FoodEssentials Scanner now in private Beta
We here at FoodEssentials have been hard at work with the talented team at Beaver Creek Consulting over the last few weeks to deliver what we hope will be the game changing FoodEssentials Scanner. And we are proud to annouce that we are presently in private Beta mode and looking for testers to help us get it ready for launch.
In the field of Food and Food Label Scanning technology there are heaps of great applications out there. But we felt that non of them delivered an application that had the potential to be a comprehensive solution. The problem lies largely in the data. Most applications only use nutritional data which is very important, but we all know that that’s only part of the food label data. Read more
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LiveRight with Shoprite(R) teams withFoodEssentials
Today we launched our first collaboration with a major supermarket in the LiveRight with Shoprite(R) Food Comparison Tool . It is our first generation of Grocer tools that allows Shoprite(R) shoppers to search and compare Shoprite(R) products for allergen, additive or ingredient properties and to view the food labels.
This tool will help customers to find and create lists of products that best suit their specific dietary needs. It it a new generation of Health and Wellness tool that leverages the power of our database to cover everyones health needs. Read more
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Building Loyalty with Health & Wellness
A recent article posted in Progressive Grocer in September and written originally by Jeff Weidauer, VP of marketing, Vestcom International peaked my interest. He raises some very valid points which I will outline below as well as providing some of my own thoughts. (click here for a PDF version of the article)
Overview:
The article discusses the benefits for grocers in providing Health and Wellness (H&W) solutions to their customers, the primary benefit being increased loyalty. The article states that the two main trends leading towards this are:
- Increased demand for H&W information
- The inherent trust the consumer places on their local grocer (apprently more than their own GP)
To this I would add:
- The increased availability and affordability of H&W programs for the retailer
The major benefit gained from running a successul H&W program is increased customer loyalty as the article states; ¨Because loyalty is created from a bond with your shoppers that is more than just price. It’s a natural result of providing the products, services and information that shoppers need in an increasingly complex world.¨ Read more
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Industry Watch: Guiding Stars in Shopper Iphone Application
Guiding Stars recently partnered with iPhone development company ReachEveryWhere to incorporate their Stars in to the very popular Shopper iphone application. The application, which can be seen by following the last link sells for about 99cents in the iPhone and itunes store.
It looks like it will be a very successful partnership with the simplicity of Guiding Stars product ratings providing the ability for Shopper users to compare products in the process of building shopping lists. The demonstration of the shopper product is very slick and demonstrates its core functionality.
Shopper is the leading grocery iPhone application. Guiding Stars is a leading food product rating system available in over 1300 supermarkets. The food rating area is growing significantly with several competitors including Nuval and the recently controversial SmartChoices. This move by Guiding Stars is intriguing and strategically valuable for market acceptance. It will be interesting to see how well the system works and how their competition respond.
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What’s a Goji Berry?
by Shereen Jegtvig
It seems like every couple of years a hot new exotic superfood makes its way into the United States. One of those recent superfoods is the goji berry – usually sold in juice or you can also find dried goji berries that kind of look like small raisins. Goji berries come from Asia where they have been used for thousands of years as an herbal medicine. They’re rich in vitamins A and C, iron, fiber and plant sterols, which are compounds found in plants that resemble our cholesterol, except that plant sterols actually lower cholesterol in the human body. In my opinion, Goji berries deserve to land on many superfoods lists.
What do you look for when buying goji berry products? You can buy 100% goji berry juice in some health food stores and online (wallet warning – it tends to be pretty expensive), however goji juice blends are popping on up the shelves of typical grocery stores. These juice blends are much less expensive than 100% goji juice, but more affordable, just be sure you’re not loading up on added sugars and you want the accompanying juices to be good for you too. You also need to know that these juice blends won’t have anywhere near as many of the plant sterols as 100% goji juice, but they will still be rich in vitamins and other phytonutrients. Read more
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The next target for the food conscious community
UPDATE: Kellogg to ditch immunity statement after ditching Smart Choices program last week.
The food community is riding high after their recent victory over the Smart Choices food label rating system and turning their attention to front of package marketing claims as their next target – see Marion Nestles article on Cocao Krispies and ¨immunicty¨claim h ere.
