The Brand Development Award provides Love Irish Food member brands with the chance to win a fully funded national Outdoor advertising campaign from Global through its national retail network. The Award includes both a creative bursary and digital content supported by Owens DDB and Marketing Network, respectively.

The competition is a simple two-phase process. To enter, Love Irish Food member brands must register at http://www.loveirishfood.ie. Registrations are open until 27th January 2023. The second phase involves a completed submission to be submitted by 5.30pm on 24th February 2023.

Kieran Rumley, Executive Director, Love Irish Food said: “I am delighted to share that the Love Irish Food Development Award has been launched again in 2023. Here at Love Irish Food, we are acutely aware of the challenges Irish businesses are facing because of dramatic increases in input costs. This unique Irish food industry award helps Irish SME brand producers face these challenges by providing them with the supports they need and a unique opportunity to advertise to Irish consumers on a national level.

“Love Irish Food’s mission is to promote authentic Irish food and drink brands, all while supporting 12,000 jobs in our economy. The Brand Development Award illustrates how Irish SMEs are championed with the winner of this Award highlighted through an impactful advertising campaign worth €150,000, enabling them to reach their target consumers.”

Antoinette O’Callaghan, Marketing Manager, Global added: “Our collaboration with Love Irish Food on the Brand Development Award has demonstrated the power of advertising on the path to purchase for small Irish brands.  This Award delivers an opportunity for a developing Irish brand to significantly grow its brand awareness and consumer base.  We continue to be impressed by the high quality of Irish brands and the passion of their makers.  We look forward to reviewing the entries once again this year.”

Recipient of the 2022 Love Irish Food Brand Development Award, founder of Killowen Farm Nicholas Dunne said: “As a family-owned Irish business, the Love Irish Food Brand Development Award offered us the unrivalled opportunity to promote our business on a national scale using the expertise and networks of Love Irish Food, Global and Checkout Magazine.  The Award has had a significant impact on our business. I would like to thank the judges for selecting us as the 2022 winner and would strongly encourage other Love Irish Food members to enter this year’s competition, to be in with a chance of receiving the 2023 Award.”

As in previous Brand Development Award campaigns, Love Irish Food and Global will collaborate with and support the winning brand to plan a campaign that will optimise their business and marketing objectives for the year ahead.

The judging panel comprises of Kieran Rumley, Executive Director, Love Irish Food and Antoinette O’Callaghan, Marketing Manager, Global. A shortlist of competitors will then be interviewed by the judging panel with the winner announced on 6th March 2023.

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Understanding these emotions, in combination with local taste preferences, presents an opportunity for snack producers to innovate and meet growing consumer demand for new flavours and formats.

Kerry surveyed 8,790 consumers across 16 countries in Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa to learn more about their snacking behaviours as they relate to cheese flavoured savoury snacks, while also studying new product launch activity.

It was found that consumers have a deeply positive perception of cheese flavours in savoury snacks, with 62% stating that cheese flavours make savoury snacks more exciting – indicating potential for brands to connect with them emotionally. Cheese-flavoured snacks also outpaced the overall savoury snack category in new product launches, demonstrating further potential for innovation.

Consumer preferences vary globally

While 77% of consumers globally said taste is the number one reason they love cheese, preferences vary across different markets and geographies.

Indulgence is a big driver in Europe, while consumers in the UK, South Africa and the US turn to cheese for comfort. In Latin American countries such as Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia and Honduras, consumers associate cheese with freshness.

Cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan are popular among respondents in North America and Europe, while dairy flavours such as milk and cream play a central role in savoury snack flavours in Asian countries – particularly in China, Indonesia and Thailand.

Kerry’s proprietary sensory research also showcased how taste perceptions vary hugely around the world, with panellists in Indonesia describing cheese-flavoured snacks as buttery and mild compared to panellists in the UK finding them strong and salty.

The research also explored top flavours based on snack type, with cheddar reigning supreme around the world and cited as the most appealing cheese profile across potato chips, popcorn and cheese puffs.

Opportunity for innovation

Commenting on the research, Soumya Nair, Global Consumer Research and Insights Director, said: “Cheese is a truly cultural experience, shaped by different geographies, generations of rich culinary history, local ingredients and traditions. Our research indicates that there is an opportunity to innovate in this space and bring new flavours to life across a variety of savoury snacks.

“But cheese flavoured snacks also bring indulgence and a sense of adventures to consumers. Snack producers can be very creative in blending the traditional with the new.

