Did you know… the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is implementing a five-point plan to protect consumers against another horse meat scandal? In co-operation with district veterinary offices and other agencies, the FSAI will incorporate the EU plan to ensure food is fully traceable. FSAI chief executive, Professor Alan Reilly, said that trust is essential for consumer confidence. "The industry norm now is to buy nothing on trust but to test it," he said. The five-point plan includes: increased fines for food fraud and other offences, strengthened monitoring programmes, the creation of an EU-wide database for horse identification, strengthening of official food controls and COOL regulations, and a better system of labelling.
Did you know… Advertising contributes €5.3 million annually to the Irish economy and supports 30,000 jobs? Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, Pat Rabitte TD launched a report by Deloitte on the impact to the Irish economy of the Advertising Industry. The report, called 'Advertising: An engine for economic growth' is the first to quantify and detail the impact the advertising industry in Ireland has from job creation, to supporting innovation and creating competition. The report shows that currently every €1 spent on advertising generates on average €5.70 to the Irish GNP and the industry provides 38% of all Irish media revenues. There were 7,000 people directly employed in advertising activities in 2012 and €938 million was spent in advertising media placement in Ireland the same year. The report was also sponsored by Google, Independent News and Media, and RTE.
Did you know... Dunnes Stores has selected Cawley Nea/TBWA to run its creative account in a bid to build its own-brand presence? Cawley Nea/TBWA will assist Dunnes in the roll out of a new own-brand range in the new year, which will be positioned to take on the ranges of rivals Aldi and Lidl. Dunnes will add a further 250 products to its own-brand portfolio range in 2014, which is rumoured to be positioned under the banner 'Family Favourites'. The Irish own-brand market is currently valued at €1.9 billion or 22% of grocery sales, which is expected to grow to about 40% in the next two years. Dunnes retains third place in terms of market sales behind Tesco and SuperValu and saw its sales rise in the last Kantar Worldpanel supermarket share survey, which accounted for 12 weeks up to mid-October.
Did you know… About €1.8bn worth of the €3.3bn branded goods sold in Ireland are imported? Love Irish Food announced the figure in a bid to urge shoppers to buy more Irish products in the run up to Christmas. In addition, Love Irish Food is launching a €200,000 advertising campaign to encourage shoppers to buy Irish manufactured goods for the festive season. Economist and chairman of Love Irish Food, Jim Power, commented, "The bottom line is that this is an industry with serious potential. As well as making a very high value-added contribution to the national economy, the food industry is now the key driver of regional economic activity and the mainstay of rural towns." Love Irish Food emphasises that a lot of products that shoppers think are Irish, are actually manufactured abroad. There are 110 Love Irish Food brands and the companies behind them support just over 17,000 jobs, according to a study by Kantar Worldpanel.
Did you know… The Square Management, which manages The Square Shopping Centre in Tallaght, has reportedly issued legal proceedings against Dunnes Stores? The firm lodged papers with the High Court against Dunnes Stores Dublin Company last week, according to reports at the weekend. Dunnes is an anchor tenant at The Square, which recently announced it is to undergo a redevelopment, led by the Alburn Group and overseen by NAMA.
Did you know… The first ECR Ireland Supply Chain Summit takes place at Citywest Hotel, Dublin, tomorrow morning, 13th November? The event will feature presentations from Luke Hanlon, Supply Chain Director, Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland, Declan Keegan, Logistics Manager, Heineken, David McGee, Partner, PwC and Daniel Berry, VP, Regional General Counsel & Government Affairs, EMEA, Chep among others. The event is sponsored by PwC, and the media partner is Checkout. For more information, click here
Did you know… Edward Dillon has announced the launch of a new online ordering system for trade customers? The premium drinks distributor has created with iTradeNetwork to launch a new website - www.edwarddillondirect.ie - which will allow trade customers to buy products online including spirits, champagnes and wines. Commenting on the launch of the new site, Andy O’Hara, CEO of Edward Dillon & Co. Ltd. said, "We understand that convenience in ordering is key in an industry where working unsociable hours is commonplace. We know that managers want to be front of house during busy periods, rather than on the telephone with suppliers, so by creating a site that will allow our customers to purchase products online at any time of the day and from any location, we have made this process easier and more streamlined for our customers across the country.’ This is the first time iTradeNetwork, the world’s leading provider of cloud-based purchasing technology to the hospitality, foodservice and retail industries, has partnered with an Irish supplier to provide its Supplier Storefront platform. Customers will be able to register on www.edwarddillondirect.ie and apply for a password via the website.
