Packaged Facts Reports on the New (Ab)Normal in Consumer Markets
Packaged Facts, a division of MarketResearch.com, publishes market intelligence on a range of consumer market topics, including consumer goods and retailing, foods and beverages, demographics, pet products and services, and financial products. Packaged Facts also offers a full range of custom research services. To learn more, visit www.packagedfacts.com.
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Tuesday, October 1, 2013
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013
The K-Cups Avalanche in the Coffee Aisle
After getting its foothold in the office segment of the
market, single-serve beverage brewing has experienced tremendous growth with
widespread and continued adoption in the retail market. Research conducted by the National Coffee Association (NCA) in 2012 found that 36% of respondents who had a single-serve brewing system obtained it within the last six months, indicating just how fast this segment of the beverage market has been growing.
As a result, the packaged coffee category at retail is undergoing a a substantial transformation. U.S. retail market coffee sales grew at an
impressive 10% in 2012 thanks to the single cup segment, which increased
82%. Single-cup coffee sales, at $415
million at the close of 2011, rose to $922 million in 2012. Single-cup coffee sales have thus grown to account for over a fourth of the total coffee dollar sales in grocery (Progressive Grocer, April 24, 2013).
Several factors are contributing to this sea change in what was a seemingly mature market:
·
A nation of dedicated coffee drinkers
·
Consumer desire to recreate coffee shop quality
at home
·
Continued adoption of single-serve brewers in
offices and hotels
·
Innovations in brewer technology supporting
enhanced beverage quality
·
A large selection of brewers to choose from,
many of which are aggressively marketed and attractively priced
·
Popularity of single-serve brewers as a hot
kitchen gadget, well suited for holiday gift giving
·
A wide selection of single-serve beverage
options that continues to expand
·
Recent increase in published reports of the
health benefits associated with coffee consumption
The take-away: the possibility for innovation and transformation in the often static-seeming center aisles of grocery stores should never be underestimated.
For more information on Packaged Facts' report on Single-Cup Brew Beverage Products in the U.S.: Coffee Pods and Beyond, please see http://www.packagedfacts.com/Single-Cup-Brew-7372397/
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Seafood Sustainability Consciousness and the Price of a Can of Tuna
Why are many retail groceries stressing that
the fresh fish on display in their seafood departments is from sustainable
sources? After all, according to Packaged Facts’ June 2013 National Consumer
Survey, less than 20% of consumers make a seafood purchasing decision
factoring in the sustainability of the catch.
Partly it goes to show the power of the interplay between leading edge
shoppers, seafood suppliers, and retailers. The issue is already reaching critical mass in consumer consciousness, and will continue to gain traction thanks to the efforts of merchants such as Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s,
Safeway, Wegmans, Harris-Teeter, Target, Aldi, and Ahold, all of which have
been acknowledged by Greenpeace for the their sustainable seafood policies.
Sustainability in the fish and seafood category refers to
the efforts to harvest various species in ways that keep their populations from being permanently depleted. As noted in Eco Eating Culinary Trend Mapping Report (July 2013), a joint publication of Packaged Facts and the San Francisco-based food consultancy firm CCD Innovation, some 50% of world's fish stocks are considered fully exploited, and another 25% are overexploited, depleted or in recovery. Bluefin tuna, Chilean sea bass and orange roughy are among the species that have been overfished to the brink of extinction. And of the more than three quarters of America’s seafood that comes from abroad, much of of it is caught or farmed in ecologically dubious ways, according to James Beard-award winning author and Blue Ocean Institute fellow Paul Greenberg (Food & Wine, May 2013).
There are a host of government agencies, such as
the Office of Sustainable Fisheries, and private organizations, such as Friends
of the Sea and the Marine Stewardship Council, that are working with the
seafood industry to limit catches so that further drastic depletion is avoided. Some of the
associations offer certification to seafood companies and to retailers so that
consumers can become more attuned to who is behaving in an environmentally responsible way.
