INNOVATIVE PACKAGING ATTRACTS CUSTOMERS

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HOT CANNED MEAT SALES STEAMING AHEAD

Issue 82 13.05.10

Hot canned meat is well and truly back on the menu in Britain, with new research showing that the retail market has grown at three times the rate of its cold meat equivalent in the past two years.Continued over page...

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According to global market research company Mintel, sales of hot canned meats are steaming. In the last two years alone, sales have grown by a hearty 12 per cent, compared to cold canned meats with a growth rate of just four per cent.

British consumers have rediscovered the joys of the cupboard staple, thanks partly to the unexpected efforts of celebrity chef Delia Smith, but also due to continued promotional activity that has attracted new users at the expense of cold meats.

Today, hot canned meats account for as much as 56 per cent of the canned meat market, with as many as one in five Brits now

buying canned meatballs and minced beef.

Canned pies have been the star performer in the sector, benefitting from demand for value-for-money, no-fuss comfort food that can be eaten as a whole meal, according to Mintel.

“Canned meats have continued to battle their perception as a lower quality substitute to fresh meat ranges,” said Mintel senior analyst Vivianne Ihekweazu.

“In 2008, when Delia Smith launched her book ‘How to Cheat at Cooking’, some consumers were enraged at the suggestion that tinned mince could be substituted for fresh mince in the recipes.

“However, it showed consumers the versatility of canned meats and the fact that it could serve as a substitute for fresh meat in recipes – something which appears to have resonated.”

Hot on the heels of canned meats is the bean, which has been the star performer in the canned meals market. While canned pasta has fallen nine per cent in the past five years, sales of baked beans have jumped a spectacular 45 per cent in the same period, thanks to wider product ranges and the introduction of healthier variants with lower sugar and salt levels. Today as many as 81 per cent of all Brits buy baked beans.Source: Mintel International Group

Issue 82 MAY 2010 02

HOT CANNED MEAT SALES STEAMING AHEAD cont.

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Issue 82 MAY 2010 03

Customers are attracted to innovative packaging designs on the shelf, and will even pay more for special or unusual packaging, according to a study by Helsinki University.

Study participants wore special eye-tracking glasses that automatically detect eye movement and produce a ‘heat map’ showing what attracts and holds the consumers’ attention. They also judged the best and worst packaging of the sample products – all of them genuine, but not familiar to the group.

The researchers found that deeper colours worked to suggest a full-flavoured and high-quality product, while

white packaging suggested freshness, hygiene and even better taste. Grey, overly small or “ugly” designs prompted negative reactions from the research group, but they responded well to unusual shapes.

Packages with unique shapes, fit-to-product colours, and large front faces received most attention on the shop shelf.

Riikka Joukio, the vice-president of marketing for M-real Consumer Packaging, which commissioned the study, said that, while innovative designs attract consumers, difficulties in opening and closing the same package will alter opinions dramatically and influence

the decision on whether to repurchase a product.

“Increasingly packaging is required to act as a ‘silent salesman’ for a brand, especially with the rise in retailer own brands and when as many as 70 per cent of purchase decisions are made at point of sale,” said Mr Joukio. “Lasting impressions can be made at first sight, but we felt it was also vital to find out if

opinions change at a later point in a carton’s life cycle.

“The outcome of the consumer perception test was clear: the package is an integral part of the product itself and both need to be complementary. Many comments of the participants concerned the product, even though it was only the package that they were asked to evaluate. The package has to reflect brand values.”

INNOVATIVE PACKAGING ATTRACTS CUSTOMERS

trEnDWAtchAWARD ENTRIES OPENEntries have opened for two of the most prestigious awards in Australia – the 2011 Product of the Year, and the 2010 Australian Packaging Awards.

The Australian Packaging Awards are organised by the Packaging Council of Australia (PCA) and are the leading national design awards for packaging. Entries close on June 18, but companies can save money by registering by May 21.

Judging will take place in July and the winners will be announced at a presentation dinner on Thursday, October 7.

Entries for the Product of the Year awards close on August 4, with a discount applying before June 30. They are open to all marketers who have launched a new product or variant since January 1, 2009.

This year’s POY dinner was hosted by TV personality and POY ambassador Lisa Wilkinson, and one of the big winners was Mortein’s NaturGard Automatic Indoor Pest Control System.

