Super Fruit? New on the "Dirty Dozen List" in 2010, blueberries are treated with as many as 52 pesticides, making them one of the dirtiest berries on the market. How 'Super' is that?

Out of sight out of mind? Or a potential point of brand differentiation?

Most consumers are well aware that they should be eating more fruits and vegetables. But despite being an essential component of a healthy diet, many conventional varieties contain pesticide residues and other toxins.

In 2008, the accumulation of toxins in the body was the Number 1 global concern among shoppers according to expert consumer researchers HealthFocus(R) International. To consumers, these toxins are pesticides, hormones, genetic modifications, artificial preservatives, colours, etc. which are added to food - usually to ensure it reaches our homes ‘looking’ perfect.

But there is a growing concern about what we can’t see…

Continue reading Why you should avoid ‘The NEW Dirty Dozen”

M&S bringing new convenience with a shopping experience to fit around your life

UK retailer M&S has created “Shop Your Way” to help you to shop and up the stakes in this ultra-competitive market.

Rocket science this is not, but in a world with increasingly, busy, rushed and stressed shoppers, here’s a retailer who’s showing they understand and fit in with your lifestyle…

• You want to shop online - come to us.
• You want to shop by phone - come to us.
• You want to shop in the store - come to us.
• You want it delivered - come to us.
• You want to pre-order and collect it … you can do that too.

Continue reading Retail Progress: Convenience & Personalisation

"I don't actually do sport - but my sports nutrition is my first step towards a healthier lifestyle."

This perhaps you think this seems an easy question to answer? Senior Healthy Marketing Consultant,  Sam Waterfall contends the answer is anything but obvious.

Case in point:  Sports Nutrition

Who buys Sports Nutrition products? Sports people, right?

Not so fast, my friend.

Of course that’s a “yes and no” answer.  Sports people do consume the product, but it turns out that the Sports Nutrition market is being driven by non-sporty consumers.

According to Lorraine Heller writing for Food Navigator-usa.com on 3 June, “As global sales of sports nutrition products maintain healthy growth rates, one distinct - and unexpected - group of consumers is emerging as the main driver for the market, made up of people who are not necessarily interested in sports.”

Continue reading Who is really buying your product?

Senior Healthy Marketing Consultant, Sam Waterfall discovers the upmarket ‘Disney of Retail’ in downtown Hong Kong:

We know about the economic power and bustle of Hong Kong, but Food Retailing is also world class in this incredible city.

On one of my recent trips to Asia I had a particularly long layover in Hong Kong. So I did what any Healthy Marketing Consultant would do… Headed straight for the Food Shops!

… And what an incredible experience I was treated to! In this blog update I want to share with you some of what I found and, I hope, treat you to some of the “Quality Mind Stretch” that the Hong Kong Retailers gave me…

When we think of Hong Kong we think of many things: The economic engine, the fast paced lifestyle, the luxury branded goods and, of course, that incomparable skyline rising from Victoria Harbour. But we perhaps should be adding leading edge food retailing to that list.

There was so much to talk about so I’m going to focus my attention on one ‘home run’ example - C!ty’Super - probably the best quality retailing I’ve ever seen and judging by their price points, probably one of the most profitable. Continue reading Retail Lust: 5-Star Shopping in Hong Kong

The Power of Building Trends into Your Brands…

Senior Healthy Marketing Consultant, Sam Waterfall reports from Vietnam and shares 3 lessons we can all learn from this burgeoning economy.

In May 2010 The Healthy Marketing Team were in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Despite having read the reports and digested the ‘consultant diet’ of zip file after zip file of data, when we personally witnessed the speed of the economic growth in Vietnam we were AMAZED… Continue reading Vietnam - The Steepest Trend Curves in the World?

The people of Trinidad and Tobago eat MEAT and FISH so much so you can pass three local “meat festivals” in one weekend! The smell of barbecue and the sound of reggae pervades – the surprise was to find supermarkets carry a wide selection of powdered and UHT milk alternatives which would not disgrace a European health store.

Even in a developing market like Trinidad and Tobago, with a very poor chilled-distribution chain you can find dozens of alternative healthy propositions on shelf.

The question is how can you use the FourFactors to position in an increasingly crowded and complex market?

Watch this blog for new news soon on “Positioning for Health in Developing Markets”

In this interview made by global ingredient company DSM, Healthy Marketing Team Founder & Expert Consultant, Peter Wennstrom gives his analysis of how Ingredient Companies can deliver better results and accelerate growth by reducing confusion and clarifying benefits to their Customers and their Consumers.

The Healthy Marketing Team work globally throughout the food, bevergage and ingredients sector. To find out how we can help to grow your business contact peter@healthymarketingteam.com

Sam Waterfall from Kuala Lumpur with an important message. I don’t have time to get back to Europe to tell you this! It’s urgent! I’m recording this on Saturday morning. It’s 1 May 2010 and there are just 15 days left for you to sign up for the 2010 Nordic Survey from HealthFocus.

Here’s everything you need to know:

The survey will cover Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Continue reading URGENT MESSAGE - Final Call for HealthFocus 2010 Nordic Survey

Few things are more important for your functional or health product or brand than selecting the right ingredients. In fact ‘acceptance of the ingredients’ is Peter Wennstrom’s 2nd Critical Success Factor (see more about the Four Factors of Success here).

I’m here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, blogging from the enormous Thye Huat Chan warehouse, where I got to see the imported Canadian Soya beans for myself. They are stored at about 8′C - which trust me Continue reading Here’s how to find out which ingredients to use for NPD

Over the years we’ve observed 3 key drivers shape the development of food and health markets.

Convenience was the first driver but don't ignore it today. It continues to present opportunities for innovation.

First came Convenience; be it through packaging, preparation or combination - this driver seeks to make life easier for the consumer. A classic example is the (anything but humble) Can which keeps products safe, fresh and portable. More recently, of course, convenience has come in thousands of forms, but don’t let its omnipresence blind you from the new opportunities this original driver continues to present.

With the "Bottle-Can" consumers can satisfy their desire for self expression... to be a little different

Next comes Quality. When consumers have enough convenience they start to be driven to look for ways to improve what they buy - either for reasons of pleasure or for self expression vs others. Such actions are seen clearly when consumers buy items for show - or for when they have guests to visit, compared to the more ‘normal’ / ‘day-to-day’ variants they might buy for regular consumption when no one else is around. In Kuala Lumpur Malaysia this week I saw how Coca Cola have used this idea to deliver a pack format which is just a little bit more special - their new head turning Continue reading The 4th Consumer Driver - Change - embedded in Malaysia