At least to a degree, promoting sustainability is a great marketing strategy,
according to OgilvyEarth, the sustainability communications subsidiary of the
global advertising, marketing, and public relations agency Ogilvy and Mather.
It notes that two-thirds of all consumers can be characterized as “Middle
Greens,” who have good environmental intentions but are put off by efforts that
seem more focused on the “Super Greens,” as well as by the higher costs
associated with sustainable and otherwise environmentally correct products.
OgilvyEarth refers to this as the Green Gap.
It’s obviously a good thing for so many retailers to be
getting out in front on the sustainability issue, but what will it take to close
the Green Gap? It could come down to the price of a can of tuna fish. Over 80% of U.S. households, according to Experian Marketing Services Fall 2012
Simmons NHCS Study, purchase tuna in cans or pouches. If tuna resources
continue to dwindle, as they have been, the price of this very basic commodity
could rise. The long-term costs associated with non-sustainability would come to the fore, and take consumer consciousness about seafood sustainability to the next level.
For more information on Packaged Facts' report on Fish and Seafood Trends in the U.S. (June 2013), see http://www.packagedfacts.com/Fish-Seafood-Trends-7649917/
For more information on our Eco Eating Culinary Trend Mapping Report, see http://www.packagedfacts.com/Eco-Eating-Culinary-7710822/
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Dogs, Do-Gooding, and Social Media
Facebook has become a promotional venue for many pet industry marketers,
letting them keep connected with current customers as well as recruit new
customers. In the pet food market, Facebook can really help put a “face” on
animal welfare efforts, letting companies post images and videos of the animals
helped by their causes. The ability to
personalize content to suit specific needs, and almost instantly reach
thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, of consumers, makes social media
perfect for launching animal welfare campaigns. Marketers can also develop
Facebook-specific applications for contests and promotions related to their
causes.
PetSmart Charities took full advantage of the benefits of
social media when it launched its “Share a Pic, Save a Pet” application via
Facebook, in a bid to drive awareness and animal adoptions. The app lets
Facebook members use their Facebook profiles to post alerts about adoptable
pets in their communities. Users can enter their zip code and select up to 10
adoptable pets to highlight from Adopt-a-Pet.com’s nationwide shelter database.
Highlighted pets appear in friends’ newsfeeds and on the user’s Facebook
timeline. The selected pets also link to the local animal-welfare organizations
where the pets are available for adoption. The app has save nearly 5,000 pets
as of 2013.
The Nutro Company uses Facebook to promote its Room to Run
Dog Park Appreciation Project. Nutro plans to award 30 grants to help fund dog
park enhancements nationwide. Videos from previous years’ successes, a photo
gallery and a link to the application make it easy for those seeking dog park
grants to check out the project and apply, and also show Nutro customers how
the company is working towards making these improvements.
For more information on Packaged Facts's recent reports on the U.S. pet market and pet food industry, see http://www.packagedfacts.com/Pet-Outlook-7372395/ and http://www.packagedfacts.com/Pet-Food-Edition-7372391/
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Sports Drinks Are from Mars, Nutrition Bars Are from Venus
The market for sports nutritionals—which includes
sports drinks and nutrition bars as well as product categories such as protein
and weight gain powders, and pre- and post-workout supplements and energy gels—has
experienced encouraging growth in recent years.
Factors contributing to future growth in the sports drink and nutrition
bar categories include a rapid increase in the number of dedicated fitness
enthusiasts and the bullish growth plans of specialized retailers of sports
nutritionals, while nutrition bars will benefit from a long-term trend toward
healthier snacking.
The 77 million users of sports drinks and 28 million
consumers of nutrition bars are key consumer segments driving the sports nutritional
market as a whole. However, the demographic
and attitudinal differences between the users of each of these products are so
vast that they might as well live on two different planets.
As reported in Packaged Facts July 2013 edition of The Market for Sports Nutritionals in the
U.S., compared to high-volume consumers of sports drinks, nutrition bar
aficionados are less likely to be members of Gen-Y and more likely to be
Boomers. They also have a higher
likelihood of being married, living in one of the largest urban areas, having a
college degree and enjoying a household income of $100,000 or more. The most
remarkable difference between the two market segments, though, is the yawning
gender gap that divides sports drink users from nutrition bar consumers.