Increasingly manufacturers are using various health claims such as ¨increases immunity¨ and ¨organic¨ on front of package labelling to increase sales of products. At times these claims are based on scant scientific evidence and lacking any regulatory oversight manufacturers are free to claim whatever they want.
Recently, in Europe the European Food Standards Agency (EFSA) rejected hundreds of health claims stating a lack of scientific evidence as the reason for their rejection. At the same time here in the US, reports have come out about the increasing successful use of beauty claims to influence purchase. A recent report on retailerwire.com summarises the findings published by Mintel states that using front of package claims related to beauty such Read more
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Smart Choices RIP
Today it was reported in Just-Food that all 8 of the food manufacturers who had adopted the Smart Choices logo were now going to drop it from their packages in the face of cries that the logo could mislead consumers.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal requested that they drop the logo at least until the FDA had completed their investigations into the Smart Choices, and food rating systems in general.
The Smart Choices program shot into the public awareness largely due to the fact that they had labelled Froot Loops a ¨smart choice¨. The community obviously took exception to this, fueled by influential critics such as Marion Nestle an d Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.
This dramatic turn around and the resulting negative press will surely make manufacturers and retailers take pause before they next try to tell the consumer what is good or bad for them. The next frontier will be front of label claims such as ¨increses immunity¨ etc. see Marion Nestle article here
The community is voicing their opinion and calling for simpler food labelling…and they’re close to reaching critical mass in their mission. Who will be the next victim?
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Progressive Grocer wants to know about H&W initiatives
A recent post, on Progressive Grocer’s recently launched community site Aisle Chatter, titled In-Store H&W, asks retailers and marketers to ¨let us know about [H&W] programs you are instituting in your stores¨. The post explores the different ways in which retailers are addressing H&W and hopes to do so in more detail following submissions on information about different initives out there.
We feel this could an interesting opportunity to share and learn about different projects and so have provided our information and hope that you will too.
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Mexican Foods – Ready To Go
by Shereen Jegtvig
Mmmm…I love the flavors used in Mexican cooking, especially chiles and cilantro. And what about refried beans? They taste great and they’re good for you, right? Well, yes, beans are are great source of protein and fiber, however traditional refried beans are made with lard so they’re high in saturated fats and calories. But, no worries, you can find fat-free refried beans (or substitute black beans – just rinse and heat).
When you look for canned Mexican foods, or taco and fajita kits, be sure to choose the products with the least saturated fats and sodium. You can choose whole wheat tortillas instead of fried corn tortillas and make your own tortilla chips by baking them in the oven, or choosing baked chips instead of fried.
As with most canned or prepared foods, be sure to look over the ingredients list to hunt for MSG, unwanted preservatives and artificial colors. Here’s a look at Mexican – ready made meals & refried beans arranged by presence of flavor enhancers: Read more
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Nutrition Rating Systems – the problem and a solution
The Situation
There has been a lot of attention given to nutrition rating systems of late, fueled by the launch of the controversial Smart Choices rating system. The controversy of the smart choices program, in brief, is that the criteria for what gets labelled a ¨smart choice¨ seem somewhat flimsy. For instance Marion Nestle examines the ¨smart choice¨ Froot Loops in this post here.
In fact there is no shortage of concerned debate about this program, least of which is the fact that manufacturers pay for the smart choice tick. Below I have provided links to some of the recent top hits.
NYT: Industry Backed Label calls sugary cereal a ¨smart choice¨
Letter from the FDA to Smart Choices Program
Marion Nestle: Reply from the American Society of Nutrition
In this post we explore the existing rating systems, the problem with these systems and propose a solution. We are keen to hear your perspective on this. Read more
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Research: Orange Juice – What people are looking for
Orange Juice is another popularly compared food category on FoodEssentials.com with 8583 comparisons in the last 6 months – or 1.34% of all comparisons – which if you consider there are over 1000 food categories – is a fair bit of attention.
We have 86 products categorized under the orange juice food category and below we will explore what people are looking for when comparing different orange juice products.
Top 5 Comparisons:
If I had to have at a guess as to the top variable that were compared in the orange juice category I would say probably, calories and sugar. The table below outlines the top food variables that people are choosing when they compare orange juice. Sugar (16%) is in the top 5 with a significant share of the comparisons, however the most compared variable is suprisingly Colors (26.2%) and Preservatives(12.9%) follows up in 3rd place. Read more
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