The Grocer – 17 August 2019

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buying & supplying fresh

Arla eyes big push into

plant-based category

Peter Giørtz-Carlsen: ‘We are now evaluating this clearly’

Kevin White
Dairy giant Arla is ready
to embrace the plant-
based boom, The Grocer
can reveal, and is plan-
ning a big push into the
category.
With sales of plant-
based dairy alterna-
tives rocketing, Arla was
now seriously looking at
launching its own vegan
products, suggested its
executive VP for Europe
Peter Giørtz-Carlsen.
It follows research pub-
lished by Mintel in July,
which revealed the pro-
portion of Brits consum-
ing dairy alternatives had
risen from 19% last year
to 23% this year.
The sector was an
increasingly important
part of European con-
sumers’ diets, Giørtz-
Carlsen said, adding

“there is definitely a con-

sumer need”.

While Arla would

retain a “full focus” on

developing its dairy busi-

ness and expanding its

branded dairy portfolio

across Europe, Giørtz-

Carlsen told The Grocer

it was now “very difficult

not to have a stand on

p l a nt- b a s e d”.

“We are now evaluat-

ing this very clearly,” he

said. “I can’t see why we

should not enter this sec-

tor at some point.”

Such a move would fol-

low a similar play by rival

Danone, with the French

dairy giant expected to

launch a dairy-free vari-

ant of its flagship Activia

yoghurt later this year.

In a clear hint the sup-

plier would look to use

its existing sourcing and

manufacturing base,

Giørtz-Carlsen added

Arla’s 12,000 farmer own-

ers across Europe meant

it had the “infrastructure

capability” to make an

impact in the category.

“If we enter, our aim

would not just be a ‘me

too’. We would come with

something meaningful

with a clear point of dif-

ferentiation,” he added.

“We would like to

drive and develop the

category for the con-

sumer. Fundamentally,

we believe it’s not an

‘either or’ decision. There

is room for both dairy

and dairy alternatives in

the market and we need

to cater for consumer

needs.”

Shoppers’ love of eggs

shows no sign of slowing

down, with sales contin-

uing to soar during the

past year.

Volume sales rose by

4% in the year to 14 June

[Kantar]. This repre-

sented an increase of 260

million eggs to 6.5 bil-

lion, said the British Egg

Industry Council. The

market was now bigger

than at any point in the

past 30 years, said BEIC

chairman Andrew Joret.

He cited a change in FSA

advice in 2016 as a key

driver of the upturn.

Volume sales of fresh shell

eggs rose by 4% in mults

Sales of eggs

soar past 6.5

billion mark

Unilever acquired the

brand last December

Unilever is to spend

£8m on a major market-

ing push to promote its

recently acquired brand

The Vegetarian Butcher.

The fmcg giant –

which bought the Dutch

plant-based brand last

December – has also

secured listings for a full

national rollout of The

Vegetarian Butcher’s

range of 10 chilled prod-

ucts across the mults

from September.

Its products had previ-

ously only been available

with a limited SKU offer-

ing in Tesco, Waitrose

and Ocado.

Unilever to launch major push

for The Vegetarian Butcher

Unilever said the

brand’s “quirky” soy

protein and lupin

bean-based products,

including a vegetarian

Lincolnshire-style sau-

sage called ‘Little Willies’

and vegetarian beef-style

burger ‘Holy Cow’, would

stand out on shelf and

appeal to flexitarians,

vegetarians and vegans

alike.

Other products in

the range include veg-

etarian beef-style meat-

balls ‘Unbelievaballs’

and vegan chicken-style

chunks ‘What the Cluck’.

The rollout will be sup-

ported by a “substantial”

multimedia campaign

which will continue into

2020. The brand’s fro-
      zen line-up of 10 prod-
      ucts will also go on sale
      nationally in January to
      coincide with Veganuary


2021. 
      

Its ad showed two fathers
losing track of their kids

Philadelphia has become
the first food and drink
brand to be censured by
the ASA under its new
gender stereotyping
rules.
A total of 128 com-
plaints against a TV and
VOD ad were upheld by

Philadelphia advert

violates gender rules

the ASA over its portrayal

of the “harmful stereo-

type” of men as “unable

to care for children as

well as women”.

Launched on 14 June,

the ad featured two ‘new

dads’ being distracted by

buffet food while their

children were carried

away on a conveyer belt.

The ASA considered

the scenario “implied

the fathers had failed to

look after the children

properly because of their

gender”.

The ASA said the ad

must not appear again in

its current form.

NOT AN EITHER/OR

There is room for both dairy and dairy alternatives in

the market and we need to cater for consumer needs –

Peter Giørtz-Carlsen, VP for Europe, Arla