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Food and Beverage Industry Pandemic Marketing – Then and Now

September 16, 2020 By Scott Rackham

Food and Beverage Industry Pandemic Marketing – Then and Now

The world is incredibly different today than it was one year ago. It’s even different than it was one month ago. Things are changing rapidly, and in order to keep up with the rollercoaster of this Pandemic, Americans are consciously and unconsciously shrinking their worlds, pursuing closer, more tight-knit connections with one another. This also applies to their purchasing habits. Consumers feel the unexpectedness of our world and are tightening their spending and sticking more to products they know well and are familiar with.

So, in this new “normal”, how do food & beverage marketers manage their campaigns to keep companies successful and in-the-know, without seeming tone-deaf or out of the loop? It’s important to confront an impending global recession and be sensitive to consumer’s needs to tighten spending, but the bottom line is they need to still sell product. Looking at past recessions can offer insights into what marketers should expect in these unfortunate circumstances.

Consumers are prioritizing comfort- whether that is through community, mutual support, or through distanced interaction physical spaces where they live, or through their digital spaces. With so many things and activities shut down, people have turned to immediate communities and find solace in the nostalgic and familiar. While this pandemic has gone on longer than most people have foreseen, we’ve observed that people will continue to retreat to what they know. Knowing there is more close-knit value placed on daily life, businesses would do well to reconfigure their sales messaging to have a more direct-to-consumer, home-based feel.

Let’s examine how “comfort messaging” has been used in the past to help sell product. During WWI and WWII, Americans produced their own food and other goods as a patriotic act of unity through crises. “Victory Gardens” reduced the strain on the food system as commercial farms diverted resources to the troops, with 40% of U.S. produce grown at home. The Victory Garden movement boosted civic morale by giving every American a concrete action they could take to support overseas war efforts, quite literally from their own backyard.

Now, hobbies like cooking, gardening, and homesteading are becoming increasingly popular, as Americans have more time at home and deal with the restlessness of isolation. During large-scale shutdowns, many Americans have shifted their purchase habits to community-driven alternatives closer to home such as purchasing produce directly from farmers and supporting small local businesses. Just as in the past, this local, human-to-human focus indicates a desire to feel helpful and connected in a time of uncertainty, fear and loneliness.

So what does this mean for your food and beverage marketing? It’s time to think local and tell stories! Stories are one of the best ways to have that home-based connection. Share stories that show the positive human impact of your brand on their immediate community. Because of COVID, consumers are more willing to continue supporting brands if they see that the brand shows support for similar values. Now is the time to try creative, community-oriented solutions.

There’s no telling how long this Pandemic will last, and we don’t know for sure how the economy will adjust or if panic buying tendencies will continue to impact the F&B space. With all of that uncertainty, we need do adjust accordingly. If consumers cannot find a product in store — or especially now when they don’t want to risk venturing out to check — they order online. Now is the time to reach out to people where they’re seeing marketing. Getting your message of availability to the proper audiences will be key to brand building and awareness during this time of increased sensitivity and unknown.

 

Filed Under: Month Trend Feature Tagged With: beverage industry, covid, covid-19, food safety, marketing, messaging

COVID-19 Food Safety and Product Messaging

September 16, 2020 By Scott Rackham

COVID-19 Food Safety and Product Messaging

As companies begin to get back into a more regular momentum of retail, it’s important to look into what is required in order to meet food safety guidelines, and how these guidelines may affect your food products.

Coronaviruses are generally thought to be spread from person-to-person through respiratory droplets. Currently there is no evidence to support transmission of COVID-19 associated with food. It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads.

In general, because of the low survival rate of coronavirus on surfaces, there is likely very low risk of spread from food products or packaging.

This is great news for companies with food products. Knowing that there is low risk in COVID-19 transmission, production and distribution can increase to normal rates. The hurdle then becomes generating enough awareness of the safety and low-risk of disease transmission to the market. With production increases, it is important that your purchasing rate matches that. In a time of much fear and unknown, developing strong marketing messaging around your company’s product safety is important. It will help create trust and confidence in the product, and increase sales.

Let’s take a look at one company that is handling COVID Food Safety messaging particularly well- Good Foods Group. Danyel O’Connor, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Good Foods Group, Pleasant Prairie, Wis., said she doesn’t expect consumer buying habits to go back to what they once were, even after this Pandemic is over. Because of that, it’s important to pivot your marketing and messaging accordingly. “We’re going to see increased residual purchase habits or behavior in those areas because people are being forced to eat at home more frequently or they’re feeling less safe out in larger groups of people,” she said.

Good Foods Group makes produce-centric products such as avocado mash, guacamole, salads, dressings, juices and plant-based dips using high-pressure processing, or cold-pressure pasteurization. Traditional pasteurization uses high heat to remove bacteria but can also reduce the amount of some vitamins. Although their products have often been used for hosting and gathering with groups, they’ve realigned their marketing to match current consumer needs. O’Connor said, “People aren’t entertaining right now, except for your family at home, your small, close-knit immediate family, so our messaging has been, how do we help consumers get through this phase? It’s through simple recipe ideas, two or three ingredients, and sharing how other consumers are using the products at home.”