Men, especially young men, dominate in the
sports drink market. Males make up 64%
of high-volume consumers of sports drinks.
Men in the 18- to 34-old age group make up 15% of the population but account
for 31% of high-volume sports drink consumers.
In the market for nutrition bars, however, is primarily a
women’s world. Only 45% of those eating
at least one nutrition bar in the last 30 days are men, while 55% are
women. Female consumers of nutrition
bars outnumber their male counterparts 15.2 million to 12.4 million.
Marketers of sports drinks need to face up to some
dismal demographic news over the next decade that should lead them in the
direction of paying more attention to women.
The population of males under the age of 25, their most prized marketing
target, will experience negative population growth between 2011 and 2020,
declining from 24.5 million to slightly less than 24 million. Besides, although not the dominant consumer
segment, women are important to sports drink marketers even now. More than 30 million women are active users
and 13.3 million women are high-volume users of sports drinks.
Some sports nutritional marketers have already
capitalized on the power of women. For example,
Simmons National Consumer Study data show that women account for 77% of those
consuming a Clif Luna bar in the last 30 days; nearly one in three (30%) are 35-
to 44-year-old women. Other marketers
are beginning to recognize that sports nutritional products geared toward women
offer growing opportunities. Barre,
which claims to be made with “real ingredients for real athletes,” is a
nutrition bar designed by two professional dancers especially for women. On their website they write that “just reading
the labels on most energy bars is enough to throw us off balance. So we traded our leotards for aprons and
whipped up something of our own: a real
food bar, made with wholesome, all-natural ingredients—stuff you can actually
pronounce!”
Marketers also are responding with new products to
meet a growing interest by women in whey protein, a natural supplement
increasingly popular among bodybuilders.
Examples include Designer Whey Protein for Her, which is marketed as “a
high-quality nourishment designed for women who want the best of both
worlds: a delicious supplement that
helps support their fitness goals.”
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The Real Deal Behind Dairy Food Coloring
“Berries over Bugs” was the headline of a July 24th press release from The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI, a.k.a., the food police). Being a Berry, of course, I fully endorse “choosing berries over bugs” any day! But seriously, CSPI issued this press release a week after the closing of the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting + Food Expo, where a whopping 97 ingredient suppliers were listed in the directory under the “Colors, Natural” category. But, as we all know, not all natural colors are equal.
(In case you missed my review of
innovative ingredient technologies for dairy product formulators, which
includes a section on the fact that “natural colors were the buzz” at IFT, you
can view it HERE.
Understanding
Natural Colors
(If you need a refresher course on
food color additive regulations in the States, scroll to the bottom of this
blog for “Food Colors 101.”)
In general, artificial colorings are
manufactured from petroleum-based raw materials. Colors exempt from certification,
commonly referred to as natural colors, are obtained from a variety of sources,
including plants, minerals, insects and fermentation, resources considered by
many to be natural.
It is this generalization that has
some color suppliers creating a point of differentiation by touting the fact
that their natural colors are derived solely from food, and most often,
directly from fruits and vegetables. This is because carmine--a dye extracted
from the dried, pulverized bodies of cochineal insects—is an exempt-from-certification
color and continues to be controversial in terms of its
naturalness.
CSPI’s
Latest Beef with Carmine
CSPI’s recent press release is
urging global yogurt giant Dannon to choose berries over bugs, that is, in
terms of a colorant for a number of its yogurt products. Dannon uses carmine to
give several varieties of fruit-flavored yogurt their pink color. The nonprofit
food watchdog group says that Dannon’s practice cheats consumers who might
expect that the named fruits—and not the unnamed creepy crawlies—are providing
the color. Carmine also puts some consumers at risk of serious allergic
reactions if they don’t read the ingredient statement carefully.
