FMCG May 2022 by The Intermedia Group

fmcgbusiness.co.nz

L E A D I N G

I N D U S T R Y

N E W S

MAY 2022 – Volume 9 – No 4

100% recycled plastic

PLUS! SUSTAINABILITY STARS n SUPER SPREADS n EASY DINNERS n WHAT’S HOT n NEW ZEALAND’S LARGEST FMCG AUDIENCE

contents MAY 2022

UP FRONT 4 EDITOR’S NOTE 6 INDUSTRY NEWS

SPECIAL FEATURES 10 COVID’S INFLUENCE ON THE COLD & FLU CATEGORY 12 NATURAL WINTER WELLNESS 14 EASY DINNERS 18 SUPER SPREADS Category news and trends

28 CAN WE DECARBONISE TRANSPORT? 29 PROFILE Fleetcoach: managing policies and declarations just got easier 30 FGC Transforming recycling in NZ 31 LEGAL ADVICE 32 MARKETING

EVENTS

REGULARS 8 BEST IN SEASON Fresh produce update 9 HEALTH & BEAUTY

21 WHAT’S HOT New products in store

GOOD BUSINESS 22 INDUSTRY NEWS AND INSIGHTS

27 COVER STORY New Marmite™ jars made from 100% recycled plastic

23 FMCG BUSINESS PRODUCT OF THE YEAR Another finalist is revealed 24 SUSTAINABILITY STARS

34 NZ FOOD AWARDS CALL FOR ENTRIES 35 MARK YOUR DIARY – THE FMCG BUSINESS MARKETING SUMMIT IS BACK 37 OUT & ABOUT Our people at work and events around the country

CONVENIENCE & IMPULSE RETAILING 38 INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: Convenience stores in the US and UK were bolstered during the pandemic and are thriving

26 FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

[ editorial ]

TIME FOR COURAGE AND ACTION Did you celebrate World Earth Day on 22 April? The annual event focuses on protecting our environment and it seems more important than ever. Now is the time for courage and action to preserve and protect our health and our livelihoods. Together, we must invest in - and protect - our planet. We still have time to arrest catastrophic global warming and have the tools to do so quickly and cheaply, says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Sustainability is already at the core of many businesses, but there is always room for improvement and even small changes can make a big difference. Our cover story features Marmite from Sanitarium Health Food Company, who are aiming to make all their product packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. Recent packaging changes made by the New Zealand-owned food and beverage manufacturer will reduce virgin plastic production and potentially divert tonnes of soft plastic from landfill every year. Find out more about this project and other sustainability success stories on pg 24-29. The 2022 winter outlook is for an intense cold and flu season and shoppers in New Zealand are re-thinking how they spend their grocery dollars. The Covid pandemic is promoting first aid, respiratory tract remedies, analgesics and over the counter medicines to the fastest growing categories in store. We take a close look at this trend on pg 10-13 and welcome guest writer Claudia Mosimann, Commercial Lead for Consumer Health at IQVIA, who shares valuable insights about the on-going impact of Covid-19 on the Cold & Flu category. If you’d like to share your news, product launches or industry insights, please get in touch, we’d love to hear from you. You can also join our daily conversations on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter and subscribe to our edm on www.fmcgbusiness.co.nz for weekly news updates delivered to your inbox. To receive exclusive category insights and expert advice, you can subscribe to the FMCG Business print or digital magazine here https://shop.fmcgbusiness.co.nz/. We hope you enjoy this issue.

Tamara Rubanowski trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz www.fmcgbusiness.co.nz

ON THE COVER Sanitarium Health Food Company is aiming to make all their product packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. These changes include new Marmite™ jars made from 100% recycled plastic. Find out more on pg 27.

FMCG BUSINESS IS PROUDLY ASSOCIATED WITH food& grocery COUNCIL NEW ZEALAND

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

PUBLISHED BY C&I Media (NZ) Ltd PO Box 109 342 Newmarket, Auckland 1149 MANAGING DIRECTOR Simon Grover COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Safa de Valois safa@c-store.com.au EDITORIAL DIRECTOR James Wells james@intermedia.com.au HEAD OF CONTENT Tamara Rubanowski trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 027 278 4761 MANAGING EDITOR – C&I NZ Deb Jackson d.jackson@c-store.com.au NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Vicky Bennett vbennett@intermedianz.co.nz ph: 021 626 115 ART DIRECTOR Leanne Hogbin leanne@intermedia.com.au PRODUCTION MANAGER Jacqui Cooper jacqui@intermedia.com.au DIGITAL AND PRINT COORDINATOR Eclypse Lee elee@intermedianz.co.nz

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ISSN 2382-1663 (print) ISSN 2624-4802 (online)

FMCG Business is audited and verified by ABC. DISCLAIMER This publication is published by C&I Media (NZ) Ltd (the “Publisher”). Materials in this publication have been created by a variety of different entities and, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher accepts no liability for materials created by others. All materials should be considered protected by New Zealand and international intellectual property laws. Unless you are authorised by law or the copyright owner to do so, you may not copy any of the materials. The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the Publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Publisher, its agents, company officers or employees. Any use of the information contained in this publication is at the sole risk of the person using that information. The user should make independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information before relying on that information. All express or implied terms, conditions, warranties, statements, assurances and representations in relation to the Publisher, its publications and its services are expressly excluded. To the extent permitted by law, the Publisher will not be liable for any damages including special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages (including but not limited to economic loss or loss of profit or revenue or loss of opportunity) or indirect loss or damage of any kind arising in contract, tort or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such loss of profits or damages. While we use our best endeavours to ensure accuracy of the materials we create, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher excludes all liability for loss resulting from any inaccuracies or false or misleading statements that may appear in this publication. Copyright © 2022 - C&I Media (NZ) Ltd

[ news ]

COUNTDOWN GREVILLE ROAD OPEN FOR BUSINESS Residents on Auckland’s North Shore now have a brand-new Countdown supermarket to enjoy, with Countdown Greville Road opening at the end of April. The 3,650sqm store is filled with everything customers expect from a modern grocery store, including an in-store pharmacy, bakery, cellar, extensive fresh foods section, and ready-to-go area. There is also an undercover pick-up space for online customers to pick up their orders. Countdown’s Director of Property, Matt Grainger, says he’s incredibly proud Countdown Greville Road of the new supermarket. “We’re really excited about our future in this area of Auckland. Pinehill, Albany and the surrounding suburbs are a rapidly growing part of the region, so when the opportunity came up to deliver a new store here, we jumped at it. “Not only is Countdown Greville Road a great place to shop with a really modern look and feel, it’s also a store that will have less of an impact on the planet with a number of sustainability features that will help reduce its emissions.” The sustainability features include electronic shelf labels to reduce paper use, EV charging stations and bike racks for customers, Inside the store on opening day a transcritical refrigeration system, and doors on fridges to help reduce energy use. The store will also be partnering with food rescue organisation, KiwiHarvest, to ensure that any food that can’t be sold, but is still good enough to eat, is rescued and redistributed to the most vulnerable people in our local communities. Next year, a micro-fulfillment centre will open at the Greville Road store. The centre will be made up of state-of-the-art automated

FOR MORE INDUSTRY NEWS FOLLOW US ON 6

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

storage units holding the most in-demand grocery products, allowing Countdown’s personal shoppers to easily access order items with increased speed and accuracy and will mean more same-day deliveries for North Shore customers. Countdown Greville Road is located at 65 Greville Road, Pinehill, Auckland and is open 7am - 10pm, seven days a week.

CHECK OUT WWW.FMCGBUSINESS.CO.NZ

[ news ]

POWER MOVE: NZ’S FIRST SOLAR-POWERED PEANUT ROASTERY

The new solar panels will cover at least 20% of Pic’s energy demand year-round.

Kiwi company Pic’s Peanut Butter is bringing light reducing impact on the environment. For now, – quite literally – to sustainable business with our solar move at the factory is a huge step in the the installation of 486 solar panels on the roof of right direction.” Peanut Butter World in sunny Nelson. A “one-time hippy” with a penchant for With products sold in supermarkets around sustainable lifestyles, Picot has brought New Zealand and offshore in Australia, Asia, sustainability into his 100% certified renewable the UK, and the US, Pic’s processes around one energy business in almost every way possible. tonne of peanuts every hour into as many as Committed to regularly auditing the company’s 28,000 jars of peanut butter every day. own impact as well as its suppliers, Pic’s has The new solar panels will cover at least taken major steps to reduce water usage, waste 20% of Pic’s energy demand year-round, with and carbon emissions and is certified not only the summer months providing significantly Zero Carbon, but Climate Positive. Where more power. That’s enough energy to roast the company’s emissions cannot be further 3.3 million peanuts on a sunny day, or 124,000 reduced, Pic’s offsets its footprint by jars per month. contributing to the protection of 4,120ha of “Our products are grown by the sun and now forest on Vanua Levu, in Fiji. they’re processed by the sun too,” says Chief A circular economy is the goal and Nelsonians Peanut Butter Maker Pic Picot. “With the solar can already return their peanut butter jars to cut Chief Peanut Butter Maker Pic Picot power generated from our new panels, it’ll take down on packaging, there are free electric car 10.3 seconds of sun to produce one jar of Pic’s chargers in the car park at Peanut Butter World, peanut butter.” and Pic’s donates more than 1500 kilograms a year of not-quite-perfect The panels are supplied by Sunergy Solar and the move makes Pic’s product to food rescue programmes and to local predator trappers. the first and only solar-powered peanut roastery in the country. “As inhabitants of a planet in peril, we have no choice but to be doing Pic’s is also supporting a new horticulture industry in Northland, everything we can to reduce our emissions. It is a privilege for us to be collaborating with the Ministry for Primary Industries and Plant & Food making a high-protein plant-based food that is not only shelf-stable and to grow commercial yields of peanuts in the region. This sits alongside easy to eat, but is also totally delicious,” says Picot. trialling locally grown almonds in Hawke’s Bay. “The journey to climate positive hasn’t been easy and it hasn’t come “Producing our raw materials locally will hugely reduce our inward cheap, but we are counting on our customers to see the value of freight carbon emissions,” says Picot. reducing their reliance on animal protein while supporting a business “This, coupled with our solar-charged roastery, would be massive for hell-bent on zero carbon.” FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

[ fresh produce ]

BEST IN SEASON May is the last month of autumn and the temperature is really starting to drop around the country. With a lot of attention on the pricing of all consumables, shoppers will be seeking out in season fresh produce to keep their budgets in check. Lots of leafy greens and brassicas such as silverbeet, broccoli and cauliflower will be popular with shoppers seeking nutrient dense vegetables to keep the family healthy, as will leeks and celery for the flavour they impart to hearty casseroles and stews. Everyday favourites kiwifruit, apples and pears still top the shopping list for school lunches while Nashi pears add variety and the last of the season’s feijoa crop will be arriving in stores as well as locally grown limes – a welcome sight for those paying a premium for imported varieties earlier in the year.

