Biz Chameleon: The "Nationality" label of food and why its not en...

Biz Chameleon: The "Nationality" label of food and why its not en...: Having lived in a number of countries, both in Europe and further afield, I am always intrigued at how  fresh produce sold in supermarkets...

The "Nationality" label of food and why its not enough

Having lived in a number of countries, both in Europe and further afield, I am always intrigued at how  fresh produce sold in supermarkets emphasise the country of origin and in doing so establish a sense of nationality on an inanimate object.

 

I know that to some extent this is all part of the marketing strategy to sell such products at a premium by establishing a link between the country and the products we buy, and by doing so, creating a logical reason in our minds on why we should pay what we do for certain items.

 

It is also interesting to see that to some extent emphasising the "nationality" of products seems to "make it alright" with what we have just purchased ,without really questioning whether this does indeed deliver a better quality product. In particular fresh meat and produce nationality labels,  play a prime position in the way products are marketed and packaged in  our everyday lives.

 

Whilst there is nothing wrong with promoting products along the  lines of nationality , this does pose the question on whether we are doing enough as consumers to question the quality of the products we buy, and in particular under which conditions these are reared or harvested?

 Hence Danish Bacon, Swiss Chocolate ,French wines ,  Dutch Tomatoes , British Beef .. .all conjure up certain images of what we as consumers "assume"  a particular product should deliver in terms of quality and taste. what it does not do, is provide any clear evidence on how this product has been reared or grown, how it has been transformed and what bi-products were used in rearing or growing the said item.

 

As consumers tastes have changed , so the need to link a countries nationality to a product seems to have been reinforced, but rather than providing more guarantees to consumers, this has actually muddied the debate somewhat on the ability of consumers to track their products from farm to food hall.

 

In the wake  of the now infamous horse meat scandal , and the BSE scare of the early 90's control it is evident that emphasising a products "nationality" is not enough. What is needed is more debate and better investment in our ability to track our food production, from origin to table.

 

Growers and producers have all been quick to jump on the "nutritional" bandwagon in terms of displaying the vitamins, fat, sugar and sodium content of their products sold, but when it comes to how these products are grown, describing the nature of the supply chain, and being able to track the history of how the product ends on the display cabinets of our local supermarkets seems  still a cloak and dagger affair , at the best of time. Yes we have the "organic " and "fair trade" labels, which have added some clarity to some of the products we purchase, but clarity that comes at a price , and really do not address the needs of the majority, who have to live on tight food budgets and cannot always afford those items marked as "organic". If anything, it should be for the sake of the most vulnerable in our society that we establish a clear audit trail on all the food we grow, produced and transform.

 

I think its high time we as consumers began to look behind the "nationality" label and demand from those that contribute to our sustainability a more responsible tracking measurement of where our food comes from.

 



Biz Chameleon: When is a trend a trend and how do retailers spot...

Biz Chameleon: When is a trend a trend and how do retailers spot...: As customers turn ever more to a multi dimensional shopping experience, i.e integrating their online retail purchases with regular bricks an...

When is a trend a trend and how do retailers spot the early warnings signs?

As customers turn ever more to a multi dimensional shopping experience, i.e integrating their online retail purchases with regular bricks and mortar shops, it is evident that retailers are having to invest more and more  on emerging trends , their ability to spread at short notice, and how best to transform these trends into profitable sales.

Whilst not always understood, it is generally safe to say that a trend captures a certain "Zeitgeist" within society at any time and  the interpretation of that immediate society impacted. So as music , clothing and food trends are influenced by a particular phenomenon so retailers must figure a way to look turn such demand into products people want or PPW's.

In this respect online retailers already have an advantage, as their ability to harness the enormous potential of the web and it's major trends, as well as linking this to their online database of existing customers. For traditional bricks and mortar retailers, for those that haven't already developed an integrated retail experience, it is vital they invest in trender or trend analysts that spot the way society trends are developing and in which countries and regions. Without investing in trend analysts the ability to harness and make good on consumer trends remains a hit and miss affair.

Turning back to the question raised at the beginning of this blog of when is a trend a trend and how do retailers spot the early signs?

The answer isn't clear, but there is some validity in the theory that tastes and trends are influenced heavily by the society we inhabit, the communication channels we watch, the common social networks we frequent and the general growth in  peoples ability to travel across the globe. Major social and economic disruptions also influence what we are drawn to and what we associate with in times of change. Understanding these trends is part of the challenges retailers must face if they are to survive in an increasingly competitive retail landscape.