“Although many consumers love classic, single-cheese flavours in savoury snacks, there is plenty of scope for mixing things up. A significant percentage – 50% – tell us that creative additions such as herbs, spices and chilli are variants they look for.

“We are the global leader in dairy taste and bring a 50 year dairy heritage in food production and science to create global, local and regional-specific cheese taste and dairy solutions. Our marketing, consumer, sensory and regulatory teams work alongside our flavourists and application experts to deliver our portfolio of market-leading dairy and dairy-free taste solutions,” Ms Nair added.

Full details of the research findings across 16 countries are contained in a new eBook, where food producers can learn how to leverage these insights to create and market new products. The eBook can be downloaded here.

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Speaking to IF&CR, director general Brian Cooke says the new car retail sector has been hit with supply chain issues, including the global shortage of semiconductor chips.

New cars have been stockpiled in European car plants while waiting for chips to be installed.

Mr Cooke said the problem with semiconductor chips is one of a number of supply chain issues affecting the sector, but it’s one that could be resolved within months.

“There’s an issue in terms of supply chain due to Brexit issues, which has caused problems, particularly in relation to parts for servicing,” Mr Cooke said.

“We’re also seeing supply chain issues with vehicles including extra costs and duty charges as well, and I think that is going to be an online feature of trade between the EU and the UK.”

Every new car contains around 3,000 semiconductor chips and the global shortage has slowed down the production of cars, Mr Cooke said.

“Semiconductor chips are in everything from your laptop to your phone. But a lot of the factories closed during Covid and you’re now seeing a huge demand for them because production halted at the same time as you’re seeing an increased demand for new products, so it’s almost a perfect storm,” he said.

But with the semiconductor chip supply problems now starting to resolve, any car sales lost in the first half of 2022 could be made up later in the year.

“The situation has started to improve but it takes time to get back to normal levels. In the first half of 2022 there is going to be an issue with the supply of new cars and we hope that will resolve itself to some degree next year,” Mr Cooke said.

“We have two registration periods – January to June and July to December, so we hope that some of the sales we might lose because of supply issues in the first half of the year would resolve in the second half of the year.”

The supply chain issues came at a time of strong demand for new and used cars, with customers in the UK and Ireland ready to spend money that they’ve saved up.

“There’s a big increase in demand, not just for EVs but also petrol and diesel vehicles, and in the short term we are struggling to satisfy that demand for all types of vehicles,” Mr Cooke said.

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As world leaders meet at the COP26 Summit in Glasgow, Tearfund has launched its ‘A Gift for your Neighbour’ campaign, partnering with SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO stores in Northern Ireland to help push vital funds towards the communities living in poverty around the world, and feeling the effects of Covid, conflict and climate change.

SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO will match donations made in-store or online, up to £200,000 from 01 November until 31 December 2021.

Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group met with Tearfund’s Northern Ireland Director, Glen Mitchell,to discuss how important the annual partnership is to communities around the world, especially in the face of various global emergencies.

“It could be easy to forget the different ways that the climate crisis impacts different communities around the world – however campaigns like this help us further understand the importance of reaching across the world and helping our global neighbours,” Bronagh said.

“Our shoppers have always been incredibly generous during our festive campaigns, and matching their donations will help reach communities who are facing these very real effects of global warming even further.”

Climate crisis

The appeal aims to help support communities like those on the coast of the Bay of Bengal, where families like Juliet’s are already living in poverty, and now the climate crisis is making things even worse for them.

Juliet’s family relies mostly on fishing and on growing crops like rice to survive, but an ever-increasing number of floods and extreme cyclones makes life very dangerous and it’s difficult to keep finding money to rebuild houses and replace belongings that are washed away.

Glen Mitchell, NI Director at Tearfund added; “We are so grateful to the generous staff and shoppers of SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO and ViVOXTRA who, again this year, are helping some of the people who live in greatest need around the world. The money we raise this year through ‘A Gift for Your Neighbour’ will go towards helping people like Juliet around the world.

“Tearfund’s partner in the Bay of Bengal has been able to help Juliet’s community find ways to stay safe when flooding comes, and also come up with different ways to earn more income to help them lift themselves out of poverty. Thank you for being a part of helping people like Juliet and her family!”

A Gift for Your Neighbour is now live, with donation boxes in SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO and ViVOXTRA stores throughout Northern Ireland, running until 31 December 2021.

Shoppers can also donate online and find out more via tearfund.org/SPAR.

Picture caption: Tearfund NI Director, Glen Mitchell and Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group, Bronagh Luke, launch their Christmas campaign for 2021 – A Gift for your Neighbour.

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