Persimmons

“MAY IS THE MONTH FOR LUNCHBOX FAVOURITE, EASYPEEL SATSUMA MANDARINS.”

Sub-tropical persimmons are only around for a short time and are a bright addition to the fruit bowl at this time of year. The main persimmon variety grown in New Zealand is the Fuyu and they have a short availability window of May to July. As they become available at the start of winter it is a good idea to display them prominently. What to look for: Choose persimmons that are firm to touch as they will continue to ripen on the shelf. A ripe Fuyu persimmon will be a deep orange colour. Less ripe persimmons will be a lighter orange but a lot of people like them this way as the flesh is crisper. Storage/handling: Persimmons are unlike a lot of other fruit in that they keep longer if stored at room temperature – between 15-25 degrees. Persimmons kept refrigerated will go soft more quickly than if they are left at room temperature. Nutrition: Persimmons provide a good source of vitamins A and C and are a source of dietary fibre which supports digestive health. They also contain potassium and are a source of manganese.

Satsuma Mandarins The New Zealand citrus season is now underway and May is the month for lunchbox favourite, easy-peel Satsuma mandarins. New Zealand’s best growers measure the Brix value in their fruit, which determines the sugar/acid ratio and ensures that fruit 8

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

is picked at the optimum time to ensure it is sweet and perfect for eating straight away. The Satsuma season runs through until midAugust, providing an important burst of colour in store fruit displays. What to look for: Skin should feel slightly loose and a juicy mandarin will feel heavy for its size. Avoid bruised or blemished mandarins. Storage/handling: Satsuma mandarins can be stored at room temperature for a few days but should be refrigerated after that to extend shelf life of up to two weeks. Nutrition: Satsuma mandarins are a good source of vitamin C and folate, a source of dietary fibre, thiamin and also contain potassium which is essential for healthy fluid and mineral balance.

Carrots Available all year round and a staple in Kiwi households, carrots are coming into their main crop now with picking happening in Ohakune and the South Island. Carrots should be displayed alongside other hard-line, root vegetables such as parsnip and swede. Be sure to display loose carrots to attract attention, as well as pre-packed options so time-poor consumers can grab a bag and go. What to look for: Choose carrots that are firm and well-formed with a good orange colour. Storage/handling: Store at 0°C with a relative humidity of 90-100%. Carrots are ethylene sensitive so store separately from ethylene producing fruit and vegetables. Availability: Carrots are a good source of vitamin A. They’re also a source of dietary fibre, vitamin B6 and folate. Orange carrots are the main type grown in New Zealand but yellow, purple and white carrots also exist in small numbers.

Join us on

www.unitedfresh.co.nz

[ health & beauty ]

NEW VISIBLE REPAIR RANGE FROM ESSANO “LAPAGYL™ IS AN ADVANCED BOTANICAL INGREDIENT AND IS THE HERO INGREDIENT IN THE VISIBLE REPAIR RANGE.”

Did you know that 91% of Kiwi women worry about the physical effects of ageing on their skin*? “That is why essano, NZ’s no.1 natural skincare brand**, has developed a new range to address the most pressing skin concerns for women aged 50+ discovered through in-depth research,” says Senior Brand Manager Shannon Green. “The NEW Visible Repair range features clinically proven formulas that are naturally and specifically designed for mature skin. “essano’s Visible Repair range launches to market with four hero products; Day Cream, Night Cream and Eye Cream plus the star of the range, the Facial Elixir. The Elixir is a powerful oilbased formulation that is packed full of ingredients to reduce signs of ageing – it is proven to reduce wrinkle depth in 4 weeks and increase skin firmness in just 2 weeks!^ “Using independent testing methods with real women aged 50 and over in Europe, each product in the Visible Repair range is clinically proven to deliver a range of results from instant and long-lasting hydration, to reduction of depth and degree of wrinkles, to improving

skin firmness and appearance within 2 to 4 weeks,” explains Green. Lapagyl™ advanced botanical ingredient is the hero ingredient in the Visible Repair range. “It is proven to promote a slower aging process and increased skin longevity, leading to a radiant, firmer and younger appearance.” It is sourced from the Lapacho tree known as the “tree of life” for its revered for its healing properties. essano uses sustainably sourced “tree of life” from a joint venture between local communities in Paraguay – an initiative backed by a United Nations fund specifically designed to support female entrepreneurs. “essano is the first skincare brand to use Lapagyl™ advanced botanical ingredient in Australasia,” says Green. essano™ Visible Repair is available nationwide from Countdown, New World, Pak’N’Save, Bargain Chemist and online at www.essano.co.nz For orders contact Kimberly Crawford, National Account Manager, kimc@essano.co.nz Mobile: 027 765 8441 ^Independent clinical study on 20 women aged 50 and over *Results garnered from a survey done on 500 NZ women 50 + in April 2022 **Value $ MAT NZ Grocery to 22/03/22

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

COVID’S IMPACT ON THE COLD & FLU CATEGORY

Claudia Mosimann is the Commercial Lead for Consumer Health at IQVIA. She has experience working with consumer health and pharmaceutical companies in research, marketing and strategy. www.iqviaconsumerhealth.com

The 2022 winter outlook is for an intense cold and flu season. Public health measures due to Covid-19 have been rolled back with renewed consumer mobility and reduced limitations on gatherings, which is likely to result in greater transmission of all upper respiratory tract infections. The opening of international borders, without quarantine requirements, will further contribute to this through the arrival of novel cold and flu strains in New Zealand that could result in a surge of influenza and other upper respiratory tract infections. Predicted surges in influenza paired with ongoing COVID-19 outbreaks, including more transmissible but reportedly less virulent strains like Omicron, will likely see an uptick in demand for cold and flu or immunity products, as consumers attempt to selfmanage symptoms.

Consumers stockpiling In fact, due to stockpiling prior to and during New Zealand’s Omicron outbreak, demand for cold and flu products experienced a 2.5-fold increase in both pharmacy and grocery in January 2022 compared to the previous year (see Figures 1 & 2).

Pharmacy versus Grocery Interestingly, while grocery has traditionally accounted for one-third and pharmacy two-thirds of overall category sales in cold and flu, both channels had very similar total value sales in 2022 10

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

(see Figures 3 & 4). This is likely to have been due to a combination of potential channel shift along with an increase in penetration as existing consumers stockpiled and new concerned consumers came to the market.

Omicron variant Furthermore, the top five reported symptoms of Omicron are runny nose, headache, fatigue, sneezing and sore throat with only 50% of those infected with Omicron experienced the three classic Delta symptoms of fever, cough, and a loss of sense of smell or taste. Thus, if Omicron becomes the dominant COVID-19 strain that circulates throughout the winter season, a shift in the cold and flu segment demand may occur. This is not unprecedented, given the unusual uplift in sore throat treatment demand in January and February 2022 (see Figures 3 & 4), which occurred concurrently with the surge in Omicron infections across the country. Shifts in consumer product demand and channel preference may continue to arise throughout the winter season as consumers attempt to remedy the effects of cold or flu, including any novel strains of Delta or Omicron and any further variants that may emerge.

