The FMCG Insider

In this week's episode of The Grocery Insider, in association with HRA Global, we speak to Professor Lisa Jack from Portsmouth University. 

For more insights, consultancy, marketing and market research solutions, visit https://hra-global.com/

0 - 5:30 minutes -

• Introduction to Professor Lisa Jack and her move into teaching from being an auditor in the public and private sectors.

05:45 - 06:50 minutes

• Will we seen an upsurge in food fraud in the COVID-19 era? Do you agree with this?
• Prof Lisa discusses that the ‘head turn’ of attention could lead to more food fraud and tightened margins.

06:50 - 08:50 minutes

• From a regulatory perspective, does this create a more permissive environment for food fraud at the moment?
• Lisa discusses that a limit of resources can lessen the amount of regulation and investigative powers.

08:50 -  13:40 minutes

• What’s your view of the impact on the food industry and supply chains due to products not being able to be sourced profitably?
• Audits within the crisis: Lisa discusses the challenges that the current crisis brings, as we are now not able to view products in person and what impact this has on reliability of its authenticity.

13:50 - 20:15 minutes:

• Do you think, with the drive to cheaper food, what is the right response that the authorities should take to steady the ship?
• A number of manufactures have gone direct to consumer, due to the closure of foodservice, with the lack of higher authority standards, does this worry you?

20:15 -28:05 minutes: 

• From a consumer interest, what do you think this all does to consumer trust in food?
• Is the consumer more suspecting of food fraud now?

28:10 - 30:40 minutes:

• If you were advising a company now, what would you say to them to not be impacted by food fraud now?
• How could they lock in the robustness of their supply chain?

30:40 - 35:30 minutes

• In regards to Brexit, how will it play out in terms of food fraud, as EU regulations are removed, will it leave a lack of protection?

35:30 minutes

• Lisa gives us the details on her Symposium ‘Futures for Food’ on Thursday 28th May, details of this event and how to register can be found here: https://bit.ly/Futures4FoodUoP

If you would like to feature on the podcast or have any questions, get in touch [email protected]

 

In this week's episode of The Grocery Insider, in association with HRA Global, we speak to Julie Waddell, founder of Moorish Humous and Dips.

0 - 11:40 minutes Introduction to Julie

• Julie talks to Hamish about how she started in food broadcast journalism.
• Julie then found her passion in culinary creativity to start making humous.
• Hamish and Julie discuss the name ‘Moorish’

12 - 14:45 minutes: The supply chain

• How does Julie manage her supply chain in the good and bad times?
• Julie discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting Moorish.

14:50 - 21 minute:  Buyer relationships

• Do you think there will be a different relationship with buyers (both retail and foodservice) when the crisis settles?
• How a crisis can remove the surplus.
• Julie talks about whether we will see more brands emerge from the crisis.
• Julie and Hamish discuss the rise in cooking skills during the lockdown and whether this will increase a need in new and different ingredients.

21:00 - 27:00 minutes: Aspiration

• What would advise would you give to the aspiring brand owner?
• What food and drink brands do you admire?
• What new areas are you interested in next?

27:00 minutes: Food service

• Is foodservice an area that Moorish is interested in?

If you would like to feature on the podcast or have any questions, get in touch [email protected]

In this week's episode of The Grocery Insider, in association with HRA Global, we speak to Gellan Watt, global brand and creative strategy consultant. 

0 - 9 minutes Introduction to Gellen

• Founded an agency in 2003 which was sold in 2016.
• He has since been investing and consulting.
• How are brands reacting to the COVID-19 crisis?

9 - 19 minutes: Will the future bring more collaboration?

• Will we see more collaboration? More outsourcing?
• How do you justify a marketing budget in these times?
• Gellan tells us about looking beyond the crisis to returning to a new normal.

19 - 28 minutes: When we come out the end of this, how will things have changed?

• The rise of digital media.
• Looking back to the financial crisis and September 2011, would you have done anything differently running your business back then?

28 - 36 minutes: Brand vs Agency relationship

• How do you think the current events way of working will change the brand vs agency relationship?
• Gellan talks about in-house agencies.

36 minutes: What is the one piece of advice you would give to food and drink brands right now?

• Gellan says that it’s best for brands to stay appropriate right now, but to not go quiet.

If you would like to feature on the podcast or have any questions, get in touch [email protected] 

In this week's episode of The Grocery Insider, in association with HRA Global, we speak to wine industry consultant, Simon Thorpe MW.

0 - 8:43 Introduction to Simon

• Simon started at Fortnum and Mason and moved into the buying team at Waitrose.
• Gaining his MW qualification. 
• Using his extensive experience to set up a consultancy for the wine industry.

8:43 - 17:05 The MW qualification and Simon's buying experience

• Simon talks us through the requirements of the MW qualifications and his experience. 
• Think back to your old job selecting wine for Waitrose, what advice would you give to your former self?

17:05 - 24:45 The innovation of gin and craft beer

• It’s one of the truisms of wine at the moment that the innovation in Gin and Craft beer has left Wine behind, why do you think that is?
• How the lockdown is affecting our relationship with wine. 
• What will change with the on trade environment at the end of the summer?