Using these same principles, you can pivot your messaging to highlight more simple, easy, quick, comforting ideas. It’s also important to look at what stresses your consumers are under, and use those stressors to adjust your messaging accordingly.

Knowing that COVID-19 is not likely to be transmitted through product manufacturing, it’s time to turn your messaging and marketing to help give consumers peace of mind, and options of ways that your product can help or comfort consumers during this time of unknown.

 

Filed Under: Month Trend Feature Tagged With: covid, covid-19, food safety, manufacturing, marketing, messaging

Chemicals- Smell, Taste, Structure

June 11, 2020 By Scott Rackham

Chemicals- Smell, Taste, Structure

There are Chemicals in everything we eat. All foods are made up of chemicals, whether they occur in nature or are made in a lab. That means everything we smell or taste is a response to chemicals.

Cinnamon is a spice that is used in both sweet and savory foods.

For example, the characteristic smell of cloves, comes from one chemical called eugenol. Cinnamon, which is just the dried inner-bark of specific trees, gets its aroma and flavor from the compound cinnamic aldehyde. In nature, vanillin comes from an orchid. The process of extracting this pure, natural chemical is extremely lengthy and expensive. The compound vanillin is responsible for the flavor and smell of vanilla. So scientists found a way to make a synthetic version of vanilla in a lab.

Both artificial and natural flavors contain chemicals

If both artificial and natural flavors contain chemicals, what’s the difference? The distinction between natural and artificial flavors is the source of chemicals. Natural flavors are created from anything that can be eaten.

According to the FDA, “Natural flavor is the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”

Artificial flavors come from anything that is inedible. For example, from petroleum that is processed to create chemicals of flavorings. For the FDA, the definition of an artificial flavor is any substance that does not meet the definition of a natural flavor

Artificial vs. Natural

Most times a chemical flavoring can be made from either natural or artificial sources — the resulting molecule is the same, but the route to making is different. So which are “safer” or “better” for you, artificial or natural flavors? The answer is probably not what you think.

Since the chemicals for natural flavors are derived from organic sources, they can carry a higher risk of contamination. It’s not that it is slowing down interest in natural flavors, it’s just the opposite. Demand for natural flavors in expected to continue to grow.

So if the demand for natural flavors is increasing, why use artificial flavors at all? Synthetic chemicals that make up artificial flavors generally cost less to produce than finding and extracting the chemicals from natural sources.

Contact our flavor chemists to get started with your flavor today.

Download a copy of our chemical presentation here

Filed Under: Flavor Science & Research, Uncategorized

Flavor Descriptors: Facts About Flavors

June 11, 2020 By Scott Rackham

Flavor Descriptors: Facts About Flavors

Ever wonder what really makes up flavors and smell? Not all molecules are detectable through olfaction, but some odorous molecules create a chemical stimulus in the brain that we called “smell.” How, you ask? These specific molecules bind to receptor proteins extended from cilia, initiating an electric signal to the brain.

An aroma is caused by one or more volatilized (changing into a gas state) chemical compounds, generally at a very low concentration, that humans or other animals perceive by the sense of olfaction. Aromas can be pleasant and unpleasant.

Smell vs. Taste

Approximately 80% of what we perceive as taste is in fact, due to our sense of smell. This occurs with both nasal (through the nose) and retro-nasal (through the back of the throat) olfaction or smell.

Taste is the sensation produced when a substance in the mouth reacts with our taste receptor cells located on our taste buds in the mouth, mostly on the tongue. A few known taste sensations: Bitter, Sweet, Salty, Acid (Sour), Umami (Savory) and possibly Kokumi (Hearty/Starchy).

Flavor

We could define flavor as the blend of taste and smell sensations induced by a substance in the mouth. Taste and Smell vary depending on genetic makeup, gender, health, training, environmental factors and fatigue… BUT we don’t just sense flavor with our tongues. We also use touch, sight, sound, temperature, trigeminality to create the sensation in our brains that we call FLAVOR.

Supertasters

Most people are average tasters, but some people have many more taste buds than the rest of us. We call them Supertasters. It doesn’t mean they’re flavor connoisseurs or foodies (sorry about that), but it does mean they are extra sensitive to bitter tastes. Supertasters often report that foods like broccoli, cabbage, spinach, grapefruit and coffee taste very bitter.

Flavor Description and Evaluation

We can affect the flavor of food by how it is described. For example, protein bars might taste less desirable if they are described as soy protein and yogurt. And ice cream is perceived to be more flavorsome when described as full fat or high fat. In order to evaluate flavors, there’s a few suggestions that will help your accuracy. Evaluate the taste in a room free of smells, sounds and other sensory stimuli. Do not smoke, or drink coffee or alcohol prior to flavor tasting. Closing your eyes when tasting or smelling is helpful. Most importantly, if you need assistance with flavor description, consult Sensapure Flavor Descriptors for a description of the aroma profile that describe what you are tasting. We also recommend using the Sensapure Tasting Notes when evaluating flavors.

