Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk 24 August 2019 | The Grocer | 21higgins
Lois VallelyI
s there any diff erence
between cat and dog
food? Why is there so
little wasabi in wasabi paste?
And do protein supplements
really build a buff body? These
were just some of the questions
addressed in the latest episode
of Channel 4’s Food Unwrapped
documentary (19 August, 8pm).
To answer the fi rst, dogs
are omnivores and cats are
carnivores – so you can’t feed
them the same food. Aft er
thousands of years feeding
dogs scraps under the table we
have “literally changed their
biology” to allow them to enjoy
more than just meat. They can
now eat potatoes and peas too.
But cats need a higher meat
and protein content because
they can’t produce taurine- which is vital for several
metabolic processes, including
converting food into energy.
To investigate the second
question, one of the show’s
presenters travelled to Japan
to visit a wasabi farm. Wasabi
needs very specifi c conditions - pure spring water between
13°C and 14°C, and fertile, free-
draining soil. Even with the
perfect environment, it takes
two years to grow one plant,
which explains why it can
retail for up to £200 a kilo. It’s
the root that gives the wasabi
condiment its potency, but
the spicy sensation only lasts
about 15 minutes aft er it has
been ground, so manufacturers
of wasabi paste oft en replace
some of it with horseradish
(which is why there isn’t much
wasabi in wasabi paste).
If you want to fi nd out the
answer to the fi nal question,
you’ll have to watch the
documentary. It may be a little
fl uff y in parts, but there’s
certainly enough in it to keep
your attention.
CRITICAL EYE
Collaborate to survive Brexit
second opinion
David Sables is CEO of Sentinel
Management ConsultantsI
have previously avoided
the topic of Brexit, but
now it seems there’s
only one show in town. I always
expect the grocery industry to
take the lead and set an exam-
ple, but we seem to be blowing
the opportunity to do so with a
lack of collaboration.
Joint business planning (JBP)
is a honed capability in our sector
and I would say globally the UK
leads the world within food. JBP
at its best is the ultimate in col-
laborative problem-solving and
develops breakthrough returns
for all parties who commit to it.
Without a doubt we could plan
our way to minimise disruption
and there is no need for anyone
to die of ‘hard Brexit’. Retailers,
however, are not leading the
necessary collaboration across
the industry, either because
they don’t see a real problem,
or because they are following a
selfi sh competitive strategy. The
FDF’s call for a relaxation in the
competition law is the fi rst sign of
an attempted industry approach.
Removing the fear of prose-
cution for such planning is an
obvious starting point, but it
will not help because retailers
will not fully engage.If retailers were serious about
avoiding disruption, the collab-
oration would include: agreeing
a ban on promotional activity,
sharing consumer switching pat-
terns within key food groups, lim-
iting range choice on essentials,
allocating freezer storage and
goods across retailers et cetera.
Speaking of which, Halloweenranges are not being compro-
mised, never mind Christmas. If
retailers were really looking for a
solution to potential Brexit sup-
ply issues, these ranges would be
the fi rst to be scaled back.
The most diffi cult foreseeable
issue at store level in my view
is panic buying, which again
would be easier to control if
the approach was co-ordinated
across all retailers and all tills.
This competitive approach
they are taking is futile, as
despite the mults’ data intensity
and storage capacity, discounters
will benefi t most due to the sim-
plicity of their operations.
Business must do its thing
and respond to the opportu-
nities rather than promote the
complexities. When JBP is at its
worst, the suppliers pick up the
bill. Let’s just hope retailers’ com-
petitive approach to our EU exit
doesn’t have the same result.“Retailers are
not leadingthe necessary
collaboration”David Sables