24:45 - 29:47 Australian wine

• What about Australia and South Australia in particular - are there any producers over there that we should watch out for?
• What impact have the bush fires had?

29:47 - 32:30 European wine

• French producers in particular make some very fine products but others in the market say they ave a lot to lose, how do you see the prospects for french producers?

32:30 - 43:00 The new dawn 

• Which wine companies out there do you admire and why?
• Important factors of players who can face the current challenges and who can remain sustainable.
• How do you see the battle between 'new world' and 'old world' wine playing out?

43:00 Challenges in the future

• What are the biggest challenges that the wine industry is facing and can it get through it?

If you would like to feature on the podcast or have any questions, get in touch [email protected]

In this week's episode of The Grocery Insider, in association with HRA Global, we speak to Genevieve Boast, founder of 'Beyond Human Stories'. 

Introduction and the state of organisations now: 0:00 - 8:50 minutes

• Introduction to Genevieve and starting 'Beyond Human Stories'. 
• Looking into the story telling of organisations. 
• Are organisations being truly honest and authentic amid the crisis?

The current climate: 8:50 - 12:30 minutes

• What is the mood amongst brands at the moment?
• How interconnectivity is helping amid the covid-19 pandemic. 

What is storyhacking? 12:30 - 19:35 minutes

• The definition of 'storyhacking' and how brands can use it.
• How to stop yourself being disempowered and inhibiting your vision.
• How this can be applied to brands and internal company structures. 
• Can the current crisis aid companies to use storyhacking to look at their vision?

How to approach storyhacking and the challenges of Coronavirus: 19:35 - 26:30 minutes

• How taking yourself out of your comfort zone into nature can help to begin storyhacking. 
• The challenges that we face within the covid-19 pandemic. 

Equinox Kombucha and early storyhacking: 26:30 - 34:30 minutes

• The work Genevieve has done with 'Equinox Kombucha'. 
• How has storyhacking impacted them and changed the way that they work?
• What were the precursors to storyhacking?

The new normal - 34:30 - 42:45 minutes

• What will be the positives from the new normal that will emerge after the corona crisis?
• How global interconnectivity and innovation has increased. 

The future for businesses: 42:45 minutes

• What is your key message to managing directors at the moment?
• How business can be changed in a positive manner amid the crisis. 

If you would like to feature on the podcast or have any questions, get in touch [email protected]

In this week's episode of The Grocery Insider, in association with HRA Global, we speak to Sian Edmunds from Burges Salmon LLP. 

Introduction to CBD and Sian Edmunds from Burges Salmon - 0 mins

Previous FSA rules on CBD - 5 mins

• What were the ‘rules’ on CBD products prior to the FSA announcement - for instance, the January 2019 FSA position and the European Commission designation of CBD as novel foods?
• Were people paying attention to these rulings?
• And a curveball or those who have switched off from the Brexit ‘debate’, will EC designated novel foods stay novel foods post-December, assuming the UK withdrawal from the EU runs to time?
• Will companies have to resubmit products to the FSA?

Latest news from the FSA - 9 mins

• In a nutshell, what was the FSA’s ruling?
• Quality test?
• Should some consumer groups be careful?
• Is this ruling the same for nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, health & beauty?

Products ready to launch and health claims - 13 mins 

• What should companies with Food and Drink products in the market do? What should brands with products with products in the wings, but not launched yet do?
• Health claim regimes? Are we going to see products limiting what they can claims?

Local Authorities, Enforcement, and impact on CBD market - 18.45 mins

• Are Local Authorities resourced and equipped to enforce the ruling - will any enforcement action have teeth?
• Beyond the ruling itself, we can infer about the FSA thinking on how they want to influence the development of the CBD market?

A grey area and space for innovation - 23 mins 

• What’s your view of the ruling on the development on CBD category in terms of investors, products, competition, safety standards? What changes can we expect?
• The grey area within the market?
• Is there a case that the brands that do remain could be more innovative, more radical having bagged their novel foods approved?

The future of CBD products in the UK market - 28.30 mins

• Could we see the development of an OTC CBD category with higher dosages and more functional healthcare applications?
• Some of the trade feel that there is a certain inevitability about a loosening of regulations around cannabis more generally, can you see a time when the UK follows the US and Canadian model with Cannabis edibles?
• Food firms listening - what’s the one thing they need to be getting on with now to anticipate when these regulations will start to bite?

If you would like to feature on the podcast or have any questions, get in touch [email protected]

In this week's episode of The Grocery Insider, in association with HRA Global, we speak to John Farrand from The Guild of Fine Food.

Get to know John Farrand:

• How did you get started working in food and drink?
• Quick summary of the Guild of Fine Food
• Education and training
• Academy of Cheese
• Trade Events, Fine Foods North in March in Harrogate - 12-13,000 businesses.
• Food Awards - Great Taste started in 1994 with 250 entries, now just under 1300 entries. 
• World Cheese Awards
• Integration with regional trade awards?