Strawberry, Cherry, Boysenberry and
Raspberry varieties of Dannon’s “Fruit on the Bottom” line all contain carmine,
as does the Strawberry flavor of Dannon’s Oikos brand of Greek yogurt. Two
flavors of Dannon’s Light and Fit Greek use the extract, as do six of its
Activia yogurts.
With all due respect to my fellow
food scientists at Dannon, I am sure use of carmine is under careful
consideration. After all, Dannon does use only natural colorings, such as
purple carrot juice, in its Danimals line of yogurts marketed to children.
The food police are relentless. The
chief of police, Michael Jacobson, CSPI executive director, said in the press
release, “I have nothing against people who eat insects, but when I buy
strawberry yogurt, I’m expecting yogurt and strawberries, and not red dye made
from bugs.”
CSPI is sponsoring an online
petition urging Franck Riboud, CEO of Dannon’s parent company Groupe Danone, to
replace carmine with more of the fruit advertised on the label. The petition
can be viewed HERE.
CSPI originally took interest in
carmine a number of years ago because of the fact that some consumers
experience serious allergic reactions when they consume this
exempt-from-certification colorant. In response to a CSPI petition on this
issue, the FDA now requires carmine to be listed on food labels when it is used.
Read FDA’s final rule HERE.
Previously, companies could obscure
the presence of the insect extract by labeling it “artificial color.” CSPI had
urged FDA to go further and describe carmine as “insect-derived,” making it
easier for vegetarians, those who keep kosher, or anyone otherwise averse to
eating such ingredients to avoid it.
The food police are reading the fine
print, so are many consumers. With at least 97 ingredient suppliers marketing
natural colors, consider choosing berries over bugs whenever possible.
Here are two new products that rely
only on colors derived from fruits and vegetables.
Wallaby Organic Lowfat Kefir comes
in four different flavors: Blueberry, Strawberry, Vanilla and a traditional
Plain. It comes in family-friendly, multi-serve 32-ounce plastic bottles with a
suggested retail price of $4.29. The ingredient statement of the strawberry
variety reads: Organic Cultured Pasteurized Lowfat Milk, Organic Strawberries,
Organic Cane Sugar, Natural Flavors, Organic Locust Bean Gum, Pectin, Fruit and
Vegetable Juice for Color.
New Kemps Greek Yogurt comes in four
varieties--Black Cherry, Raspberry, Strawberry and Vanilla—and is sold in
5.3-ounce cups. The ingredient statement of the Black Cherry and Strawberry
varieties indicates that vegetable juice concentrate is used for color. The
Raspberry variety gets enough color from the use of high-quality raspberries
and raspberry puree.
Food
Colors 101
The term color additive is legally
defined in Title 21, Part 70 of the Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR 70).
Basically, any ingredient with the sole purpose of adding color to a food or
beverage is a color additive, with all color additives requiring approval by
FDA as a food additive.
In the U.S., synthetic food colors
are classified by FDA as color additives subject to certification (21 CFR 74).
They are certified with an FD&C number. This indicates that the additive
has been tested for safety and is approved for used in foods, drugs and
cosmetics, or FD&C. Seven colors were initially approved under the Pure
Food and Drug Act of 1906. Over time, several have been delisted and replaced.
Today there are still seven, which can be combined into an infinite number of
colors; hence, the seven are considered primary colors.
The seven synthetics are further
classified as standardized dyes or lakes. Dyes are a concentrated source of
color and are water soluble and oil insoluble. Lakes, on the other hand, are
made by combining dyes with salts to make them water-insoluble compounds. Thus,
they are best described as providing color by dispersion. Lakes are considered
to be more stable than dyes and are ideal for coloring products that either
contain fat or lack sufficient moisture to dissolve dyes.
FDA also provides a list of color
additives that are exempt from certification (21 CFR 73). By default, these
colors are often characterized as natural but FDA does not consider any color
added to as food unless the color is natural to the product itself. For
example, consumers expect strawberry milk to have a red hue. If strawberry
juice is added for color, and providing that none of the other ingredients in
the milk were characterized as artificial, this product could be labeled
“all-natural strawberry milk.” Such a description is not possible if beet juice,
an FDA-recognized exempt-from-certification color additive, is used for a
colorful boost. What is appropriate to say is “does not contain any artificial
colors.”
