The Grocer – 13 January 2018

42 | The Grocer | 13 January 2018 Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk

buying & supplying fresh

Alpro has expanded its

partnership with Costa

after signing a global

deal to supply the coffee

chain with Alpro Coconut

For Professionals.

The agreement builds

on the brand and Costa’s

existing relationship to

supply soya milk from its

For Professionals range.

It also sees Whitbread-

owned Costa introduce a

new range – Coconut Flat

White, Coconut Vanilla

Latte and Coconut Mocha

• which went on sale in
  about 1,400 outlets in the
  UK last week.

Costa will now use Alpro

Coconut For Professionals

Alpro extends

partnership

with Costa

‘US risks not limited to

chlorinated chicken’

The report highlighted US use of a pig growth hormone

Rachel Graham
There is more to fear
from a trade deal with
the US than just chlo-
rine-washed chicken and
hormone-treated beef,
the Soil Association has
warned, after it released
a report outlining 10
“food safety risks”.
The report, published
this week, highlights
practices legal in the
US, such as the use of
chicken litter as cattle
feed, as concerning and
calls on stakeholders in
UK food to be allowed
input on any future trade
negotiations with the US.
Chicken litter – a ren-
der of feathers, spilled
feed, poultry excrement
and sometimes even car-
cases – is marketed as a
cheap feed product for
cattle in the US.

While the EU allows its

use as a fertiliser, it was

banned as a feedstuff fol-

lowing the BSE outbreak

in 2001. There have also

been reports of carcases

in litter being linked to

outbreaks of botulism.

The Soil Association

also cited the use of

growth hormone rac-

topamine in pork, a

drug banned in the EU

that causes animals to

process feed more effi-

ciently, thereby gaining

weight and resulting in

more meat in a shorter

timeframe.

Importing such meat

would in effect under-

cut UK farmers, said

National Pig Association

CEO Zoe Davies.

“We would expect

retailers to come down on

our side and hold foreign

producers to the same

standards they hold us,”

she said. “But in terms of

negotiations, the govern-

ment is yet to earn back

our trust on equivalence

of standards.”

The US FDA has

acknowledged adverse

effects in pigs that ingest

the drug. Its guide-

lines state that bottles

must carry the warn-

ing: ‘Ractopamine may

increase the number of

injured and/or fatigued

pigs during marketing.’

It follows repeated

assertions by environ-

ment secretary Michael

Gove that UK food and

welfare standards would

not be compromised as a

result of a trade deal.

Philadelphia will continue

to focus on recipes in 2018

Mondelez has kicked off

2018 with the launch of a

new £5.3m ad campaign

for Philadelphia, which

aims to inspire shoppers

to create recipes using

the soft cheese for lunch

and dinner.

A 20-second push aired

this week and opens

with a user-generated

clip of a “real moment

that captures real emo-

tion”, the brand said. It

then concludes with a

Philadelphia meal. The

brand’s 2018 market-

ing plan will follow last

year’s focus on recipes,

including a continued

Mondelez gets ‘real’ with lunch

and dinner-focused Philly ad

partnership with TV chef

Lorraine Pascale.

It comes as General

Mills brand Petits Filous

this week announced

the first phase of its £3m

2018 campaign, titled

Play Free. In a move

away from its previous

focus on ‘healthy bones’

it is to shift emphasis to

‘free play’, which sees

children dictate play

activities. The brand has

linked with child devel-

opment expert Anita

Cleare to lend a “credible

perspective” to the bene-

fits of child-led play.

Meanwhile, Dairy

Crest has sealed a £1.5m

deal for Cathedral City

to sponsor new ITV fam-

ily quiz show Britain’s

Brightest Family. The

sponsorship will last

for 15 weeks and marks

Dairy Crest’s first TV

sponsorship since 2010.

Frozen Tenderstem went
into Iceland on 2 January

Tenderstem broccoli has
made its first foray into
the frozen aisles after
launching in Iceland.
A box of frozen
Tenderstem broccoli went
on sale on 2 January (rsp
£1.75/270g). Brand licen-
sor Coregeo said it was

Iceland first to stock

frozen Tenderstem

also eyeing listings with

other supermarkets.

The product was

developed by importer

and supplier TSA

International and is

hand-picked in Kenya

before being packaged

and frozen within hours.

“Frozen Tenderstem

offers consumers flex-

ibility and convenience.

We’re hoping this new

innovation will make

Tenderstem even more

accessible to consum-

ers, encouraging them to

try something new,” said

Coregeo chief marketing

officer Michelle Evans.

SUPPORT OUR PIGS

We would expect retailers to come down on our side

and hold foreign producers to the same standards they

hold us – Zoe Davies, CEO, National Pig Association