Providing choice
Every day we face choices about what we eat. Many factors influence that choice. Convenience and speed are sometimes the priority, at other times it's indulgence, and at others, healthy eating is the top priority.
All our research shows us that people want to balance the three. We think that we have a responsibility to respond to those demands by providing the choices to meet these consumer requirements.
At the beginning of the 2006/07 financial year we set a target of increasing the provision of healthier eating options in all of our main product categories over the next three years.
A combination of product innovation and recipe reformulation during 2006/07 means that Northern Foods is now able to provide healthier eating options across all of its main categories.
This successfully builds on a platform of 40% in 2005/06, thereby achieving our target .
Healthy eating
Opinions vary as to the contribution of individual food products to a healthy diet and a healthy balanced lifestyle. For some it means taking ingredients out, such as reducing salt content, removing hydrogenated vegetable oils (HVOs) or producing low calorie versions of classic favourites. For others, it can mean putting goodness in, for example incorporating ‘super foods’ such as seeds, broccoli or berries into recipes or using only organic ingredients.
We are working hard, both with our retailer customers and with our branded products, to create new food ideas which reflect these trends. We seek to provide consumers with real options for choosing healthier alternatives, both through innovation and through the improvement of existing recipes. Examples of products we've introduced include a range of nutritionally balanced ready meals, organic soups and an egg salad sandwich with added Omega 3.
We also think it’s key to advocate the importance of a balanced diet. We’re proud of the great tasting food we make. We firmly believe that eating well should be about having a varied diet, trying new flavours, experimenting with new recipes and ensuring that we eat enough fresh fruit and vegetables. Cooking is fun – sometimes we just don’t have the time to do it!
Case study: Naturally Fox's
A range of great tasting biscuits using simple store cupboard ingredients and nothing else is the promise of Naturally Fox’s. The new range of five biscuits, including Wholemeal Yorkshire Shortbread and Dark Chocolate and Macadamia Nut, were successfully launched in January 2007 to meet growing consumer demand for products made with natural, wholesome ingredients with no additives or preservatives. The ingredients and the recipes are detailed on the pack to reinforce the ‘Naturally’ positioning.
Case study: Removal of HVOs
The company continued throughout 2006/07 with its planned removal of HVOs. The majority of branded products are now free from HVOs with the remaining HVOs to be removed by September 2007. We have also worked closely with our customers to help them achieve their own targets for this area.