To get a full dose of Dairy market
research, go to www.berryondairy.com to
learn about new featured dairy products every day. See additional samples of
featured dairy products here.
Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
A Final Rule from the FDA on Gluten-Free
The
FDA’s ruling on the use of “gluten-free” labeling is a triumph for consumers
who suffer from Celiac disease, wheat allergies, or other grain-based food
intolerances. When the regulation goes into effect a year from
now, consumers who follow a gluten-free lifestyle out of necessity or
choice will be able to shop for groceries with more confidence.
The FDA's final rule is setting a
gluten limit of less than 20 ppm (parts per million) in foods that carry this
label. The FDA explains that is the lowest level that can be consistently detected in foods using
scientific analysis. This limit is consistent with
those set by other countries and international bodies that set food safety
standards. This rule holds foods labeled "without gluten," "free of gluten," and "no
gluten" to the same standard.
The
FDA rule may not have significant impact on the market size and growth for gluten-free packaged foods, however. Much of the
growth projected by Packaged Facts in its current gluten-free report, which
forecasts an increase from $4.2 billion in sales to $6.6 billion between 2012
and 2017, will be attributable to the mainstreaming of specialty marketers
whose products and facilities already undergo the testing required to
qualify for certification by one of the gluten-free credentialing bodies.
For information on Packaged Facts' report on Gluten Free Foods and Beverages in the U.S., 4th Edition, see http://www.packagedfacts.com/Gluten-Free-Foods-7144767/
Thursday, August 1, 2013
Carrots for Store Credit Card Holders
Once home to consumers with higher risk profiles and
higher chargeoff rates, store credit card volume and active accounts took a
nosedive during the recession, as issuer portfolios groaned under the strain of bad
debt and reduced customer engagement.
For more information about Packaged Facts' report on Private Label Credit Cards in the U.S., please see http://www.packagedfacts.com/Private-Label-Credit-7278869/
But signs point to a private label turnaround. Deal-making activity suggests that
private label card programs have become a more viable and stable income source for
issuers; the payment card segment has been buoyed by a spate of deals
that has invigorated market leader Citi Retail Services and has brought TD Bank
and Capital One into the competitive mix.
Packaged Facts' consumer survey
analysis also suggests that private label cards have turned a corner, with
consumer usage penetration and engagement on the rise from 2010
lows.
As store card issuers look to build their
accounts, they will be threading promotions with discounts and rewards to catch
consumers’ eyes.
According to our survey
findings, roughly half of store card users would be motivated to apply for a
card if they received points for every dollar spent on the card or received a
5% everyday discount on all card purchases. Some 4 in 10 would be motivated by receiving a discount with the first card
purchase or by receiving 0% financing for 12 months on purchases made with the
card.
Importantly, these carrots may
also entice non-cardholders: for example, fully one-third of non-cardholders
would be motivated to apply for a store card in return for a 5% everyday
discount on all card purchases. For more information about Packaged Facts' report on Private Label Credit Cards in the U.S., please see http://www.packagedfacts.com/Private-Label-Credit-7278869/
Monday, July 29, 2013
Worldy Snack Tracking: Brazilian Brigadeiros
Move over
Parisian macarons and Pennsylvania Amish whoppie pies: Brazil’s beloved brigadeiro (pronounced
bree-gah-day-ro) may be next in line as America’s latest sweet snack trend. A traditional
treat at Brazilian social events, this humble confection is made with
chocolate, condensed milk and butter that are slowly cooked down to a smooth,
creamy consistency. Once cool, the chocolate is scooped into rounds and rolled
in toppings such as chocolate or multi-colored sprinkles, nuts or coconut.