Supply chain vigilance Consequently, suppliers and retailers across grocery and pharmacy channels must remain vigilant to ongoing market dynamics, including how

[ health & wellness ]

Figure 1: Total Pharmacy scanned $ sales for the cold and flu category | IQVIA Pharmacy Scan |Data to 28/02/2022 Figure 2: Total Supermarkets scanned $ sales for personal care cough and cold treatments| NielsenIQ Scantrack | Data to 27/02/2022

Figure 3: Total Pharmacy scanned $ sales by segment for the cold and flu category | IQVIA Pharmacy Scan | Data to 28/02/2022 Figure 4: Total Supermarkets scanned $ sales by segment for personal care cough and cold treatments| NielsenIQ Scantrack | Data to 27/02/2022

COVID-19 strains and symptoms evolve, potential changes to public health policies, and how consumers may respond to them. Management of supply chains and overcoming logistical challenges that may arise from staff shortages, longer shipment times and rising shipment costs will be also crucial to ensure consumers are adequately supplied throughout this period. Source: www.iqviaconsumerhealth.com

“THE 2022 WINTER OUTLOOK IS FOR AN INTENSE COLD AND FLU SEASON.” FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

NATURAL WINTER WELLNESS Soothing remedies from Comvita In a small New Zealand town in the early 1970’s, two men formed a special partnership. Claude Stratford and Alan Boughen established Comvita in 1974 with a mission to create quality health products as close to their natural state as possible. While honing their beekeeping skills they began making natural products with the honey they collected from native forests nearby. They sold their products locally and ‘Comvita’ quickly became known for the quality and purity of its products, and for its ethics. Claude and Alan’s beekeeping legacy has endured and Comvita is now New Zealand’s largest producer of genuine UMF Manuka Honey, operating over 27,000 hives in New Zealand. It is a globally recognised brand. “Today, we continue this passion for being better, working at the forefront of science to deepen our understanding of the hive’s healing power,” says the Comvita team. “We source the highest quality natural ingredients from remote corners of New Zealand and use leading science to verify their purity and potency. Better Mānuka honey for better health - that’s our sweet spot. “We’re for nature - we believe that nature has the power to heal, protect and restore both people and planet. We were the first New Zealand Mānuka honey company to use scientific knowhow to reveal nature’s intelligence and deepen our understanding of the healing power of the hive. We’re fanatical about creating natural, premium bee products of the purest and highest quality. “We’re also for kaitiakitanga. Just as the Mānuka tree is a natural kaitiaki (guardian) of the land, so are we. We do everything we can to protect and restore our environment for future generations (ten million trees planted and growing!). We’re for a better world - that’s never changed since we began in 1974. We’re helping the communities we

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

touch around the globe, saving bees, saving animals and giving back 1% of our profits, for the better.” In New Zealand, Comvita offers Manuka Honey and natural wellness products under the Comvita brand, including Manuka Honey Lozenges and Olive Leaf Extract. Comvita’s recent product launches include new Soothing Kids Pops, which come in a 15pk of three different lollipop flavours - ranged in Countdown Supermarkets. “Comvita Kids lollipops have grown 176% in the MAT to February 2022 since launching the new product,” says Dylan Hill-Lewis – Comvita’s Head of Sales and Marketing ANZ. He adds: “With increased demand for natural wellbeing products our Olive Leaf Extract is perfectly positioned to fulfil emerging consumers needs in the Natural Immune Health category. “We are seeing an increase in demand for wellness products with the emerging outbreaks and anticipated increases in Covid cases. In particular the need for products that help with the relief of symptoms and also in the natural immune categories.” For orders contact Wilson’s Consumer products on 0800651044 or email info@wilson.co.nz

BioCeuticals BioCeuticals is a leading provider of practitioner-only nutritional and therapeutic supplements, manufacturing and delivering high quality integrative medicines to healthcare practitioners across Australasia. BioCeuticals aims to consistently raise the standards of natural-based therapies, with a mission to ensure complementary and alternative medicines gain the recognition they deserve and ultimately become an integral part of the allied healthcare industry. “Our foundation is in naturopathic medicine, which remains at the core of our endeavours in every aspect of our business,” says the BioCeuticals team. BioCeuticals is committed to quality, as evidenced by their UltraClean range of fish oil, designed to provide health professionals with products they can be confident in prescribing, and which will yield the best patient outcomes. Choosing to work only with suppliers like AlaskOmega®, whose values align with their own, BioCeuticals premium omega-3 fish oils are 100% from sustainably sourced wild Alaskan Pollock from the Bering Sea. Regular purity testing takes place across the entire UltraClean range to ensure all fish oils are free from heavy metals, PCBs, radiation, dioxins and pesticides, well above relevant minimum industry requirements. Oxidation markers are also assessed continuously to safeguard against oxidative degradation, guaranteeing freshness,

[ feature ] potency and purity. As a member of the Global Organisation of EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED) and certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), BioCeuticals chooses only to supply fish oil supplements that meet the strict quality and sustainability guidelines set by these industry bodies. “At BioCeuticals, we’re striving to help practitioners restore, support and preserve the health of their patients by recommending high quality complementary medicines. Together we hope to bring bring progressive change for the mutual benefit of practitioners and patients,” explains the team.

BioCeuticals ArmaForce If you're needing support for your immune system, or help recovering from ills and chills, then Armaforce is here to help. This comprehensive vegan formula contains andrographis AP-Bio® extract, which is a scientifically studied phytochemical composition standardised to andrographolides and other diterpene lactones derived from andrographis paniculata. AP-Bio® has a seed-to-shelf operational efficiency which ensures sustainability of the ingredient. ArmaForce also contains standardised herbs olive leaf and echinacea plus immune-supporting nutrients vitamin C and

zinc, to support healthy immune system function. Take one tablet per day, for up to two weeks. Available in 30, 60 and 120 tablet pack sizes.

BioCeuticals Ultra Muscleze® Night Do you need support for sleepless nights or restlessness? Ultra Muscleze Night powder is a comprehensive formula of a readily bioavailable form of magnesium; a specialised blend of amino acid chelates called UltraMag®. During times of stress, this supplement calms your excess nervous energy and supports muscle relaxation. Inositol supports healthy nerve conduction and magnesium calms restlessness, while the addition of choline supports the synthesis of neurotransmitters. It just takes one scoop a day of this lemon flavoured vegetarian formula. Available in 240g and 400g packs sizes. BioCeuticals offer a range of over 100 nutritional and therapeutic supplements to New Zealand consumers. For more information call 0508 006 823 or email bioceuticalscustomercare@blackmoresnz.co.nz

Arma Yourself to support recovery from winter ills & chills

Andrographis

Olive Leaf

Vitamin C

Found exclusively behind the counter. Ask the Pharmacist for specially formulated immune health support. Always read the label and use as directed. Vitamins and minerals are supplementary to and not a replacement for a balanced diet. BioCeuticals, Auckland.

Echinacea

Zinc

PURE Burger Image courtesy of Silver Fern Farms

EASY DINNERS New convenience meals arrive in store.

Quick and easy meal inspiration is super popular with shoppers and there is plenty of innovation in this space. From premium burgers to plant powered pizzas, here’s a quick snapshot of NPD and best-sellers to look out for.

Experience pure deliciousness with Silver Fern Farms PURE Burgers Silver Fern Farms is proud to introduce new premium PURE* Burgers and Sliders – now available in the freezer. Providing customers with a purely convenient offering that doesn’t compromise on quality. “Building on our successful launch of Honest Burgers, we’re excited to bring premium products to the freezer aisle, enabling customers to create pure deliciousness at home,” says Brenda Galbraith, Marketing Manager USA/NZ. “The name says it all. Our PURE* Burgers are 97 – 99% grass-fed red meat, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a touch of collagen to enhance the cooking experience and tenderness. No fillers, no artificial ingredients – just pure deliciousness. They’re also gluten-free and keto friendly.” “PURE* Burgers are made from expertly selected cuts of beef, lamb and venison that offer a rich depth of flavour and a juicy texture, for the best eating experience.” There are five products in the range: - 97% Beef Burgers with Brisket - 97% Beef Burgers with Short Rib - 99% Lamb Burgers with Rump - 97% Venison & Beef Burgers with Venison Short Rib - 97% Beef Sliders with Brisket “PURE* Burgers come in family-sized packs for ultimate convenience – perfect to put in the freezer for those “just in case” moments,” says Galbraith For every pack purchased, Silver Fern Farms will donate $1 to Meat the Need, a charity that helps New Zealand farmers feed Kiwi families in need, supplying much needed meat to City Missions and food banks. Customers have even more reason to enjoy PURE* Burgers, knowing they’re helping provide red meat nutrition to those that need it most. *PURE Burgers are 97% red meat, seasoned with salt and pepper, with added collagen. For more information, contact Silver Fern Farms Key Account Manager – NZ Retail, John Saunders [0274923624] 14

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Passage Veg Curry Bowls Passage Foods is acclaimed for using only natural ingredients in its Passage to India and Passage to Asia sauce ranges. The newly developed, 90 seconds ready-to-eat meals are bringing the same values to the consumer, with tasty, convenient, plant-based meals in your favourite curry flavours. Each biodegradable bowl contains cooked rice and sauce with vegetables, just mix, heat-andeat, and you don’t even need to keep it in the fridge. The partnership between Passage Foods and One Percent For The Planet means 1% of all Veg Curry Bowl sales go to programs around the world focused on reducing the impact of plastic pollution on our environment. Passage Foods have proven that a heat-and-eat meal can be environmentally friendly while providing a diverse range of authentic flavours for the convenient-seeker. The most popular Veg Curry Butter Masala, Cashew Korma and Thai Green Curry bowls are now available in New Zealand. There is something for everyone whether it’s a ready heat and eat meal or a simmer sauce with authentic flavours from India and Asia. You can find these ready to heat and eat Passage Veg Curry Bowls in selected New World and PAK’nSAVE stores. For sales enquiries, call 094101066, e-mail sales@houseff.co.nz or visit https://houseff.co.nz

[ category insights ] Jess’s Underground Kitchen Jess’s Underground Kitchen produces premium, frozen ready-to-eat meals, with their range of Gourmet Everyday™ meals in supermarket freezers across the country. With a focus on high-quality ingredients and bold flavours, it’s not surprising that these meals have been so well received by buyers and consumers alike. Handmade in small batches by a team of real chefs, Jess picks only the freshest ingredients and free-range meats to use in the meals. The full range consists of six meat-based SKUs and four plant-based SKUs, with a mix of traditional and contemporary flavours. The full range is generously portioned at 400g per serve and each meal is reheatable from frozen in 5 minutes. The Jess’s Underground Kitchen Gourmet Everyday™ launched during the global pandemic and is developed specifically with the upmarket supermarket shopper in mind. With an increasing demand from consumers for convenience and quality, there is no doubt that the ready-meal category is growing and JUK offers a drawcard to bring a new, contemporary audience to the freezer aisle. The recent brand refresh has made the packaging even more appealing to retailers with dual-facing and a bespoke 3-sided box so that consumers can still see the meal inside the outer packaging and can be