Flavor Fatigue

Particularly in the afternoons, as the day progresses, our sense of smell and taste can change, and most of the time is diminished. Avoid evaluating flavors late in the afternoon or after consecutive tastings. If you experience flavor fatigue, go outside to get a fresh breath of air. Eating unsalted soda crackers is also a very effective way of neutralizing aftertaste.

Contact our certified flavor chemists to get started finding the perfect description of your flavor today. We have just the right tools and terminology to add that wow factor to your flavor.

Download a copy of our flavor facts here

Filed Under: Flavor Education

Flavor Descriptors Training

June 11, 2020 By Scott Rackham

Speaking Our Language: Flavor Descriptors Training

flavor descriptors for strawberries

Can you describe the flavor of a strawberry WITHOUT using flavor descriptors? Pretty difficult, right? Flavor Descriptors are a vital tool used by flavor chemists.

When tasting and smelling, one is actually describing a flavor profile. Do not overthink. Just try to describing what you perceive during the tasting. There are many flavor descriptors that exist in the industry, such as our Sensapure Flavor Attributes. Take a look below at some of our flavor descriptors, or check out more of our flavor fans here.

flavor descriptors fans

blue raspberry fan

candy descriptors

flavor fans

Download our flavor presentation here

Filed Under: Flavor Education

Measuring Flavor and Sensory Protocols

June 9, 2020 By Scott Rackham

Measuring Flavor and Sensory Protocols

When we are measuring flavor and sensory protocols, there’s a few questions we like to ask. Are we trying to find differences between samples? Or are we trying to understand consumers’ preference? Understanding the purpose of the tasting helps to select and apply the appropriate sensory tests.

How to Conduct a Taste Test

When we conduct a taste test, there are a few things that we look for:

  • Define the purpose of the tasting
  • Choose the correct test protocol accordingly
  • When comparing new flavors to existing ones, the most useful protocol is Triangle Test
  • For new products, use Preference and Hedonics protocols

We also have a few different materials we use when we are measuring flavor and running sensory protocols. Surprisingly, many of the things we use are simple items you can find around your house, such as paper towels, labels, crackers, gloves.

Sample Coding and Tasting Sequence

Samples can NOT be coded with simple one-digit number or letter to avoid subconscious bias (A is better than D). Because of this, a common method is to use random three-digit numbers. For example 142, 852, 296, 370 are numbers that can be used. It’s important to remember NOT to allocate the two identical samples in a triangle test the same three-digit number. Also, it is a standard practice to rotate the order of the samples so each taster has a difference sequence.

When you’re running taste tests, it’s recommended to run three different tests with volunteers:

  • A: Provides introduction at the beginning of the taste-tests to participants and presents tasting cups
  • B: Prepares food and beverage samples and recruits participants to take taste tests
  • C: Collects evaluation forms, cleans up used cups and trash in between samples and after test

If you’re running a preference test, the taster is presented with at least two samples. However, the samples do not need to look or taste similar. The taster simply decides which option (sample) he or she likes best. Make sure that you rotate the samples ensuring some testers taste different first samples.

Full confidence in measuring flavor

If 100 people participated in a preference test, how many need to choose one product over another for you to feel confident that most people in the public prefer the same product? The answer may be surprising. Scientists are usually satisfied with a conclusion when they are confident that they will get the same result 95 times out of 100.

The Triangle Test – Discrimination Test

Another popular test is the triangle test. In this test, the taster is presented with three samples: two are the same and one is different. Often the differences between the two samples are small. The tester is asked to tell which sample is different. As in the preference test, offering different testers different orders of samples to test is important. For the triangle taste test, six different orders of samples are possible: AAB, ABA, BAA, BBA, BAB, and ABB.

In this test, can the tester tell the difference between the products? As in the preference test, the number of correct choices for the results to be statistically significant depends on the sample size. While 95% significance is best, scientists sometimes report results with 80% significance. Since getting correct responses with the triangle taste test is difficult (depending on how similar the samples taste), 80% significance may be the best outcome.

Measuring Flavor through Hedonic Taste Tests

These tests try to answer the question of which product people prefer, or how much the product is liked. The tasters included in these tests are current consumers of the product or potential ones. There is no need for taster training. Optimally, there are more than 30 panelists. There are several types of preference and acceptance tests. A common one is the 9-point hedonic scale.

In comparing the hedonic to the preference taste test, there’s a few notable differences. The hedonic test is set up in the same manner as the preference taste test. At least two samples are compared to determine which product people prefer. A large number of similar responses must be obtained to determine that people prefer one product more than the other. The minimum number of similar responses needed to determine if the preference is significant is based on the total number of responses obtained, and helps determine a 95% significance.

The hedonic scale is used to determine degree of acceptability of one or more products. This scale is a category-type scale with an odd number (five to nine) categories ranging from “dislike extremely” to “like extremely.” A neutral midpoint (neither like nor dislike) is included. Taster rate the product on the scale based on their response.

Ranking Test

If more than two samples are evaluated, a preference ranking test is performed. Usually three to five samples are the most that can be efficiently ranked by a taster. This test asks the taster to order the samples based on preference, with a ranking of “1” meaning most preferred.

 

Download a copy of our presentation on measuring flavor here

Filed Under: Flavor Education

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