Protecting Food Heritage and interacting with Retailers

• How does the Guild of Fine Food bump into a wholesaler, high-end retailer, how would that work? How do they interact? Readers of the magazine?
• 40 years for a long time, are there any changes over the 40 years, seen of the travel in the market and trends?
• Organic - gone from boom to bust especially in cheese. Is organic a trend that is particularly susceptible to changes in economics and cycles of food fashion?
• Is slow produced food closer to the world you work in?
• Era from the 50s gently on the way out, foods back into their more natural state, would you agree?
• Gourmet vegan foods in the future for the guild?

An American Trade Deal and Labelling

• American trade deal - may be muted -  from a fine food perspective to you welcome the ability to import from the states? Do you have the same concerns about differential standards that mainstream producers may have? 
• Turning to labelling, this is an area of a lot of interest do you guys get involved in provenance claims etc.

2020 Fine Food Trends and a career in the food industry

• 2020 any trends you think we will see or start, any predictions for the year?  (fermentable foods, coffee, very good ready-meals)
• What advice would you give a fresh-faced graduate to do or not do as they start their careers?

If you would like to feature on the podcast or have any questions, get in touch [email protected]

In this week's episode of The Grocery Insider, in association with HRA Global, we speak to John Farrand from The Guild of Fine Foods. Topics discussed include: A History of the Guild, Food Heritage, Organic and Fine Food Trends. Don't forget to leave us a review on iTunes and get in touch via email, [email protected]

In this week's episode of The Grocery Insider, in association with HRA Global, we speak to Jonathan Kittow from Simply Supply Chain. 

Supply Chain as a Career - 0-6 minutes

• Introduction to Jonathan and Simply Supply Chain
• How attractive is the supply chain industry for graduates?
• Is Supply Chain being broken out from operations structurally?
• For B2B contacts for Supply Chain and Sales are the two parts of any grocery business that touch other firms the most, would you agree? 
• Are you starting to see, due to tech and therefore how things are being measured, has that lead to the roles within supply chain being up-weighted or new roles within Supply Chain?
• As a profession has it got more strategic less exceptional?

Defining Supply Chain and the role of Logistics - 6.00 - 11.30 minutes

• A definition of Supply Chain - where does it stop where does it start? What is it doing?
• Where would see procurement fit?
• Outsourcing logistics? Is this something that is new?
• Do you think the third-party logistics providers are making it easier for product-focused firms to do that?

Retailers Priorities - 11.30 - 18.00 minutes

• Are you seeing people coming in straight into Supply Chain from the data sciences or are they making a segway in from operations?
• Just on the retailers, we have seen quite a few changes in recent years in terms of how the retailers are prioritising certain channels, how they are organising them. Do you reach into that world and how would you summarise these changes from the last three years?
• Are they integrating the supply chain across those trading businesses?
• Charging models particularly around groceries changing with more of a subscription-based offer, how do you think that will change going forward, will there be more Amazon-style strategies moving forward?

Wholefoods and the Discount Model  - 18.00 - 20.45 minutes

• Wholefoods, has much been going on there?
• The discount model, do you think they will be changing their model or if it’s not broken, don’t fix it? Take Aldi for instance.

Supply Chain and Manufacturers -20.45 - 27.30 minutes

• Supply chain management in individual food and drink manufacturers? How do they know they have got it right? How do they benchmark and set areas to improve?
• Is there anything else that can be done?
• In terms of how simply supply chain work with firms, is there one area that is in particular demand?
• Are you typically working at Supply Chain level, at board level or do you work with MDs, where do you plug in firms?

Accounting - 26.00 minutes

• So talking about behaviour change, do you think the accounting within companies has progressed enough to pull out product costs and how they vary in different channels?

The Future of Supply Chain - 27.30-37 minutes

• Looking forward to 2020, what can you see happening in Supply Chain?
• Do you see much ex-retail supply chain folk, popping up in manufacturing?
• If you were a fresh-faced grad starting out in supply chain, what advice would you give? Is there a part of Supply Chain they should focus on?

In this week's episode of The Grocery Insider, in association with HRA Global, we speak to Steven Esom from Product Chain.

Get to know Steven and the industry

• Career path 

The Grocery Industry and Retailers

• What changes have you seen in the industry since you started?
• Massive delayering on the retailer side - do you think this is going to continue as part of the reconfiguration of retail?
• Can you see the challenge from the discounters changing in the next decade?
• Do you think the big box retailers will start to transform their shops to be similar to that of the discounters?
• Are we seeing more subletting of retail plots?

Waitrose and M&S

• Where is Waitrose going over the next few years?
• M&S are in a unique position with a unique audience, thoughts?

Category Management

• Have we passed peak category management?
• New products on the shelf for a shorter period, is this enough?
• Product chain - Is it tougher than ever to get and keep listings, and to grow sales?
• Challenger brands concentrating on a proposition, marketing and sales, is this the case with all?
• What impact is this having on the corporate structures of the big retailers?
• Do you think BCORP will be mandatory in a few years?

The important questions:

• Where is grocery going to go next year?
• What piece of advice would you give someone starting out in the industry right now?
• Thoughts on the John Lewis Christmas advert?