Brigadeiros
boast the kind of simple recipe that makes it a family classic, sort of a cross
between an easy fudge and chocolate truffles. This confection, also well known in Spain,
Chile and Portugal, is often enjoyed with a cup of coffee or paired with a
glass of dessert wine.
These
Brazilian sweets began hitting the CCD Innovation radar several years ago,
spotted on media lists of top sweets and chocolates around the country,
including Oprah’s blog in 2012. This year, they have been featured on the
Cooking Channel’s Taste in Translation and as a Valentine’s treat on
Epicurious’ blog. With
Brazil and its cuisine moving into the spotlight as the 2016 Olympics and World
Cup host, this signature snack is ready for a global close-up.
Brigadeiros
became wildly popular after Eduardo Gomes, a Brazilian Air Force brigadier
general, ran for president in 1945. His female campaign volunteers whipped up
batches for fundraisers. The candy ended up being a bigger hit than the
politician, in that Gomes lost the election; however, the treat took its name
from his impressive rank, leaving him a confectionery if not presidential legacy.
In the continued economic
doldrums, it's worth noting that brigadeiros sprang up as sweet snacks for hard times: this trend took off during wartime shortages, when
imports such as confections and nuts were scarce. During this same era, Nestlé
introduced its cocoa powder and condensed milk into the country, setting the
stage for the success of this simple bonbon that’s easy to make, easy on the
budget, and easy to customize for adults or for kids will different roll-ons.
For more information on the recent Worldly Snacks: Culinary Trend Mapping Report from CCD Innovation and Packaged Facts, see http://www.packagedfacts.com/Worldly-Snacks-Culinary-7609483/
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Prune Juice Power
When
defined in terms of overall dollar sales and volume consumption, the market for
fruit juices and juice drinks has remained remarkably stable for years. Packaged Facts estimates that between 2007
and 2012 dollar sales of fruit and vegetable juices and juice drinks barely
budged, and that the volume of juices and juice drinks consumed by households
hardly kept up with population growth.
Yet,
underneath its apparently placid surface, the market for packaged juices and
drinks has been roiled by undercurrents of constant change. Traditional consumption patterns are dying on the vine as consumers continue to turn away from products such as
frozen orange juice.
As
they reject the traditional, consumers are embracing new juices and juice
drinks with wildly innovative forms and flavors. Many of the products achieving the highest
growth rates are riding trends driven by juice bars
and smoothie chains, which quickly impact on the habits of
health-focused juice consumers.
As a
result, the market for packaged fruit and vegetable juices has been
upended. No longer do consumers need to
frequent juice bars or natural and specialty gourmet retail channels to find novel
blends and flavors. They only need to
cruise the aisles and perimeter of their nearest supermarket to find cutting-edge products such as exotic blends of fruit juices,
unexpected combinations of fruit and vegetable juices, smoothies, coconut
water, aloe vera juice, and juices made from a new exotic antioxidant-rich
“superfruit.”
Even so, consumers
still make room in their refrigerators and pantries for tried-and-true juices
and juice drinks. As Packaged Facts' Fruit and Vegetable Juices: U.S. Market Trends points out, despite
the rush to create new and exciting flavors and textures for juices and juice
drinks, many of the most old-fashioned flavors and products still have a hold
on American consumers. Apple is a juice
flavor used most by 65 million households, and orange juice still reigns as
king of the mass market.
As might be expected, when it comes to traditional juice flavors, there are significant differences between the preferences of younger and older consumers. For example, consumers 55 years old and over have a higher likelihood of preferring cranberry juice and cranberry juice blends, while consumers under the age of 35 are more likely to favor tropical, pineapple, lemonade, lemon/lime, grape, fruit punch and cherry flavors.
There is just
one fruit juice flavor with the power to fully bridge generational boundaries. Younger Millennials (those in the 18- to
24-year-old age group) are about as likely as those in the 65+ age group to say
that prune is a juice flavor they use most.
For more information on Fruit and Vegetable Juices: U.S. Market Trends (April 2013), please see http://www.packagedfacts.com/Fruit-Vegetable-Juices-7497441/
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