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A bi - monthly review of news, and key market trends - Issue No 4 July 2012

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In this issue

In this issue

>> Summer Fancy Food

>> Fos family grows

>> Caramel topic becomes sticky….

>> Sustainable product strategies

The show featured 180,000 products including confections, cheese, coffee, snacks, spices, ethnic, natural, organic and more displayed by 2,400 exhibitors from 80 countries & regions. Our products were presented for the second time in the event, following the successful show in California at the beginning of 2012. The overall presentation in Washington was very positive as there was a concise and comprehensive coverage of Greek prod-ucts under one roof, with olives, balsamic vinegars, condiments, mustards, olive oil, sun dried tomatoes and pure sea salt.

Apart from positive comments related to presentation, labeling and range coverage our product quality made an excellent im-pact during tastings, and the meetings that followed with distrib-utors and retail buyers provided a good platform to expand the existing distribution base.

Expanding horizons and distribution at Summer Fancy Food Exhibition in Washington D.C.

The 2012 Summer Fancy Food Show, North America’s Largest Specialty Food & Beverage Event, was held in D.C. from June 17-19, 2012. On the first day more than 2,000 exhibitors gathered un-der the roof of the Walter E. Washington Convention Cen-ter to show off the latest products coming to market, with no shortage of mouth-watering goods and up-and-coming trends.

1st July 2012

Issue

No 4 July

2012

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>> FOS family grows on the principal of sustainable

The economic program of cooperation "Go International" was held in Bucharest on 11 and 12 June,

at the JW Marriot Hotel. This two-day event aims to become a very powerful platform for creating

economic links in the region of Southeastern Europe.

The action was organized by Eurobank EFG, Panhellenic Exporters Association, Association of Ex-

porters of Northern Greece and Crete Export Association, with the support of the Greek Ministry of

Foreign Affairs, and Greek embassy in Romania.

The event brought into contact 64 Greek exporters with over 150 Romanian importers. Over 1,200 B2B meetings took place, and there is

serious optimism that this meeting will bring positive results in the near future.

Papadimitriou C.C.SA and Expoaid ", attended the "Go International" event for the second time. Karpea s.a. made its participation debut on this event. Both manufacturers had about 25 productive meetings, and they expect the contacts to continue as there is opportunity of quality Greek products in the Romanian market.

>> Crossroads of Regional Trade Synergies

In the process of selecting products that are

unique with a sense of origin we have select-

ed sea salt flakes from Mani Peloponnese.

This product complements the current selec-

tion that includes tomatoes dried by geother-

mal energy, hydroponic cherry tomatoes from

the area of Xanthi Northern Greece and the

capers from Santorini island. Our aim is to

bring the original and true Mediterranean

flavors, directly from the local communities

who keep their production knowledge for

centuries. In this way we provide support and growth to rural com-

munities, preserving tradition, contributing to the overall sustainabil-

ity philosophy of our products. The

product is an original non processes

sea salt flake, collected from the

rocky shores of Mani, when after

prolonged windy days the sun

scorches the rocks, drying the natu-

ral puddles that keep the salt after the sea water evaporates. The

elderly scratch this salt layers by hand and collect in this way the finest

salt flakes that melt in contact with food. In our second variant we

have combined the salt flakes with wild oregano from Taygetous

mountain. The taste is stunning as the essential oils of wild oregano

provide an unimpaired sensation of breeze, where aromatic

“mountain air” combines with a natural sea salt sensation.

The idea of the gift box is not new to us. This is an elegant and

simple gift box that provide the basic ingredients rotated around

the idea of salad creation… Olive oil in a spray, Kalamata bal-

samic vinegar, Original Kalamata olives, Sustainable extra sweet

Cherry tomatoes and natural sea salt flakes. An excellent gift

that goes beyond salad creation as the simplicity and unique-

ness of the ingredients provi -

des a platform for more elabo-

rate recipes.

Issue

No 4 July

2012

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>> Hi—tech tale…. The funky code hype QR codes are awesome. It may sound geeky but hey it is true… Clearly we’re not the only ones who think so, we can prove this by claiming the recent and explosive 1200% increase in the use of QR codes in North America. QR codes are really cool because there is literally no end to how they can be used. It can be as cre-ative as creating a scannable and edible waffle that leads to a specific URL, or as useful as ap-pearing in campaign signs. It can even be used in architecture, as is being done in Dubai although we still don’t know if the final structure will actu-ally be scannable…. QR codes have been put to use by the Vancouver Police in their efforts to catch sex offenders. They are placed on wanted posters linking to addition-al information about the criminal including com-posite sketches and a description of the offender.

The posters have been placed in restaurants and bars around Vancouver. In Korea, Tesco has created virtual supermar-kets using QR Codes. Virtual displays have been placed in subway stations where shoppers can scan the QR codes of products, and the item is automatically added to their shopping cart. The online purchase is then delivered to their home. QR codes are slowly making their way it into pop culture. Los Angeles based Korean MC, Shin-b takes interaction to a new level with her lat-est music video where you can get all sorts of information about the artist… QR appear as a tool for hidden messages, in art, in restaurant menus, on DVD covers, product catalogues and more. There are endless uses to this creative – instant way of communication. Keep your eyes open and your mobile phone with you!

QR waffle read or eat me!!

Virtual subway

Tesco Store as

viewed on

youtube.

>> Caramel subject becomes sticky

In June this year campaigners wrote to the UK

Department of Health calling for strict limits on

levels of 4-MEI caramel coloring

compound, used in drinks such

as Coke and Pepsi, and in bal-

samic vinegars. This chemical is

linked to cancer in mice, and

has caused a fairly recent and

controversial proposition from

the State of California which as

of January this year forces all

the foods and beverages con-

taining 4-MEI levels exceeding

29mcg to carry cancer warning

labels.

The chemical levels in the soft

drinks are not uniform across

the world as the producing

units obviously use similar but not identical ingredients globally.

There has been a lot of pressure on caramel suppliers to find alterna-

tive roots and deliver ingredients that do not pose the potential

threat but at the same time do not impair with the taste of the final

product.

The controversial element 4-MEI is accepted as safe by the EFSA

( European Food Safety Authority) who along with other industry

members directly related to the wide use of this chemical such as

the British soft Drinks Association, claim that the use of 4-MEI poses

no health risks, at the level found in foods and drinks. Apparently,

to get into the danger the mice got into the experiment, we would

have to drink 2900 cans of cola daily for 71 years….

4-MEI is found in trace amounts in foods and beverages that have

been commonly consumed for decades, including baked goods,

coffee, breads, molasses, soy sauce, gravies and some beers. It also

forms in foods, such as caramel, during the heating, roasting and

cooking process. How much is then consumed by one from all

these sources? And more importantly, is there a valid reason to

burden our organism beyond the purely natural and random in-

take? For us the an-

swer is simple – if you

know it is harmful,

avoid it as much as you

can, bake your cake,

caramelize your carrots,

but don’t eat and drink

things that use this ad-

ditive hiding under the

random assumption of

safety due to low dos-

age, which most of the

time is poorly or not at

all substantiated by val-

id scientific research…….

First QR eshibition

Issue

No 4 June 2012

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"All natural claim has been dragging to court on weekly basis

companies as well estab-

lished as Ben& Jerry’s ice

cream, Sun Chips, Snap-

ple and dozen more, to

justify the use of the

word natural in court.

The question now is

whether the term is

worth it, or whether its

popularity will slowly

loose edge.

Shelf withdrawal for very

popular products, followed by court action, over the use of nat-

ural claims for products containing GM ingredients, proves that

the claim itself needs further substantiation.

According to Mintel’s Global New products Database, about

13% of new food and beverage products launched in 2011

claimed to be “all natural” on the pack. But what does that

mean? For sure natural is not related to GM ingredients, and if

the Californian public passes their final vote against it, a legal

precedent will act as a springboard on many cases.

FDA has not established a definition for the term “natural” but

it has no objection to its use, provided it is not used in a mis-

leading manner. Usage on ingredient lists is not permitted with

the exception of the phrase “natural flavorings”. In the EU the

term is not clear, especially when additives and colorants come

into the picture. The debate over what is and is not natural

goes into all lengths and depths…. The recent debate about Ste-

via extract proves the difficulty to establish whether a product

is natural or simply originates from a natural source…

So why use a claim that is not well defined, used by many and a

source of potential court ordeal? Well the natural claim has

gone main-stream and the very successful association of all nat-

ural and healthy eating agenda indicates that shoppers now

equate “healthy” with “natural” and “minimally processed”

food. That is worth a lot to many…

>> Naturally confused….

>> How do consumers evaluate brands In the overall climate of recession, Greek and European producers of quality products aim to expand their distribu-tion at international level. The perspective of international supply is attractive due to its diversity, size, and

overall spread risk. There are inherent difficulties that are not easily explained to producers proud of their produce. Markets are demanding and have different tastes, marketing needs and expectations. It is not enough to have “the best product” to perform.

