Salad
The bagged salad specialist has introduced its new ‘Bags of Insight’ infographic to communicate about consumer buying habits.
Recent studies showing that 37 per cent of all bagged salad is binned at home prompted packaged salad specialist Florette to conduct research into how consumers tend to buy and use the product.
The research convinced Florette to introduce smaller pack sizes in the UK at reduced prices back in April this year in order to help reduce waste, while the company equally invested £6m in sharing this message.
The company has now announced plans to continue this direct communication to consumers with a ‘Bags of Insight’ infographic every few months.
In its first infographic on summer salad trends (see below), Florette highlighted the finding that two bags of Florette are sold every second during the summer months.
Perhaps more surprising, however, is the statistic that 5 per cent of Florette consumers do not “use the salad as an ingredient”.
A £600,000 mixture of digital, print, press and underground advertising to target more than five million on-the-go health-conscious foodies
Florette will be producing a super-powered marketing campaign to mark the launch of its Baby Kale range.
A £600,000 mixture of digital, print, press and underground advertising to target more than five million on-the-go health-conscious foodies.
Identified as ‘new wave healthies’, the salad brand believes these consumers have helped to shape Florette’s super-powered marketing strategy.
Florette will be attempting to spark kale conversation across social media, targeting foodies with adverts in publications such as “The Times”, as well as launching a high impact 48-sheet poster campaign coupled with digital escalator advertising across London’s underground.
Elaine Smith, marketing controller at Florette, said: “More consumers than ever are realising the benefits of superfoods and with continued celebrity endorsement, curly kale is a firm favourite. Our latest creation puts a spin on this popular super leaf, which in its traditional form has to be cooked before eating. Baby Kale can be eaten raw in salads and smoothies – as well as being cooked, so it’s never been easier to enjoy all the health benefits of kale.
“For today’s busy consumer, convenience is essential and we wanted our marketing campaign to reflect this by targeting on-the-go foodies, whilst also inspiring them to get creative with their kale. By combining digital buzz with print, press, as well as billboard advertising in high footfall areas, we will be able to do just that and look forward to launching this exciting campaign in the New Year.”
Last year, curly kale was purchased over 14 million times, and the salad specialist believes this opens up a £3.3 million opportunity for the single leaf sector.
Smith added: “We believe that the positive positioning as a versatile ingredient, as a well as a superfood, will help to deliver incremental purchase occasions and incremental cash value to the rest of the single salad leaf category.”
Baby Kale is on sale now in 60g bags at an RRP of £1.29 in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Waitrose, as well as other retailers.
Watercress tops list aimed at defining the nutritional density that makes a “powerhouse” fruit and vegetable
Superfoods have been the rage for several years – the things that, if we eat them, are said to protect us from a variety of health issues.
Many a food item has had its 15 minutes as ‘the’ superfood, but a new list looking to define what exactly “powerhouse” fruit and vegetables (PFV) are put watercress at the top of the list.
The research, from the United States of America’s William Paterson University, rated 47 different fruits and vegetables on their compilation of fibre, calcium, protein, potassium, and vitamins, among other things.
Researchers developed and validated a classification scheme defining PFV as foods providing, on average, 10% or more daily value per 100 kcal of 17 qualifying nutrients.
Of the 47 foods studied, 41 satisfied the powerhouse criterion and were more nutrient-dense than were non-PFV, providing preliminary evidence of the validity of the classification scheme.
The researchers’ top 30 is as follows:
1. Watercress // 2. Chinese cabbage // 3. Chard // 4. Beet greens // 5. Spinach // 6. Chicory // 7. Leaf lettuce // 8. Parsley // 9. Romaine lettuce // 10. Collard greens // 11. Turnip greens // 12. Mustard greens // 13. Endives // 14. Chives // 15. Kale // 16. Dandelion greens // 17. Red peppers // 18. Rocket // 19. Broccoli // 20. Pumpkin // 21. Brussels sprouts // 22. Spring onions // 23. Kohlrabi // 24. Cauliflower // 25. Cabbage // 26. Carrots // 27. Tomatoes // 28. Lemons // 29. Iceberg lettuce // 30. Strawberries
The six that didn’t make the cut were raspberries, tangerines, cranberries, garlic, onions, and blueberries.
R&G Fresh Herbs secures contract to supply foodservice giant with 16,000 100g bags of herb varieties on a weekly basis
The UK’s leading supplier of fresh cut herbs to the supermarket, foodservice and wholesale sectors has landed a deal with a major new customer.
R&G Fresh Herbs has agreed a contract for its Nature’s Flavours brand with foodservice supplier Reynolds to fulfil a weekly order of approximately 16,000 100g bags of 16 different fresh cut herb varieties.
The order represents a substantial part of the overall herb requirements of the foodservice business.
Dean Fowler, R&G’s general manager, said: “With a long history of supplying the finest fresh cut herbs in the UK, R&G is extremely well positioned to fulfil such an order.”
Representatives from Reynolds visited R&G’s main Woking site and toured the production and packhouse facilities as part of the due diligence process.
“The Reynolds team were very happy with what they saw, as R&G adheres to the most stringent quality control standards and operates a state of the art processing and production facility,” Fowler added.
The first branded fresh cut herbs to consistently feature micro-perforated packaging – something that allows the herbs to respire and thus prolong shelf life – has enjoyed significant commercial success since its November 2012 launch.
The Nature’s Flavours brand has supplied Whole Foods Market, Harrods and Ocado amount its retail customers, in addition to ingredients box suppliers such as Hello Fresh, a raft of wholesalers, and now Reynolds, as it makes significant inroads in the foodservice sector.
Steve’s Leaves has introduced new Persian Cress to the market and had listings of staple products doubled at premium retailer Waitrose
Specialist salad producer “Steve’s Leaves” has strengthened its ties with premium retailer Waitrose with the launch of a new range and increased listings.
Distribution of two Steve’s Leaves’ staples, Baby Watercress & Little Leaves and Pea Shoots & Baby Leaves, will double to feature in 300 Waitrose stores.
Recently launched Persian Cress & Luscious Herby Leaves will be promoted by a new partnership with Michelin-starred chef Daniel Clifford, who will develop recipes and offer a meal at his restaurant, Midsummer House, as a competition prize.
Clifford, who will also feature on the Steve’s Leaves website, described Persian Cress as sweet, peppery and aromatic.
Ruth Amigo, brand manager at Steve’s Leaves, said the company looks forward to introducing further new varieties into the market.
“Since launch our aim has always been to bring something a little bit different to the salad aisle. We’re delighted to build on our successful partnership with Waitrose,” she said.
Waitrose salad and prepared produce buyer, Tom Moore, said: “Our customers are looking for high-quality, great-tasting ingredients and they like to try new things. The Steve’s Leaves brand ethos and its new Persian Cress & Luscious Herby Leaves salad is ideally placed to meet this need.”
The brand, created by watercress academic Steve Rothwell, has been stocked in Waitrose since 2010.
Steve’s Leaves has introduced new Persian Cress to the market and had listings of staple products doubled at premium retailer Waitrose
Specialist salad producer “Steve’s Leaves” has strengthened its ties with premium retailer Waitrose with the launch of a new range and increased listings.
Distribution of two Steve’s Leaves’ staples, Baby Watercress & Little Leaves and Pea Shoots & Baby Leaves, will double to feature in 300 Waitrose stores.
Recently launched Persian Cress & Luscious Herby Leaves will be promoted by a new partnership with Michelin-starred chef Daniel Clifford, who will develop recipes and offer a meal at his restaurant, Midsummer House, as a competition prize.
Clifford, who will also feature on the Steve’s Leaves website, described Persian Cress as sweet, peppery and aromatic.
Ruth Amigo, brand manager at Steve’s Leaves, said the company looks forward to introducing further new varieties into the market.
“Since launch our aim has always been to bring something a little bit different to the salad aisle. We’re delighted to build on our successful partnership with Waitrose,” she said.
Waitrose salad and prepared produce buyer, Tom Moore, said: “Our customers are looking for high-quality, great-tasting ingredients and they like to try new things. The Steve’s Leaves brand ethos and its new Persian Cress & Luscious Herby Leaves salad is ideally placed to meet this need.”
The brand, created by watercress academic Steve Rothwell, has been stocked in Waitrose since 2010.