Tuesday 16 February 2016

'Smell-by' dates adding to the usable-life of food?

Essentially, as uncertainty continues to be the norm for many families, resulting in consumers limiting spending to essential items, it is perhaps useful to consider the impact of financially-stretched consumers attempting to extend the usable life of food in these uncertain times.

When smaller, closer, faster, more convenient shopping becomes the norm, consumers are in a better position to monitor fridge contents, will rotate stocks more effectively, and thereby waste less via 'on-time' usage.

If we couple this with major multiples attempts to limit instore food wastage, and political pressures to donate surplus produce to charities, then it becomes obvious that significant demand is being taken out of the market.

However, if consumers are also beginning to revert to Granny’s method of judging food quality by its smell, they will in effect add even more to a product’s usable life, thus taking more demand from the market.

The result will be flat-line demand for fresh produce, at best, with any growth coming at the expense of available competition, based on a savvy assessment of Product, Price, Presentation and Place….

NB. NAMs closer to the fresh food sector will immediately appreciate that increased use of ‘smell-by’ dating may result in unintended consequences based on irradiation of foodstuffs, whereby media attention will be re-directed at food processing in a search for clarity…

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