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Issue 82 MAY 2010

Australia must adopt a national food waste strategy to ensure the long-term sustainability of the nation’s food supply, the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) said at last week’s launch of the NSW Government’s ‘Love Food, Hate Waste’ campaign.

While Australia’s leading food and grocery companies are already reducing waste, AFGC urged all states and territories as well as households to adopt a similar approach and minimise food waste.

The food waste issue was highlighted in a recent CAN cover story (pictured) that also pointed out the advantages of canned food.

Canned food reduces the amount of avoidable waste

because of its long shelf-life, which means it can be stored safely until it is needed, and because it is offered in convenient portion sizes that further reduce the potential for waste.

Environmental benefits of canned food are further highlighted by the fact that steel cans are infinitely recyclable, so the packaging largely avoids landfill.

The ‘Love Ford, Hate Waste’ campaign is based on a UK program of the same

name and was launched in Sydney by the NSW Minister for Climate Change and Environment, Frank Sartor.

AFGC Chief Executive Kate Carnell (pictured right) congratulated the NSW Government on the project, which aims to reduce the amount of energy, water and resources used to grow, package and supply food.

While local food and grocery manufacturers send on average the equivalent of less than one per cent of finished products to landfill, Australian households throw away more than $5 billion worth of food each year.

“This level of waste is unsustainable – it’s bad for the environment and for the economy,” Ms Carnell said.

“We need a fundamental shift in thinking and that’s why industry is calling for food waste to be an integral part of Australia’s national waste strategy. Industry is committed to working in partnership with government, retailers and the wider community to ensure Australia’s food supply is sustainable into the future.”

IMPRESS TOPS IN SAFETYImpress Australasia has posted a zero Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) for the first time in the company’s history.

Managing director Andrew Gall praised the company’s staff on the achievement, saying it was the first time Impress has not had a single injury in the business that has resulted in lost time in 12 months.

“This is the result of efforts made by everyone in the business and I think it is important to acknowledge that this has been a sustained effort over a long period of time,” said Mr Gall.

“Leadership in safety is important and, while it can be difficult to raise a safety issue with a co-worker, it is critical that we all do so.”

The Australasian team was also congratulated by Francis Labbe, the CEO of Impress globally, on this outstanding achievement.

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AUSTRALIA NEEDS A FOOD WASTE STRATEGY

WHIPPED CREAM

FOR ADULTS ONLY

INNOVATION GARDEN IN A CANWORLD NEWS

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CANNED FOOD CAN REDUCE AVOIDABLE WASTE

The issue of unnecessary

food wastage has been

in the news lately, and it

is an issue that highlights

the numerous financial,

health and environmental

benefits to consumers of

canned food.

Issue 80 15.04.10

Continued over page...

can & aerosol news 05Issue 82 MAY 2010

More than 60,000 consumers voted in the second annual Product of the Year awards in the United States, and the winners included two aerosol products and an aluminium bottle.

SC Johnson and Son won two of the 14 categories with innovative aerosol applications for two of its biggest brands – Glade and Pledge – while The Coca-Cola Company took out the beverages category with its new Sprite Green, a low-calorie variety that comes in a distinctive 8.5-ounce aluminium bottle.

SCJ collected the household products category award with its new Pledge Multi Surface cleaner, which

comes in a shaped aerosol can and contains a special anti-static formula that makes it suitable for cleaning electronic equipment as well as wood, glass, stainless steel and granite surfaces.

The company’s second success in New York was in home cleaning products,

where the new motion-activated Glade Sense & Spray air freshener was voted the best product.

Glade Sense & Spray has an innovative motion sensor built in so that freshener is only released when someone enters the room, so it only works when needed. It also has a lock-out function that keeps it from going off for another 30 minutes unless you hit a boost button for an instant burst of freshness in one of a number of fragrances.

Herb Sorensen from market research company TNS said the survey found that displaying the Product of the Year stamp on a package is 25 per cent

more effective at generating purchase interest from shoppers than simply displaying the word ‘New!’ on a package.

“Shoppers are faced with a blizzard of choices in the store, and anything that helps them cut through the clutter is good for the shopper … and good for the retailer and brand,” said Mr Sorensen.

“Product of the Year not only provides a distinguishing mark, but backs that mark with a one-two punch: chosen by other shoppers and ‘new’, a powerful motivator of trial in a jaded market.”

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