Find us in your local freezer!

gourmeteveryday.co.nz

presented either vertically or horizontally depending on the freezer size and space. Jess’s Underground Kitchen has been operating in the ready-meal market since 2013 when Founder Jess Daniell realised there was a gap in the market for fresh and healthy convenience food. With a direct-to-consumer meal delivery model across the North Island and three bricks-and-mortar stores in Auckland, her range of meals taste and feel like they’ve been created in a home kitchen – all of the comforts without any of the hassle. To enquire about stocking the Jess’s Underground Kitchen Gourmet Everyday™ range, please contact Peter Cleland, National Account Manager (KML): peter.cleland@kml.net.nz. www.gourmeteveryday.co.nz , www.juk.co.nz

“JESS’S UNDERGROUND KITCHEN HAS BEEN OPERATING IN THE READYMEAL MARKET SINCE 2013”

[ category insights ] Plant powered pizzas At the Turkish bread bakery something special has been brewing in the foothills of the Waitakere ranges… Managing Director Ken Vaughan had been looking for a way of sneaking vegetables into kids’ pizza. The idea was to make a great tasting pizza base with a serving of vegetables in every slice. With the help of Hawkes Bay vegetable packhouse they were able to source New Zealand’s freshest locally grown vegetables for this ambitious new product. This included cauliflower from the sunny Hawkes Bay, kumara from the mighty Kaipara region and pumpkin from heartland Masterton. These vegetables were freshly processed, and the result was nothing short of astonishing. The vegetable pulp is crafted into the traditional pizza dough, to form a superfoods product that kids will love. For the two new lines ‘Cauliflower pizza bases’ and ‘Kumara & Pumpkin pizza bases’, sales throughout Foodstuffs and Countdown supermarkets have gone from strength to strength, adding value, variety and health to the growing sector of the chilled pizza base market. General Manager Blair Johnstone says each week he has to increase orders to Hawkes Bay for the special fresh vegetable pulps and envisages further line extensions to this growing category. For orders and more information email: sales@turkishbread.co.nz or call Blair on 027 6454688

New flavours from Naked Kitchen Chilled Naked Kitchen and Naked Locals products are brought to you by Life Health Foods, which are all made in Avondale, Auckland. “Naked Kitchen and Naked Locals are both market leaders in the Chilled Meals and Chilled Soup categories,” says Senior Brand Manager Vicki Sew Hoy-Willis. She adds: “This winter, Naked Kitchen is adding some exciting new flavours to its range. Transporting you to a world of different flavours within minutes, our delicious Indian Saag is made with spinach, potato & chickpeas, whilst our moreish North African Shakshuka is full of tomato, butternut pumpkin and aromatic spices. For Eat Well, Nurture is new to the range, a Vegetable, Chickpea and Noodle soup comforting to eat on those cold days or to fight off any winter chills. “New from Naked Locals is our Local Heroes Pumpkin & Kumara soup. This special soup was created in collaboration with Fair Food, Auckland’s original food rescue charity that is on a mission to feed people, not landfill! Local Heroes Lentil, Potato & Caramelised Onion soup will also be available again this year, created in collaboration with Satisfy Food Rescue, a north Canterbury charity. 20c per pack will be donated to these charities to support the good work that they do. For the season just ended, the Local Heroes initiative has raised over $50,000 in total 16

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

for charities Everybody Eats, Satisfy Food Rescue and Gizzy Kai Rescue. In a time when the community is in need more than ever, the team at Life Health Foods has been humbled to work with these epic charity partners,” says Sew Hoy-Willis. For more information please call 09-829-5700, email orders@lhf.net or go to www.lifehealthfoods.co.nz

Mrs Mac’s is delighted to introduce their Bakery Range Mrs Mac’s bakery has been perfecting the art of pie making since 1954. “Our team of loyal bakers ensure only the finest pastry and quality ingredients go into making our pies, sausage rolls and pastry bakes. Continuing in that tradition we are delighted to introduce our new bakery range,” says Julia Hunt, NZ Country Manager. So, what’s better? • New improved golden flaky pastry “Our in-house chefs have been working to develop the best pastry.” • Premium quality fills “Our new bakery range has been created with chunkier fills that have been braised (just like you would do at home) to give extra depth and flavour.” • Sleek new packaging “We are rolling out a new look that showcases our first lady of pies, Mrs Mac’s! Look out for our new and improved range in your local supermarket or petrol and convenience store. “Mrs Mac’s also continues its sustainability journey ensuring every decision we make is committed to deliver outcomes for our people, our consumers, the planet and the communities in which we live, now and into the future. “We are proud of our achievements to date are working towards some ambitious goals within our four key focus areas of People & Culture, Consumers, Community and the Planet all underpinned and aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. “We strive to reduce the impact on the environment through sustainable packaging, water and energy management, waste reduction and responsible sourcing,” says the team. To order the range email Teresa Lawry - National Business Manager at TLawry@mrsmacs.co.nz

[ category insights ] Premium ready to eat meals from Moana New Zealand Moana New Zealand looks back on 15 years’ experience in ready to eat meals and has, for the first time, incorporated their own seafood in a ready to eat range. Moana New Zealand already has a range of tray packed fish fillets, pottled pāua and, traypack and pottled oysters, sold through the seafood chillers in the North Island. This year Moana New Zealand has identified a niche for a range of chilled premium ready to eat meals – with seafood, chicken, beef and vegetarian options, to help time poor shoppers who are looking for nutritious, quick and convenient meals. There are six products in the range, all in 300g packs: • Creamy Seafood Chowder • Lemongrass, Chilli, Coconut Fish Curry • Coconut & Turmeric Fish Curry • Horopito & Beef Ragu • Rewarewa Honey Soy & Ginger Chicken • Kumara, Paneer & Chickpea Curry The range includes gluten free and vegetarian options and incorporates a range of New Zealand ingredients. Each meal contains high levels of protein ranging from 30% to 55% across the range. These meals can be eaten on their own or shared by adding some bread, vegetables, or poppadums. Consumer research* generated positive feedback: “The flavours of the ready-to eat-meals are really variable, and as a consumer who goes home already tired from work, having lots of options for dinner or lunch will be a huge help.”

“I absolutely love the whole concept of getting to try ready-made meals with the use of ingredients sourced from our soil and the brilliant use of Te Reo when describing each title makes my mouth water. I already feel content knowing the ingredients are from our own back yard.” *Imagine Research Consumer Sensory August 2021

For orders and more information call or email Nicola Frampton – Business Development Manager 027 820 4211 or Nicola.frampton@moana.co.nz

The FMCG Business team endeavours to produce a monthly snapshot of category news and highlights, based on information from participating clients, plus a table of the freshest data available at time of print. If you wish to contribute news for upcoming category reports, please contact trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz

CONVENIENCE MEALS & PIES Dollars

Dollars Growth % YA

Total Pies

$78,263

8.4

Fresh Multipacks

$25,474

-5.1

Fresh Single Serve

$29,859

17.4

Fresh Family Pies

$10,804

18.6

Frozen Family Pies

$2,106

15.1

Frozen Single Serve

$3,020

-31.9

Frozen Multipacks

$7,000

53.1

Total Convenience Meals

$301,196

9.1

Frozen Meals

$43,286

16.5

Fresh Meals

$38,837

12.4

Fresh Pasta

$38,757

19.5

Frozen Pizza

$34,009

8.2

Fresh Vegetarian

$32,613

8.1

Fresh Soup

$22,154

14.1

Fresh Pasta Sauces

$19,451

12.8

Fresh Pizza

$15,095

-36.6

Chilled Breads

$14,359

12.8

Fresh Pizza Bases

$13,760

5.2

Fresh Sandwiches

$7,707

39.4

Fresh Other

$4,769

22.6

Fresh Salads

$4,347

9.1

Fresh Meal/Kits

$3,656

4.1

New sea land flavours. moana.co.nz

Source : IRI Market Edge Grocery MAT to 27/03/22 (Selected segments)

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

SENSATIONAL

SPREADS What’s new and trending

Whether you like your spreads on toast, fresh bread, scones, or spooned straight out of the jar, we have some excellent locally made products to choose from. Here’s a quick snapshot of new and trending products to look out for.

Mossop’s Honey Mossop’s Honey is a trusted, family-owned and operated business based in Tauranga that has been producing some of the finest honey in the world since 1947. There’s nothing better than dipping into a pot of Mossop’s Honey for a spoonful of 100% delicious, healthy and natural goodness. Kiwis love 100% raw natural products and at Mossop’s Honey, they believe that is the best type of honey to buy – raw and natural, so they process the honey as little as possible to maintain its natural flavour, colour, aroma and goodness. Mossop’s Honey have a fantastic range of products including their NZ hero product – their red label Mossop’s Manuka Honey, which is a genuine Manuka honey that meets the MPI requirements for Monofloral Manuka with an MGO rating of 130+ and is available in many New World and PAK’nSAVE stores. Mossop’s also offer Field Honey,

“MOSSOP’S HONEY IS A TRUSTED, FAMILY-OWNED AND OPERATED BUSINESS BASED IN TAURANGA” 18

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

which is a delicious blend of honey sourced from a variety of wild flowers like clover and buttercup growing on New Zealand farmland and pastures. Rewarewa Honey is sourced from the nectar of New Zealand’s native Rewarewa in the hills and valleys of the North Island. Mossop’s also have a great range of Manuka UMF™, which is globally recognised as one of nature’s super foods and is laboratory tested to ensure it meets the UMF™ levels on the labels. “Mossop’s Manuka UMF™12+ Honey & Propolis Lozenges are very popular and effective,” says General Manager Wendy Mossop. For information visit www.mossops.co.nz or call us on 0800946677.

