Dairy - Neighbourhood Retailer

Milk, cheese and eggs push food price rises to 14-year high

Linda Stewart — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 10:53:50 +0000

The soaring price of milk, cheese and eggs has pushed food inflation to its highest level for 14 years.

Food prices rose at their fastest pace since 2008 in the year to August as the war in Ukraine continued to help drive up prices at supermarket tills.

Falling petrol and diesel prices meant the overall inflation rate eased slightly but it remains near a 40-year high, official figures show.

Rising costs are eating into budgets, with prices rising further than wages.

Overall UK inflation, which measures the rate at which prices rise, eased for the first time in almost a year in August, slipping to 9.9% from July’s 10.1%.

The figure was not as high as economists had feared but some have warned the inflation rate is likely to continue to rise, noting that the cost of food, clothing and services – which include things such as shops and restaurant prices – were all continuing to rise sharply.

The Bank of England has warned inflation could top 13% this year, and is expected to keep raising interest rates to try to control it.

However, the government plan to try and prevent widespread hardship by limiting rises in household energy bills, is likely to mean inflation will now not rise as high as previously expected.

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Ballylisk artisan cheese wins UK award for quality and taste

Linda Stewart — Mon, 06 Jun 2022 10:24:30 +0000

Artisan producer Ballylisk of Armagh’ s Triple Rose product has been named the best cheese in Northern Ireland at the UK Virtual Cheese Awards 2022.

The cheese, produced in a small creamery in Portadown by Mark Wright and his team from milk sourced from the family’s multi-award winning dairy farm at Tandragee, is sold in delis and farm shops across Northern Ireland as well as the food hall at Fortnum and Mason in London.

The Virtual Cheese Award for the best in Northern Ireland is the latest in a host of endorsements for the Armagh cheese since the launch of the brand in 2016.

Mark, who set up the cheese business with late brother Dean, said: “We are thrilled to receive this important recognition which is a tremendous endorsement of the quality and taste of our Triple Rose cheese. The award will be enormously beneficial to our marketing endeavours as we seek to build further sales especially in Great Britain and the Republic, our most important external markets.”

Triple Rose is described by Mark as “a circular, white mould, single herd, full–flavoured cheese”.

“Its decadent richness is balanced by salty, lemony notes. It is made from pasteurised cow’s milk with added cream,” he said.

The initial Triple Rose cheese was developed by the company with help from the Food Technology Centre at the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise at Loughry, near Cookstown and was launched at the Balmoral Show in 2018, winning the ‘Best New Product’ award.

The soft, triple cream cheese also won two Gold Stars in the 2019 Great Taste Awards and was a finalist in the 2018 Great British Cheese Awards. It has also proved a winner with judges at the Blas na hEireann Awards, the Irish National Food Awards.

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Remember to buy local for Jubilee, says UFU

Linda Stewart — Fri, 27 May 2022 11:37:29 +0000

The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) says the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) has forecast an increase in dairy and meat sales in the run up to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, highlighting the importance of food production locally.

UFU president David Brown said, “Back in 2012 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, UK consumers spent an extra £202m on food and drink ahead of the celebrations. This was because many across the country were hosting get togethers from BBQs to picnics and afternoon teas to mark the special occasion.

“This year, AHDB are expecting dairy and meat sales in particular, to increase, but are conscious that the current cost of living crisis will have an impact on the volume of sales. Nevertheless, it stresses the importance of our local farmers and the work they do producing high-quality food daily.

“The supply and affordability of food has been making headlines recently due to the ongoing war in Ukraine. It has exposed the significance and fragility of food security at home as well as abroad, as farmers continue to struggle with the management of unprecedented inflationary costs. When someone is not directly involved with farming, they can become disconnected from the origins of their food, the process of production and the critical role farmers have in society – the impact they have on their life.

“For many big occasions such as the Queen’s Jubilee, food is at the core of our celebrations, and not forgetting how our day-to-day lives are also planned around the three core meals. It’s our farmers who work hard upholding world leading standards to produce this food, so consumers can pick up what they need in shop when they need it without having to think twice because the demand, the expectation is always met.

“This Jubilee, I’m urging consumers to be mindful when they’re buying their groceries for the celebrations. Farmers take pride in producing safe, nutritious food for families across the UK to enjoy, not just for one day but 365 days of the year on repeat.

“So please support our primary producers who work to support you. Choose local produce and help protect our food security at a time when farmers need confidence in the markets to ensure they can sustain their farm business in the months that lie head. This is essential to continue to develop a productive, profitable and progressive farming sector that delivers for the environment, the economy, and you the consumer.”

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Sustainability and health are important to flexitarians – but taste is key, says Kerry

Linda Stewart — Wed, 11 May 2022 13:58:16 +0000

Sustainability and health concerns are driving consumers to plant-based meat alternatives, but the taste experience of these products continues to fall short, according to research carried out by Kerry, the world’s leading taste and nutrition company.

In 2022, Kerry carried out research with more than 1,500 consumers across four countries – US, UK, Australia and Brazil – to uncover sensory expectations around plant-based burgers and cheese alternative slices.

The research found that flexitarians, the key consumer group driving the growth of plant-based, are more critical of products versus vegan and vegetarian consumers. While sustainability is a top driver, consumers are unwilling to compromise on taste and seek products that are as close to the taste experience of animal products as possible.

The research uncovered the main drivers across key markets, as well as the attributes that consumers seek when purchasing plant-based burgers. Kerry’s research uncovered the following:

A total of 60% of UK consumers started eating plant-based products because they are considered ‘healthier’ and 76% will buy a plant-based burger described as ‘authentic chargrilled-tasting’.
63% of US consumers started eating plant-based products because they believe plant-based is ‘better for the planet’. A total of 80% of US consumers are likely to buy a plant-based burger that is ‘rich and savoury’.
51% of Australian consumers continue to buy plant-based due to a better environmental impact, with 78% expecting a burger that caramelises and browns during cooking to be delicious.
In Brazil, the benchmark is making beef burgers from scratch and seasoning to their liking. A total of 67% of Brazilian consumers continue to buy plant-based because they are committed to improving their own (or their family’s) overall health.

Taste as a gateway

Although beef is the benchmark, consumer expectations for plant-based burgers go beyond just the taste experience and are in fact higher. Consumers desire products with improved succulence and a ‘bite’ that feels as close to meat as possible. They also seek cooking cues such as charring which signal that a burger is perfectly cooked and safe to eat and want meat alternatives with improved nutrition.

Commenting on the findings, Fiona Sweeney, Strategic Marketing Director at Kerry, said: “The need for a great taste experience is universal. For plant-based foods, which are often chosen by consumers as a more sustainable option, ensuring great taste can be a gateway to delivering innovative and sustainable nutrition solutions for consumers around the world.

“However, ensuring a great taste experience – involving a full sensorial experience of sight, sound and texture – is highly complex and in plant-based foods it is inherently more challenging because the bar is set high with meat and dairy as the benchmark,” she said.

“The flexitarian consumer, the key consumer group driving category growth in plant-based foods across the world, is actively trying to reduce their meat and dairy consumption. However, as they still eat meat and dairy products, their plant-based taste expectations are driven by these experiences.

“Overall, our research found that flexitarians are more critical of the plant-based products currently available on the market. Delivering great taste, along with improved nutrition and sustainability credentials, will be key to success in this category.

“We partner with our customers to create a world of sustainable nutrition, which is led by our expertise in taste. Our understanding and expertise in developing market leading, consumer appealing plant-based solutions combined with a deeper sensory understanding can help you fine-tune product development, unlock category growth, and create something truly satisfying, innovative and market-leading.”

The findings are contained in a series of eBook published by Kerry, which contains actionable opportunities for the industry to address consumers’ current expectations and future unmet needs. You can download the eBooks here.

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Russia invasion of Ukraine could spark food price rises

Linda Stewart — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 11:45:01 +0000

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is expected to cause inflation and the cost of living to rise in the UK, as commodity prices are affected.

While Ukraine is more than 1,000 miles away from the UK but the effects will be felt here as global commodity prices jumped towards multi-year highs over fears of sanctions and supply disruption.

While less than 5% of the UK’s gas comes from Russia, the rest of Europe is more reliant on Russian gas, which comes through Ukraine. If its pipelines are cut off competition for gas could cause a knock-on effect for UK supplies.

Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics forecaster, said if the surge in oil, natural gas and electricity prices is sustained there could be an extra 1.5 percentage points boost to the UK’s consumer price inflation.

“CPI inflation is now likely to peak at around 8.2% in April and only come down to 6.5% by the end of the year. It’s hard to see how households’ real spending keeps rising,” he said.

A rise in gas prices could also push up the price of packaging, transport, manufacturing and processing costs as they all rely on oil and gas.

UK food prices could also see an almost immediate hike as Ukraine and Russia export much of the world’s grain – and most of their ports have been shut down.

Russia, the world’s largest wheat exporter, has put all ships on “stop” in the Azov Sea, where most grain is shipped from, a grain industry source said.

Wheat and soybeans hit their highest prices since 2012 in the hours after Russia invaded, while corn jumped to an eight-month peak.

The two countries were due to account for 29% of global wheat exports, 19% of world corn supplies and 80% of world sunflower oil exports this year.

Wheat prices went up £15 a tonne in the hours after Russia invaded and are likely to increase even further to possible record highs.

This will put up the price of flour and bread, as well as meat, dairy and eggs because wheat and corn used for animal feed have also increased.

With all the hits Russia and Ukraine will be taking on commodities and trade, it is likely inflation will remain higher for longer than previously expected.

Capital Economics now expects inflation in advanced economies, such as the UK, to still be at an average of 4% by December – twice the level of the Bank of England’s target rate.

That raises the risk central banks will have to raise interest rates further to keep inflation at bay – which will impact global growth.

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