The Best of British: The Food & Drink Expo and the Natural Food ...

April 5, 2012Posted in 2012 predictions, British Produce, Britishness, Consumers, Exhibitions, Food, Food & Drink Expo, Food and Drink, Future, Gluten Free Products, Jubilee, Levi Roots, Natural Food Show, Natural Product Show, Olympics, Quality Foods, Trade Shows, Uncategorized, blogsTags: brand awareness, brands, British Food, consumer pr, Consumers, Drink, Exhibitions, Food, Food & Drink Expo, Food and Drink, Food and Drink PR, Jubilee, Levi Roots, London, Natural Food Show, Olympics, Reggae Reggae Sauce, Shopping, Trade Shows

Over the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to savour what the food and drink industry has to offer us in 2012. I attended the Food & Drink Expo at Birmingham?s NEC, the largest trade fair for the industry, and the Natural Food Show, held at Kensington, Olympia. The two shows were very different in their atmosphere and size of shows, yet both events had some strong themes running through them.

The concept of ?Britishness? and the importance of using British produce was very much all around me. With such a high demand from consumers for all things British, there was a lot to see at these events which showcased such quality foods. From smooth and rich varieties of cheese to the best in home grown fruit made into jams or juices, to freshly made quality ready meals. There was also a high level of gluten-free products which suppliers are hoping will reach many mainstream supermarkets or independent food stores this year. These products are also working around the biggest events to happen in the UK this year as some brands are co-ordinating their product launches with the Jubilee and the biggest sporting event of the year.

As ?34% of shoppers says that quality is extremely important when choosing where to shop for food and groceries ? the highest level for more than a year?, it is clear that consumers do want to know where their purchases come from, what is in it and how organic and eco-friendly are the products they are buying. We may be in a time of recession, but consumers still want to eat well, care about provenance and take a lot of pride in our produce. Brands are trying hard to tick all the boxes to meet the needs and requests of consumers and their values, and are quite effective in their exercise. Similar to Levi Roots? Reggae Reggae sauce (a guest speaker at the F&D Expo), the foods I encountered had a great story, a lot of drive and with the right backing they will be very successful in time to come.

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