New from Nut Brothers: ‘Super 7 Seeds’ and ‘Probiotic and Cranberry’ Golden, crunchy, probiotic and anti-oxidant rich, this is what Nut Brothers’ new release peanut butters look and taste like. ‘Super 7 Seeds’ and ‘Probiotic and Cranberry’ will join Nut Brothers’ existing range of 500g large-sized jars, alongside their Super Crunch (slightly salted and no added salt), Super Smooth (slightly salted) and their Almond Butter Crunchy (slightly salted) range.

NEW! Nut Brothers Peanut Butter Super 7 Seeds This super crunchy peanut butter is loaded with a wholesome blend of nutritional seeds, small-batch roasted here in New Zealand before being milled into a wonderful spreadable peanut butter that offers a taste and aroma that simply pops in your mouth. Nut Brothers don’t add any oil, unlike other seeded nut butters, which yields a noticeably delicious roasted taste without the heaviness. Super 7 Seeds has a five-star health rating, and there is 25% protein with every serve. Enjoyed best on toast, mixed into a breakfast bowl or smoothie, or simply on a celery stick. Super 7 Seed peanut butter includes: • SUNFLOWER KERNELS (Contains fibre, vitamins, minerals and immune support) • PUMPKIN SEEDS (Contains fibre, nutrients, minerals, anti-oxidants, magnesium)

[ category insights ] • CHIA SEEDS (Contains fibre, omega 3 fatty acids, protein, minerals, and antioxidants) • HEMP SEEDS – HULLED (Contains fibre, omega 3 fatty acids, protein, minerals, and antioxidants) • FLAX FIBRE (Contains fibre to improve digestive health) • BLACK SESAME SEEDS (Contains fibre and is rich in magnesium) • WHITE SESAME SEEDS (Contains fibre, Vitamin B, protein, minerals and anti-oxidants)

NEW! Nut Brothers Peanut Butter Probiotic and Cranberry “Made right here in New Zealand, this is Aotearoa’s first Probiotic Peanut Butter with just the right mix of cranberries and crunchy peanut butter”, says Jono Wood of Natures Foods. “This wholesome peanut butter takes our delicious crunchy peanut butter and boosts it with probiotics and cranberries. Powered by millions of good bacteria, this is an excellent start to your day.” Nut Brothers use Ocean Spray’s soft and moist cranberries, which are anti-oxidant rich, naturally

high in nutrients and provide a subtle tangy taste with a slight berry note. Gluten-free and containing no artificial flavours or preservatives, this is the answer to supercharging your breakfast, lunch or snacks. Follow us @nutbrothers For supermarket inquiries or to order, please contact College Hill Agencies, Hamish Spear (Key Account Manager) ph +64 27 222 4883 or email hamish@cha.co.nz .

Capturing the natural goodness of New Zealand Honeys

100% Pure New Zealand Honey For enquiries and further information contact www.mossops.co.nz or 0800 946677

[ category insights ] Datella

Fix & Fogg

Hands up if you’re down for something new and delish to spread on your toast - Datella has you sorted! Dates are one of the sweetest, gooiest, most amazing little fruits with a ton of health benefits: • Dates are great for substitutions - you can replace sugar, chocolate chips, or candies in baking recipes with dates to ensure you are eating natural sugars instead of refined sugars. • No fat, no cholesterol, no sodium - since dates have no sodium, no fat, and no cholesterol they are incredibly heartfriendly fruits. • Plenty of vitamins and minerals - dates contain vitamins such as vitamin A, K, B1, B2, B3, as well as riboflavin, thiamin, calcium etc. If you have a few dates every day, you probably won’t need to take vitamin supplements! Datella makes it easier to enjoy these health benefits and satisfy your sweet cravings with options like Cinnamon, Chocolate, Original and Mixed Spice if you want to add some extra zing in! “I believe Datella is a spread that everyone can enjoy. It’s an allergy-friendly NZ made product with no refined sugar, a clean ingredient list, that contributes to the local economy and supports the community. One Friday each month we donate 100% of our online sales to animal welfare organizations,” says Datella Founder Ola Berezhnaia. Datella is currently available in four Fresh Choice stores in Auckland, Commonsense Organics, and a few specialty stores as well as online on Supie’s virtual shelves and the Datella website. For orders, please email info@eatdatella.com. For more information, please visit www.eatdatella.com

Fix & Fogg is an award-winning nut butter company located in Wellington, New Zealand focused on making meaningful, sustainable and delicious products. With the release of over seven products in the last 12 months, Fix & Fogg is leading the creativity and innovation within the spreads category in New Zealand. Fix & Fogg is the first New Zealand owned food manufacturer to receive Bcorporation certification due to their focus on sustainability, governance and social responsibility. “The consumer trends we’ve seen are focused on innovative ‘better for you’ products from companies focusing on sustainability and doing better for the planet,” says COO Thom Brooks. After the release of their award-winning Everything Butter in 2019, Fix & Fogg added Choc Berry Everything Butter to the mix and have now released a peanut-free version, Almond Everything Butter! With a mix over eight different nuts and seeds (with some delicious inclusions) these products are awardwinning and most importantly, delicious. Leading the charge in other areas, Fix & Fogg is also introducing their first product free from nuts into their line up in 2022. Fix & Fogg Cookie Butter has been made to match the flavour and crunch of a Belgian style speculoos cookie. Baked to perfection - the cookies are crushed before adding the perfect amount of sweetness and spice to create a natural, creamy cookie butter. Another innovator to their range is Peanut Butter and Jelly. “It’s made with chewy berry pieces, raspberries and our crunchy peanut butter. Free from artificial colours and flavours, it’s sweet, tart and moreishly delicious,” says Brooks. For orders contact Caity Beattie, Key Account Manager James Crisp, email Caity.Beattie@ jamescrisp.co.nz , ph +64 21 978 557

SPREADS Dollars

Dollars Growth % YA

Total Spreads

$420,142,026

0.7

Dairy Spreads

$264,011,354

0.9

Other Spreads

$87,818,625

2.4

Honey

$34,901,815

-4.2

Jams & Conserves

$33,410,232

0.7

Source : IRI Market Edge Grocery MAT to 27/03/22 (Selected segments)

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

Upcycling Is Changing The World Upcycled Grain Project has announced their newest range – Grain Crisps. What makes this range special, is they’re filled with rescued spent brewers’ grain from the beer brewing process, helping to reduce food waste and reliance on new resources. You can snack soundly knowing you are doing your part to save the planet! https://rutherfordandmeyer.co.nz/pages/upcycledgrainproject office@randm.co.nz Phone 04 976 0251

NEW Moana New Zealand Premium ready to eat meals

Gluten-free Sourdough Wrap Latest Rebel Bakehouse Innovation Sourdough is now in reach for people with gluten intolerances and allergies thanks to Rebel Bakehouse’s brand-new Sourdough and Super Seeds Wrap. Created from a starter using wild Wairarapa yeast, they’re packed with nutritious super seeds - including red quinoa - and are soft, pliable and delicious. For sales queries, please contact your Alliance Sales Representative 09 280 2926

Every gurnard, greenlipped mussel, tender piece of beef, every last drop of rewarewa honey and down to the last capsicum, is gathered and harvested with a lightness of touch. The preparation of our ready-to-eat meals has been carefully orchestrated to preserve the best ingredients New Zealand has to offer. For enquiries please contact Nicola on 027 880 4211 or nicola.frampton@moana.co.nz

The New Bird on the Block NEW essano Visible Repair range The NEW Visible Repair range features clinically proven formulas that are naturally and specifically designed for mature skin. The range includes a Day Cream, Night Cream and Eye Cream, plus the hero, the Facial Elixir. The elixir is a powerful oil-based formulation to reduce signs of ageing – it is clinically proven to reduce wrinkle depth in 4 weeks and increase skin firmness in 2 weeks!^ ^Independent clinical study on 20 women aged 50 and over

Contact Kimberly Crawford, National Account Manager kimc@essano.co.nz, Mobile: 027 765 8441

Everybird is a new specialty coffee brand brought to you by Kōkako Organic Coffee Roasters. Designed for the grocery sector, Everybird launches with two crowd-pleasing blends, the bold and chocolatey Everyday Blend and Half-Caf, a new-to-category offering which packs a whole lot of flavour with only half the caffeine. everybird.co.nz hello@everybird.co.nz FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

[ good business ]

FOODSTUFFS TO OPEN MORE SOCIAL SUPERMARKETS As part of its commitment to be Here for NZ and a promise to provide New Zealanders with access to healthy affordable food and supporting communities to thrive, Foodstuffs – the 100% New Zealand owned and operated co-operatives behind PAK’nSAVE, New World and Four Square – is expanding its innovative social supermarket initiative to a new partnership in the Far North, which will provide the dignity of choice for whānau in the region who need support with accessing food. The new social supermarket will be called Te Hiku Pātaka and plans to be up and running in Kaitaia by late May. Foodstuffs has partnered with Te Kahu Oranga Whānau, a collective of iwi and Māori organisations in the Far North, including Waitomo Papakāinga Development Trust, Te Whare Ruruhau O Meri, Te Rūnanga o te Rarawa and Tuhiata Mahi Ora who are all pulling together to transform the premises in Kaitaia, into a social supermarket. The collective chose the name Pātaka as it refers to a food storehouse or community pantry - a place that replenishes local whānau and is contributed to by all. The Pātaka will enable people experiencing food insecurity to choose their own items from a wide selection of groceries, rather than being issued a standard food parcel. Foodstuffs North Island Head of Membership Experience Willa Hand says, this initiative is an important part of the co-operative’s promise to be Here for NZ, making a commitment to ensure everyone in Aotearoa has access to healthy food and supporting communities to thrive. “When people have an emergency and need food, they come to a traditional foodbank and more often than not just get given what they get given. That’s really helpful, but it doesn’t take into consideration cultural needs, allergies, food likes and dislikes,” she said. “The idea behind social supermarkets is that when individuals or families have an emergency need for whatever reason - maybe they’re having a tough week, or a tough month and are struggling to put food on the table – we can do more than just give them what we have in a pre-packed food parcel. The intention is to have a range of products on the shelves in our social supermarket that enables them to come in, have the dignity of choosing the products they need themselves, 22

