The Grocer – 24 August 2019

Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk 24 August 2019 | The Grocer | 35

Bite-size beetroot: Florette has

added a “bite-size” beetroot SKU

to its Naturally Tasty range. The

resealable pouches (rsp:

£1.39/150g) contain steam-cooked, ready to eat

baby beetroot. The SKU has been rolled out exclu-

sively in Morrisons and follows last month’s

launch of the salad brand’s convenience range.

Trust the Lion eggs: The British

Egg Industry Council has

launched a new ‘Trust the Lion’

digital advertising drive to show

the opportunity offered by “growing demand” for

British eggs. Aimed at retailers, wholesalers, food

manufacturers and caterers, the campaign will

consist of banner and other web-based adverts on

LinkedIn and in the trade press.

Danone VP: Danone has

appointed a former Mars

Incorporated executive as its

executive VP for growth and

innovation. Nigyar Makhmudova will oversee the

company’s global marketing, research & develop-

ment, digital and sales output. Makhmudova was

previously global president of Mars Pet Nutrition.

Rude Health Barista: Plant-based

brand Rude Health has launched

an organic ‘Barista’ range.

Coming in two variants, Almond

(rsp: £2.50/litre) and Oat (rsp: £2/litre), the NPD

will appear in Sainsbury’s and Ocado from 15

September, with the Almond variant having

already rolled out into Waitrose this week. Both

drinks promise to “blend seamlessly” into hot

drinks and are said to offer good “froth-ability”.

Crediton growth: Dairy drinks business Crediton

Dairy has announced steady levels of growth

in its latest set of accounts. In the year to 29

December 2018, the firm’s turnover rose 1.8% to

£69.7m and pre-tax profits grew 3.9% to £6.2m.

The figures were “in line” with expectations,

according to MD Tim Smiddy.

Plant-based milk ‘tax’: Veganuary has called for

coffee chains to drop surcharges on plant-based

milks. According to the charity, which is behind

the annual post-Christmas push for consumers to

try vegan diets, most chains add 20p to 50p to the

price when customers ask for a dairy alternative.

“Charging extra for plant milk is effectively a tax

on climate-conscious customers,” said Veganuary

head of communications Toni Vernelli.

The Vegetarian Butcher: In last week’s issue

of The Grocer, an article stated The Vegetarian

Butcher was launching a total of 20 chilled and

frozen soy protein and lupin bean products across

the mults. In fact, the brand is launching a total of

16 chilled and frozen products made from soy pro-

tein only into Tesco, Waitrose and Ocado.

fresh digest

Henry Sandercock
Birds Eye has launched a
£6m marketing push in
a bid to encourage con-
sumers to double the
amount of vegetables on
their dinner plates.
Described by the sup-
plier as its “biggest”
frozen veg marketing
drive to date, ‘Eat in
Full Colour’ will be a
multi-channel campaign
across TV, out-of-home
and social media. It will
primarily feature Birds
Eye’s frozen Steamfresh
and Garden Peas ranges
and is set to run until 22
December.
The ads will aim to get
shoppers to “add more
essential nutrients and
vibrant colour” to their
diets, with Birds Eye
promising to “playfully

Birds Eye looks to up

veg intake with Eat in

Full Colour campaign

educate families” about

the benefits of eating fro-

zen veg. “For the vast

majority of Brits, veg con-

sumption is still lagging

behind the WHO’s 5 a

day recommendation, at

just 1.6,” said Birds Eye

marketing director Steve

Challouma.

“This is hardly sur-

prising given that only

1.2% of all food and

drink ads on TV is for

veg products,” he added.

“Our campaign will

inspire the nation to eat

a little more goodness

every day.”

Challouma hoped the

marketing push would

also grow the £402.5m

frozen veg category as a

whole while “doubling”

veg consumption.

Birds Eye’s frozen veg

range currently boasts

a market share of 26%.

It saw value sales grow

by 6.8% during the past

year to £106.1m [Nielsen

52 w/e 13 July 2019].

‘Eat in Full Colour’ fol-

lows a similar-looking

Food Foundation cam-

paign backed by Birds

Eye and major retail-

ers, called ‘Eat Them to

Defeat Them’, which hit

screens in January.

Eat in Full Colour will

‘playfully educate families’

Fifty jobs are at risk at
MMI’s Aberdeen site

Müller Milk & Ingredients
is to launch a review into
its Aberdeen depot opera-
tions, with 50 jobs at risk.
The dairy giant has
proposed a 30-day “col-
lective consultation pro-
cess” that will consider
relocating the operation

Müller mulls closure

of Aberdeen depot

to MMI sites in cen-

tral Scotland “which

are closer to customer

regional distribution

centres”.

It is part of Müller’s

Project Darwin cost-cut-

ting drive and follows the

announcement it would

close its Foston dairy

in June. Müller com-

pleted a £15m upgrade

to its Bellshill dairy near

Glasgow last year. “We

need to continually adapt

to meet changing cus-

tomer and consumer

preference,” said MMI

Distribution CEO Ian

Smith.

Defra has opened a call

for evidence to inform the

National Food Strategy

being readied by Leon co-

founder Henry Dimbleby.

It said the consultation

would give “everyone

from consumers, farmers

and food producers, to

scientists and academics,

an opportunity to shape

how we produce, sell and

consume food in the UK”.

The review will look

at the success of existing

methods in addition to

the role of new technol-

ogy in food supply, such

as vertical farming and

robotics.

Defra opens

Food Strategy

consultation