And even if it was, what does “the best” mean? Is it evaluated and supported by independent research or focus groups? In reality, shoppers vote at supermarkets every day on the "best brands" with their purchases. Product superiority statements achieve more credibility when validated by professional re-search . Here are some factors on which consumers base their evalueation. 1. Taste/Performance- based on the expectation of the con-

sumer based on his origin, cultural background and education. 2. Smell –is it attractive? Does it combine with the other food products we cook and buy? 3. Appearance— is the final product visible? Is it attractive in its original format? 4.Ingredients— consumers spend more time reading the labels, they are more educated and know what they want. 5. Health— healthy eating is a demanding controversial field, consumers demand healthy but don’t want to compromise on taste, smell and appearance. 6. Packaging—it has to be attractive, convenient and clear on the message it conveys. 7.Price/Value— perceived value has to be high, whether it is cost of premium you need to “sell” them a value benefit. 8. Presence— a combination factor, do you stand out of the crowd? Do you create a crowd of your products to stand out anyway? 9. Sustainability—more than a buzz, consumers care about the environment they live in and they feel good to contribute posi-tively. 10. Competition—you should look at your brand as a buyer does—check yourself in a set of competing brands to decide on all the above.

Issue

No 4 July

2012

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>>Producers of olive oil suffocated by low prices and high olive oil deposits.

Αccording to recent announcement there is an expectation of 50% reduction in the next oil production compared to that of 2011/12 in the province of Jaen in Andalusia which is the main oil producing in Spain, producing over 70% of its total production.

Such implications have a multiple impact on

the producers’ income, as they are strug-

gling against the plunging of olive oil prices

due to reduced consumption in Greece and

Spain, and high olive oil reserves due to

bumper crop in Spain during 2011.

Prices for extra virgin olive oil have dropped

by 12 per cent year-on-year in Spain, five per

cent in Greece and 38 per cent in Italy, data

from the International Olive Council shows.

The EU has been forced to intervene to re-

duce the surplus by paying companies to

stockpile oil. It is thought the move has regu-

lated the level to which prices can drop, but

this remains yet to be seen and verified by

the market forces.

Greece is the third largest

olive oil producer in the world

behind Spain and Italy. Ac-

cording to industry contacts,

MY 2012/13 (November/

October) Greek olive oil pro-

duction is forecast to remain

steady if weather remains

stable. Greece’s olive oil pro-

duction capacity is estimated

at 400000 MT per year. How-

ever, during the last three

crop- years, Greece has regis-

tered a considerable drop in

the annual production at

around 30000 MT , due mainly

to adverse weather.

>>Greek olive oil crop 2012/13

>> Three steps to a sustainable product portfolio

Companies must create

sustainable supply chains,

encourage sustainable

product use and work to-

ward market transfor-

mation and the creation of

new product lines, these are

the three steps that accord-

ing to an article published

in Guardian Sustainable

Business Section.

Consumers have to be in-

volved in sustainable liv-

ing, and this is the only

way to keep ahead, driving

the curve, instead of lag-

ging always behind. But what are the true risks and chal-

lenges along with possible opportunities of sustainable

living? The idea is well described in the next three steps. The first step is to create a sustainable supply chain. The

challenge is a sustainable product life cycle from sourcing

materials through design, manufacture, distribution and

sale is largely controlled by the companies as it directly

relates to their production process..

The second step in a sustainable product portfolio is sus-

tainable product use. This to a large extent means- how do

consumers use the company's products. This is the step

that companies do not fully control. To influence it they

have to focus on sustainable behavior change.

Sounds complicated ?

Well it is because

you will not only sell

products but preferred

behavior an integral

part of product lifecy-

cle. A major chunk of

the product's impact

is around how cus-

tomers use, re-use

and dispose of prod-

ucts.

But there is a third

step – a step that is

full of opportunity, new revenue streams and innovation.

This step is about market transformation and the creation

of sustainable new product lines. Businesses have to do

more than just responding to consumer needs. They

have to understand their lifestyles and predict/ create

needs.

Identify the opportunity is one step to get ahead in the

game, but if you are transforming a marketplace the

marketing strategies also need to be transformed. Creat-

ing a product is not enough to create its sale. Sustainable

products do not stand alone from sustainable marketing

strategies. In today's world, sustainability is aligned to

creating sustainable marketplaces. Real change has be-

come a marketing imperative.