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

The new Pātaka follows the success of a social supermarket in Wellington.

so they can make the kind of meals they want to cook, shopping in an environment that looks and feels like a normal supermarket.” The opening of Te Hiku Pātaka follows the success of a Social Supermarket partnership between Foodstuffs North Island and Wellington City Mission. In its first year of operation, this initiative helped 3,268 Wellingtonians who needed food support shop with dignity in a supermarket environment and also access other support services to help them get back on their feet. Foodstuffs, who donated over 8.9 million meals through its Here for NZ food rescue partnerships and relationships in 2021, now plans to roll out their social supermarket initiatives to more communities in the year ahead. Discussions are already underway with community partners in six different regions, including Tauranga and Whangarei. Every social supermarket will be different, tapping into the local knowledge of community partners to tailor the offering for the needs of each community. The Foodstuffs team bring many years of retail expertise, logistical support and equipment, such as shelving and fridges for food displays, as well as providing training to the community team who will be running the supermarkets. Foodstuffs, whose stores are 100% locally owned and operated, also provides financial support and stock through the local PAK’nSAVE, New World and Four Square stores to the community organisations so they can serve those in need with confidence.

[ innovation ]

MADE IN NZ PREMIUM MEALS This month’s finalist for the FMCG Product of the Year Award 2022 is a locally made range of premium readyto-eat meals, which includes vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free options. Jess’s Underground Kitchen offers their range of Gourmet Everyday™ meals in supermarket freezers across the country. With a focus on high-quality ingredients and bold flavours, handmade in small batches by a team of real chefs, Jess picks only the freshest ingredients and free-range meats to use in the meals. The full range consists of a mix of traditional and contemporary flavours, generously portioned at 400g per serve and each meal is reheatable from frozen in 5 minutes. The recent brand refresh has made the recyclable packaging even more appealing to retailers with dual-facing and a bespoke 3-sided box so that consumers can still see the meal inside the outer packaging and can be presented either vertically or horizontally depending on the freezer size and space. With a direct-to-consumer meal delivery model across the North Island and three bricks-and-mortar stores in Auckland, these meals taste and feel like they’ve been created in a home kitchen – all of the comforts without any of the hassle. The meals are perfect for busy nights, small households, seniors, and people with certain food intolerances. For more information visit www.juk.co.nz

“JESS PICKS ONLY THE FRESHEST INGREDIENTS AND FREE-RANGE MEATS TO USE IN THE MEALS.”

UCT OF THE OD YE PR A

Do you have a Hero product that stands out from the crowd?

•

•F M C

FMCG BUSINESS PRODUCT OF THE YEAR If there’s a tasty tastebud teaser, NPD rockstar, or best seller

‘Product Of The Year’ - we’d love to hear from you!

PRODUCT OF THE YEAR

•F M C

•

in your portfolio that deserves to be crowned We’ll showcase some of the finalists in upcoming issues and reveal the FMCG Business Product of the Year later in 2022.

UCT OF THE OD YE PR A

To find out more on how to enter please email: trubanowski@intermedianz.co.nz FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

SUSTAINABILITY STARS Small changes can add up to make a big impact. Humanity still has time to halt catastrophic global warming – and has the tools to do so quickly and cheaply, says the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Thankfully, the latest IPCC assessment report, the world’s definitive stocktake of action to minimise climate change, shows that there is a viable path to halving global emissions by 2030. This IPCC outlook is much more favourable than in earlier assessments, based on tremendous reductions in the cost of clean energy technologies. However, broad policy action is needed to make steep emissions reductions happen, say the IPCC report researchers. The IPCC identifies clean electricity and agriculture as the sectors where the greatest emissions reductions can be achieved, followed by industry and transport. Some of the contributions that we can also make as individuals include reducing food waste and eating a diet rich in plant-based food, with moderate intake of meat and dairy.

NZ’s first certified home compostable tea bags Healtheries is proud to be the first New Zealand tea brand with certified home compostable tea bags* across its range of 30 different green, fruit, and herbal blends. Healtheries tea bags are made from fibre-based unbleached filter paper, the string is 100% cotton, and the tags are paper. Following rigorous testing, Healtheries achieved the home compostable certification with Australasian Bioplastic Association*. In addition, Healtheries tea boxes are 100% recyclable and made from material that is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, the global authority on responsible forestry. This comes after removing the plastic box wrapper from packaging last year; replaced with a convenient tear feature that helps maintain the freshness and quality of the blends. * Certified to the Australian Standard AS5810 for Home Composting

Saving the planet one snack at a time Upcycled Grain Project (UGP) introduce a new innovative and indulgent range – Grain Crisps. In four flavours – Fig and Cardamom, Orange and Sesame, Raisin and Rosemary and Cranberry and Coconut. They are crispy, crunchy, and packed full of their hero ingredient – rescued spent brewers’ grain. But what is spent brewers’ grain? Breweries use spent grain to brew beer, once they utilise the liquid, they then discard the grain itself. By rescuing this grain, the UGP family help reduce food waste and reliance on new resources. Enjoy Grain Crisps on their own, or with a slice of your favourite cheese, and help save the planet one snack at a time. 24

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

Healtheries is proud to be the first New Zealand tea brand with certified home compostable tea bags.

EW UC N D O R P

@upcycledgrainprojectnz

The upcycled food revolution is here!

rom f e Mad cued res in gra

to date saved over 11,000kgs of grain

Indulgent and innovative Grain Crisps made from our special blend of rescued Spent Brewers grain and 100% natural ingredients. The perfect base for your cheeses or a crispy, crunchy solo snack.

Sales enquiries Email: office@randm.co.nz . For further product info visit: rutherfordandmeyer.co.nz

[ feature ] New business directory connects circular economy solutions

“A FIRST OF ITS KIND, THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY DIRECTORY WILL ASSIST BUSINESSES TO TRANSITION TO A CIRCULAR ECONOMY MODEL”

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

Recycled plastic punnets for Meadow Mushrooms Meadow Mushrooms is the first mushroom brand in Aotearoa to trial 100% recycled plastic punnets. This is just another step on Meadow Mushrooms’ sustainability journey, which is focused on actively measuring and reducing carbon emissions and reducing the company’s impact on the planet. The trial pack features a punnet, made in New Zealand, from 100% recycled PET plastic (rPET). An independent study commissioned by Thinkstep-ANZ confirmed it has a lower carbon footprint and the best circularity than other punnets assessed, including the cardboard alternative. The 100% recycled plastic punnet is kerbside recyclable and can be recycled multiple times after use, helping create a circular system and saving tonnes of plastic from landfill. The soft plastic top seal can also be recycled at stores across the country participating in the Soft Plastics Recycling scheme. Meadow Mushrooms Marketing Manager Melissa Leaver says how the company packages their fresh mushrooms is one of many sustainability initiatives underway. “At Meadow Mushrooms, the environment is an integral part of our business, which is why our commitment to sustainability guides our decisionmaking every step of the way. “By replacing just the White Button 200g cardboard punnets with the rPET alternative, Meadow Mushrooms would avoid emitting the equivalent of 48,000kg of CO2 annually.” If the trial is successful, Meadow Mushrooms hopes to roll rPET packaging out across its entire pre-packed range as a long-term sustainable solution. The trial pack also helps protect the mushrooms better, keeping them fresher for longer and helping reduce food waste. The Meadow Mushrooms White Button 200g trial pack is available at Countdown stores in the lower North Island (from Taupo south) until May 2022, or while stock lasts.

Organisations will be able to find innovative products and services with a new online business-to-business Circular Economy Directory, which launched in April. Sustainable Business Network (SBN), through a public-private partnership, has created the directory to help businesses transition from a linear to a circular economy at greater speed and scale. The Directory has been possible due to the support of the Ministry for the Environment, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, Waste Management, Auckland Council and Āmiomio Aotearoa. A first of its kind, the Circular Economy Directory will assist businesses to transition to a circular economy model where products and materials are designed to reduce waste and carbon emissions by keeping existing products in circulation for longer. Businesses looking to do the right thing can find suppliers that have listed their products and services. Categories include reducing carbon, sharing and trading existing resources, and extending the lifespan, and can easily be found through the search function. James Griffin, General Manager Projects and Advisory at SBN, says the new Circular Economy Directory will be a valuable resource. “Businesses haven’t known who can help them or where to find them so we have created a one-stopshop to provide access to what they need.” Innovative upcycling social enterprise Critical is looking to partner with businesses that have upcoming building fit-out projects to find new life for plastic waste. Like the nearly 9,000 plastic milk bottles that were used to build Kōkako Organic Coffee Roasters’ newest coffee shop. Critical Chief Executive Rui Peng says: “We understand that businesses have problems with plastics and zero waste commitments that aren’t easy to solve. Not only that, they want durable products while being able to tell a great story to their customers. We hope to not only solve those issues but to also solve one of the biggest pollution crises of our generation. The directory provides a much-needed conduit to businesses looking for innovative ways to reuse existing materials as well as other circular economy practices.” Griffin cautions that pressure from government regulations and customers means change is coming and urges businesses to take action now. “The Circular Economy Directory exists to easily find solutions to solve the issues we face now. It provides access to innovative products and services that contribute to regenerating our world rather than degrading it,” says Griffin. Griffin is encouraging people to find out how they can be part of the solution. View the directory here: https://sustainable.org.nz/ circular-economy-directory/