Did you know… Eurozone retail sales fell more than expected in September? Data from the European Statistics Office Eurostat showed the volume of retail trade fell 0.6% on the month after a revised 0.5% rise in August. Reuters analysts expected only a 0.4% decline. The decline was seen in both food and non-food items, compared to the same time last year, when September retail sales were up 0.3%. The data also showed that Portugal recorded an all-time low with a 6.2% slump on the month while Spain's 2.5% decline was the biggest since April 2012. Slovenia saw a 4% fall month-on-month in September sales, the biggest decline since February 2009. The EU Commision expects the economy to recover slightly more next year, however across the EU zone there are still 19 million unemployed people. Weak consumer spending is also a concern for the European Central Bank.
Did you know… Alcohol and tobacco prices pushed up consumer prices by 5% last month? The Central Statistics Office released figures to show the surge in alcohol and tobacco prices of 5% was offset by a 2.2% fall in transportation costs such as petrol, diesel, air fares and vehicles. Head of the Irish Small and Medium Enterprise Association (ISME) Mark Fielding told the Irish Examiner: "Although inflation continues to be low, State-influenced business costs such as electricity, gas, and local charges are increasing. [...] The latest Eurostat figures show that Irish industry pays the third highest electricity costs in the EU. SME owner-managers are struggling to keep their prices competitive because of the uncompetitive charges they are forced to pay." He criticised the composite inflation rate which he said hides the burden of the costs business have to bear.
Did you know… Supply chain bosses in the UK have reacted swiftly to another horse meat discovery? The Food Standards Agency announced that a batch of canned sliced beef found to contain horse DNA has been withdrawn from sale at Home Bargains and Quality Save stores in the UK. The beef, from Romania, was not labelled as containing horse meat and was detected during routine testing by Lincolnshire County Council trading standards officers. Retailers stocking the beef have withdrawn the affected 320g packs, however supply chain bosses have called for more industry collaboration after this food scare follows similar revelations that impacted the wider UK retail sector earlier this year. John Bailey, European vice-president at supply chain software and services provider JDA, said: “This again highlights a lack of visibility across an extended network of suppliers, distributors, manufacturers and producers. What is most worrying is the number of ‘blind spots’ that seem to currently exist." Nick Martin, senior vice-president for Northern Europe at Trace One Traceability and product recall specialists Trace One, added: “This latest news from the FSA of horsemeat being discovered in canned beef from a Romanian manufacturer, shows that the effect of the horsemeat scandal is ongoing and wider reaching than originally anticipated."
Did you know… Cork bakery O'Keeffes have created a new frozen dough technique in advance of a major deal with Nickelodeon? The Ballincollig-based bakery, which employs 75 people, are taking on 32 new staff to assist with the upcoming deal. The nearly completed deal with Nickelodeon will see the bakery receive permission to use Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on its packaging in Ireland, the UK and the Channel Islands. Stephen O'Keeffe, managing director of the family run company, said, "This endorsement would give us a huge platform to get our new products out there." The O'Keeffes are pioneers of a new method that prolongs the shelf life of yeast within frozen dough, something that usually becomes inactive when frozen. The company tested the product with input from Odlums, Bakel Ingredients and German bakery equipment specialists MIWE.
© 2013 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson
