimed impressive sales lifts, and in some cases, with increased price points that are commensurate with the [...]
There seems to be a food fight going on over how food facts should be provided to consumers on packaged food products. Everyone agrees that "front of package" information should be provided for a quick read so that consumers can make an educated product choice and move on the next item on their shopping list. [...]
An August, 2011 Harris Poll, by Harris Interactive, indicates that the public seems to love its supermarkets. The survey, which began in 1997, measures the public's perception of how well twenty-two of the nation's largest industries serve their consumers. With an 80% good job minus bad job (90% good job - 10% bad job) perception, [...]
Apparently, Denmark has taken the dare...taxing food products and items based on the amount of saturated fat they contain. Presumably, there is an expectation that individuals will alter their food selections and make healthier choices based on the "tax stick". Everyone's favorites are on the hit list...pizza, cheeseburgers, butter, milk, cheese. The tax tab averages [...]
No more than 10 years ago, self-checkout made its debut in supermarkets. Consumers were split in their attitudes, with only 22% of shoppers finally embracing the concept several years after its introduction. According to the Food Marketing Institute, only 16% of shoppers were using self-checkouts in 2010. It appears that most shoppers do prefer face-to-face [...]