[ cover story ]

NEW MARMITE™ JARS MADE FROM 100% RECYCLED PLASTIC Plastic in focus as Sanitarium™ advances towards new sustainable packaging targets Sanitarium™ Health Food Company is aiming to make all their product packaging reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025. The new target headlines recent packaging changes made by the New Zealand-owned food and beverage manufacturer, which will reduce virgin plastic production and potentially divert tonnes of soft plastic from landfill every year. These changes include new Marmite™ jars made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET) and a decrease in the amount of plastic (HDPE) used to make the recyclable Marmite™ lids. Together these initiatives will reduce virgin plastic production by more than 40 tonnes a year. In addition, Marmite™ and Weet-Bix™ now carry the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) on pack, a helpful new icon labelling system that provides clear instructions on the best way to recycle each packaging element, and highlights that both these iconic brands are 100% recyclable. This new labelling system demonstrates significant potential to improve consumer awareness around how to correctly recycle their food packaging – whether it be through kerbside services, or in the case of soft plastics, return to store. If every consumer recycled the soft plastic liner inside their Weet-Bix™ pack, there’s potential to divert 60 tonnes of plastic from landfill each year! Sanitarium™ has also launched a sustainable packaging hub on their website - www.sanitarium.co.nz/sustainable-packaging. It includes clear guidance on how to recycle packaging across the full range of Sanitarium™ products, updates on their sustainable packaging efforts, as well as advice on other ways consumers can take a more sustainable approach to the foods they consume.

How to recycle Marmite™ and Weet-Bix™

Look for these labels on pack: Marmite™ All marmates need to do is dig in, rinse and recycle! Marmite™ jars, like other food jars, should be thoroughly washed and dried before putting them in the recycling bin. Check with your local council if lids should be on or off for kerbside recycling.

The new Marmite™ jars are made from 100% recycled plastic (rPET).

“MARMITE™ AND WEET-BIX™ NOW CARRY THE AUSTRALASIAN RECYCLING LABEL ON PACK” Weet-Bix™ Eat the bix, recycle the box and soft plastic recycle the bag. The easiest way to find your local soft plastic recycling drop off point is to check the Soft Plastic Recycling* website https://www.recycling.kiwi.nz/store-locator. * Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme collects from selected retail stores in Auckland, Waiheke Island, Northland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Hawke’s Bay, Oamaru, Paeroa, Taranaki, Christchurch, Wellington, Dunedin, Hauraki and Waimakariri with further expansions being announced shortly

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

HOW CAN WE DECARBONISE TRANSPORT? Are you renewing your car or vehicle fleet this year? Then you may like to consider a “clean car” option, which could come with a special incentive from the NZ government - a rebate of up to $7500 per vehicle. The Clean Car Standard and the Clean Car Discount form the central pillars of a range of government initiatives to tackle transport sector CO2 emission levels and help address climate change. The Clean Car Discount focuses on influencing vehicle demand and the Clean Car Standard on influencing vehicle supply. The Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Act 2019 requires CO2 emissions to be reduced to net zero by 2050. As transport is responsible for 47% of the domestic CO2 in New Zealand, this target cannot be achieved without decarbonising transport. The Clean Car Standard is a government target that regulates importers to reduce CO2 emissions of vehicles entering New Zealand to specific standards and targets. The Clean Car Discount encourages buyer demand for low-emission vehicles by providing rebates for zero and low-emission light vehicles, and requiring a fee be paid for high-emission vehicles, registered in New Zealand for the first time. The Clean Car Discount is based on CO2 emissions. Vehicles first registered after 1 April 2022 with zero or low-emissions may be eligible for a rebate and those with high-emissions incur a fee. For more information visit https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/cleancar-programme/overview/

Foodstuffs North Island is going low carbon With a transport network travelling over 34 million kilometres around New Zealand to deliver food and products to Foodstuffs stores each year, reducing carbon emissions has become one of their most important issues. 28

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

So, Foodstuffs is transitioning to a low-carbon operational model. “This means we’re working to reduce our carbon emissions and that we can support New Zealand’s wider efforts to meet its international obligations and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” explains a spokesperson. Part of this includes New Zealand’s commitment to the Paris Agreement. In December 2015, representatives from many countries met in Paris to establish a new international climate change treaty under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. New Zealand confirmed their participation in the Paris Agreement, pledging to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2005 levels, by 2030, and to become carbon neutral by 2050. The collective effort between countries aims to limit global warming to below two degrees. In 2019, both Foodstuffs South Island and Foodstuffs North Island joined the Climate Leaders Coalition. The coalition is a group of more than 100 New Zealand companies working together to tackle climate change and help New Zealand become a low emissions economy. As part of this coalition, Foodstuffs is committed to measuring and reporting their carbon emissions each year and setting carbon reduction targets. “Measuring and reporting helps us to understand our carbon footprint, and the yearly data we submit is audited by a third party to verify its accuracy,” explains the team. “We’ve also committed to aligning our carbon emission goals with the Climate Leaders Coalition 2019 Statement. This means, based on our first year of recorded data (our baseline), we have an emissions reduction target of 21% by 2025. “The record of our emissions for the year 2021, which includes 170 sites, shows a 5.3% reduction from our 2020 baseline (90,892 tonnes CO2-e). This is likely due to a decrease in diesel and HFC refrigeration

[ transport & logistics ] gas use. As this is our second year of reporting, trends into what drives reductions will be more apparent next year,” says the team.

Electric and hydrogen options

them to build New Zealand’s first electric-powered refrigerated truck. From the tailgate to the engine, to the fridge-freezer unit that sits on top – everything in and on the vehicle is powered by one of the cleanest fuels on the planet! “This truck project is an extension of our electric van rollout to stores back in 2016, when 29 PAK’nSAVE, New World, and Four Square stores received Nissan electric vans as part of another EECA part-funded project. It was the biggest commercial EV (electric vehicle) fleet at the time

Foodstuffs North Island is exploring ways to move food and grocery products with fewer vehicles and less trips, but they are also looking at the vehicles they use and how they’re powered. The Foodstuffs North Island team Foodstuffs NI partnered with EECA to build New Zealand’s first electric-powered refrigerated truck in 2020. revealed that they have ordered two hydrogen truck units, which are expected to arrive in the country early next year. in New Zealand,” says the team. “We are one of the first companies that will be using them commercially in New Zealand – the plan is to use them for a line-haul Charging your vehicle while you shop run between Auckland and Palmerston North. We have been working Foodstuffs also want to support their shoppers that use electric vehicles. with TR Group to bring the units into New Zealand and they’re very “So, an important part of our commitment to electric transport has been to exciting from an environmental and sustainability perspective - basically give customers the opportunity to charge up while they shop,” says the team. the only emission from the vehicle is water!” “Working with ChargenetNZ and the EECA, we’ve installed 93 EV Foodstuffs also received funding from the Energy Efficiency and fast chargers at stores around the country, and Foodstuffs customers with Conservation Authority (EECA) in 2020 to support the introduction EVs have charged up and driven 1 million kms – saving 2,300 tonnes of of electric trucks to their Supply Chain fleet. They partnered with carbon from being emitted into the atmosphere.”

[ profile ]

MANAGING POLICIES AND DECLARATIONS JUST GOT EASIER Managing the acceptance and from the process of collecting renewals of your organisation’s declaration responses,” says policies, attestations and Cockerton. “Each recipient declarations can be a real gets a secure unique link to hassle. It’s time-consuming, complete their declaration. It’s it’s stressful, and it takes time simply click, read and respond.” away from all the other jobs Uses for Fleetcoach you need to get done. That’s Declarations include, but are why the team at Fleetcoach not limited to: Vehicle Use created Declarations. Policy, Grey Fleet Policy, Safe “Our customers have been Driving Policy, Health & Safety asking us for a simple solution and FBT attestations. to manage their driver and The declaration can be a grey fleet policies. With one-off or set to renew after Fleetcoach Declarations we’re a certain period. Declarations The process can be easily done on a laptop, tablet or smartphone. pleased to provide that, and will take care of those more,” says Fleetcoach COO renewals saving you time Craig Cockerton. and effort. And when your declaration needs updating the versioning The Declarations programme helps make policies, attestations and process takes care of that for you. declarations an effortless experience for everyone. The process can be Fleetcoach Declarations can give you both peace of mind and easily done on a laptop, tablet or smartphone, wherever the recipients confidence that all required paperwork is up to date and on hand. have access to their email and a browser. Find out how Fleetcoach is about more than safer drivers at “We’ve kept things simple and removed the normal friction points www.fleetcoach.com/declarations. FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

[ FGC ]

TRANSFORMING RECYCLING IN NEW ZEALAND A flurry of activity in recent weeks – some of it public, some not – shows the Government is finally getting around to tidying up New Zealand’s confusing recycling and waste system. But it will need to make sure it treads carefully if it is to take the public with it. The public announcement, contained in the Government’s Transforming Recycling document, was something the sector has been pushing for since before the Food & Grocery Council established its Sustainability Committee to tackle issues across plastic, fibre, and metal packaging, compostable plastic products, a container return scheme, and a common recycling label. The proposals touch on three areas:

Katherine Rich Chief Executive NZ Food & Grocery Council www.fgc.org.nz

A container return scheme This would incentivise people to return beverage containers for recycling or refilling in exchange for a refundable deposit. They’re proposing 20c (but 10c is more realistic), which would be built into the price of the drink, and when the container is returned to a collection point, it’s refunded. They’re predicting recycling rates of 85–90%.

food& grocery COUNCIL NEW ZEALAND

Improved kerbside recycling This proposes improvements to the household kerbside recycling system so the same materials are recycled by all councils, including having a food scraps bin, and possibly garden waste.

Separation of business food waste Businesses would be required to separate food waste from other waste. The Government wants all businesses and households to be separating food scraps from their rubbish by 2030.

The Government is tidying up our confusing recycling and waste system.

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

FGC is forming its submission on all these. We’ve consulted members, and our Sustainability Committee recently briefed them on the detail of the proposals and the likely result, should they be implemented. While there’s much to support about the proposals, there are some we believe need improvement, and we’ll be sharing those views. Thanks to the hard work of our committee, these issues are not new to our members, many of whom have for some time been deeply involved in making their packaging more sustainable by using recycled, recyclable or compostable plastics and fibre, or ensuring it comes from sustainable sources. Many have impressive plans to stop using non-sustainable materials before the end of this decade, some by 2025. These range from small producers to the big multi-nationals, and they all have a story to tell. A recent one is Sanitarium, which plans to make all product packaging reusable, recyclable, or compostable by 2025. Recent changes include Marmite jars being made from 100% recycled plastic that can be recycled again and again, while the amount of high-density plastic used in recyclable Marmite lids has been reduced. These changes alone will reduce the amount of virgin plastic they use by more than 40 tonnes a year, while there’s potential to divert 60 tonnes of soft plastic from landfill each year by recycling Weet-Bix pack liners. The not-so-public activity was the Ministry for the Environment quietly working on a plan to phase out all wet wipes by 2025. It will likely be a step too far for some consumers, particularly parents. It’s hard to imagine that in these modern times, when people are a lot more health and hygiene conscious, phasing out baby wipes will be welcomed. Are today’s busy working mums and dads really ready to return to the 1970s, when buckets filled with soaking used nappy cloths littered laundries up and down the country? And that’s not to mention the myriad other household wet wipes that make our lives easier. FGC discovered this work by chance, and it seems to have morphed from a Cabinet instruction about other single-use plastics. For reasons known only to themselves, MfE officials chose not to seek advice from FGC, which has the data for and the scientific knowledge around these items. Let’s hope sensible outcomes are achieved. No one would argue binning wipes containing plastic would be a good thing for the environment, but let’s not throw out common sense as well.

[ legal advice ]

PAPER, PAPER AND MORE PAPER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KEEP All businesses have duties to keep up to date records, registers, and documents. The following is a list of records that you are obliged to keep and maintain, and how long you need to keep them. Records and registers that need to be kept and maintained include: • Employment Agreements – These must be kept and maintained, including for short term staff. Not only is this needed to comply with the Employment Relations Act to avoid a fine, it is good practice so everyone knows what is agreed. A staff member’s personnel file should be kept for at least six years after they leave and pay records for seven years. • Health and Safety – Certain injuries will require a business owner to notify Worksafe of a serious incident that arises. If a “notifiable event” occurs then written records must be kept and maintained for five years. • Asbestos – Also falling under health and safety laws is a requirement to keep records in relation to the location of and the risks associated with asbestos. Regulations under the health and safety legislation require that there be a plan to manage asbestos and a duty then to regularly review that plan. There is no limit on the period during which the plan has to be maintained. Rather, the requirement to regularly update the plan in itself allows for information no longer relevant to be disposed of. • Tax – All records which relate to tax obligations, including for GST purposes, have to be kept and maintained for seven years. In this case it will be seven years based on each “tax year” where on most occasions that will be 1 April to 31 March of the following year. • Companies Act Requirements - In addition to company financial statements, you also need to keep minutes and resolutions of all directors’ meetings, notices given to shareholders, any certificates issued by directors. A company also has to maintain a share register and a register of transactions where one or more of the directors is an interested party.

“A STAFF MEMBER’S PERSONNEL FILE SHOULD BE KEPT FOR AT LEAST SIX YEARS AFTER THEY LEAVE”

• Privacy Laws – Most businesses collect information on their customers. While it is up to each business as to how long you retain customer information, you need to have a privacy policy which provides for how long you retain that information. If you have a privacy policy, which would usually be on your website then you have to follow your own policy. This means retaining information for as long as you say you will, or destroying that information when your policy provides for that. • Record keeping is also required to meet the requirements of the Customs and Exercise Act 2018 – Customs can require an owner, exporter, importer or manufacturer of goods to make available to Customs NZ all records and documents. The same 7-year period used for tax purposes applies. The duties go further than keeping accounting records, and also apply to any agreement that may have been made to import or export goods. Thankfully, the records and registers that have to be maintained can be kept electronically. At the same time, care needs to be taken that those records are secure in terms of privacy and the risk of data being corrupted.

Tony Steindle Director Steindle Williams Legal swlegal.co.nz

All records relating to tax obligations have to be kept and maintained for seven years.

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

[ marketing ]

HOW HEALTHY ARE YOUR MARKETING HABITS?

Lew Bentley Head of Strategy Shopper Marketing Agency Energi lew.bentley@energi.co.nz

The marketing of fast-moving consumer goods is all about creating habits. Encouraging the automatic tendency for people to act in a certain way. To buy Anchor milk each week. To pick Whittaker’s as a way to treat yourself or others. To show you’re a caring mum by always having Weetbix in the pantry… Habits are the consumer behaviour driver that makes cash flow in a sustainable way, and ironically, keeps a brand on-shelf with retailers by being repeatedly taken off the shelf by shoppers. Habits sit at the heart of loyalty and word of mouth; two of the most important concepts in business success. Without habitual support by customers it is almost impossible to gain traction for a brand.

How do habits work? We all live by our own collection of habits. They are a natural and essential way to get by in a world that can be overwhelming with too many choices and constant change. Research by Psychologist Wendy Wood found that 40-45% of what we do every day is habitual. We each form habits in order to simplify life and conserve energy in our brains by not having to think about common tasks. Indeed, our habits play a big role in how people form their identity. Are you team Marmite or team Vegemite? White bread or brown? Humans are strange creatures. Our habits have always had an uneasy relationship with virtue. Good habits can be expensive, or painful, or taste bad, or demand sacrifice. For example, sticking to a tough diet or gym regime to lose weight. On the other hand, bad habits can be delicious or take life’s worries away, or make us feel important while at the same time harming our health or making us anti-social. Structurally there are three parts to a habit that form Pricing can provide a trigger what is called the “Habit Loop”. 32

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

1. The cue, or trigger that stimulates the habitual behaviour. 2. The behaviour itself. 3. The reward that reinforces the behaviour with payoff in the form of emotional, sensory, social, or physiological satisfaction with the release of dopamine. Together these elements form a sustainable pattern or routine: if this situation, then that is what I do. Over time we learn to anticipate and look forward to the reward, thereby galvanising the habit.

What can marketers do to influence habits? For marketers the desired behaviour is the objective: usually something like buy our brand each time, not theirs. To achieve this, the focus of marketing should be on establishing a clear, ownable, sustainable and compelling link between the category cues (or triggers to the habit) and the reward your brand offers. Here are three brands that understand this: • Toilet duck triggers our fear of invisible germs and rewards us with the reassurance that the crooked neck of the product will get into the hard-to-reach crevices under the rim. • Kleenex shows empathy for people with a runny nose that tissues can feel like sandpaper after a while; unless of course you use their extra soft Aloe Vera product. • Lewis Road Creamery triggers a desire for traditional quality with a bottle profile that looks like traditional milk bottles used to. There are several levers available for marketers to cultivate shopper habits. In store it is possible to use distinctive packaging design to trigger needs and imply rewards. This can be amplified by a dominant presence with brand blocking or second site displays. Pricing can provide a trigger, but it can be hard to sustain; and depending on their elasticity some products work better as everyday low price as opposed to deep discounting. Promotion is a very powerful lever to control how to attract attention with the complementary combination of triggering category cues and the rewards your brand promises. And it is vital that your product delivers on its ability to satisfy and reward and earn its place as a habit. So ask yourself: “What could you do to make your brand more of a habit that people crave?”

MARKETING SUMMIT Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland

NETW ES DA

STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME IN NZ’S FAST-MOVING GROCERY AND RETAIL SECTORS Elevate your FMCG brand with presentations from recognised industry experts, Q&A panel discussions and valuable networking opportunities. Hear from key speakers and industry experts including

KATHERINE RICH New Zealand Food and Grocery Council

MORGAN MCCANN New World Foodstuffs North Island

LARISSA WATSON NielsenIQ * Program subject to change

Rescheduled date

Thursday 1st September 2022 Ellerslie Events Centre, Auckland

www.fmcgsummit.co.nz SPONSORED BY

[ events ]

CALLING ALL FOOD & BEVERAGE PRODUCERS Entries are now open for the 2022 New Zealand Food Awards Entries for the 2022 New Zealand Food Awards are now open, and award organisers say there is no product or business too big or small to enter. The awards, powered by Massey University, have celebrated New Zealand’s food and beverage manufacturers, focusing on innovation and excellence, since 1987. The awards are open to small and large food and beverage manufacturers, primary food producers, food service providers and ingredient supply companies. The judging process, reflecting the New Zealand Food Awards brand values of innovation, sustainability and excellence, is built on the pillars of technical capability, consumer acceptability, regulatory compliance and food quality and safety. Entries are required to meet their category criteria and baseline scoring for each judging phase to progress. This ensures consumers can trust any brand wearing the New Zealand Food Awards quality mark, know the product is manufactured here in New Zealand and that it represents outstanding food technology, production, manufacturing and marketing. The supreme winner is selected from the winners of each of the individual category awards. Businesses can enter 34

FMCG BUSINESS - MAY 2022

FINALIST

P RE

ME WINN

W INN E R

2022 Categories Product Awards