(1888PressRelease)
June 03, 2006 - "It’s a sad state of affairs for innovation in food when a £93 million annual turnover food brand product such as Premier Foods’ Quorn are investing so much more in PR (£8million) than new product development" Says Tony Bishop-Weston from Foods For Life (London Nutrition Consultants)
The self declared healthy eating brand Quorn can even be beaten by a bar of chocolate!
EG
Quorn Low Fat Chicken Style Pieces - 14% protein no declared essential fats
Foods For Life Awards Finalist Plamil Foods No Added Sugar Chocolate with Hemp has 15% Protein & omega 3, 6 & 9 essential fats
Tony adds "There are too many products out there pretending that they are healthy when they just can’t cut the mustard. It’s crazy that a bar of chocolate can have more protein than a leading vegetarian brand’s meat replacement product. The Foods For Life Awards are intended to cut through the £million marketing hype and highlight the real innovators in the food industry"
In a recent report, Leatherhead Food International noted that “innovation is essential” but said that the main drivers now are: “Convenience and Snacking, Health and Wellbeing, and Pleasure and Indulgence” - all areas that Redwood Foods excel in.
The new stars of healthy Vegetarian and Vegan catering, Redwood Wholefoods, have now won yet another Award to add to their impressive list of achievements. The Foods For Life Nutritious and Delicious Award 2006
Redwoods Wholefoods are challenging Quorn and Linda McCartney foods for the title of the UK’s favourite vegetarian food brand. Instead of spending millions of pounds on TV advertising, Redwoods have instead invested their money and their time in healthy innovations. This has paid off yet again. They have succeeded in making their products even more appealing to the millions of consumers who are buying more vegetarian and vegan foods.
According to Key Note report based on Taylor Nelson Sofres figures 70% Vegetarian market value is said to be derived from chilled products whilst the total UK vegetarian market is now worth approximately £700 million per annum
Foods For Life estimate that the total UK Vegetarian and Vegan Foods Market will continue to grow, rising to £800 million pa by 2010
Redwoods have concentrated on ensuring their products appeal to as wide a range of consumers as possible. You won’t find cheap allergenic dairy protein or egg derivatives in their products. Nor will you find unhealthy ingredients such as hydrogenated trans fat or excessively high levels of salt.
It doesn’t matter who you are, vegetarian, vegan, Jew, Hindu, Muslim or just one of the huge growing number of healthy eaters or ‘conscious consumers’ Redwoods’ products are indisputably delicious and nutritious and that’s the key criteria for winning The Foods For Life Awards.
A year ago London Nutritionist and founder of Foods For Life, Yvonne Bishop-Weston gave a talk at The Food & Drink Federation’s National Vegetarian Week barbeque event. She told key members of the vegetarian food manufacturing industry that they were in danger of loosing their multimillion pound slice of the healthy eating market unless their products shaped up to consumers’ new healthy expectations.
Most vegetarian and vegan products are sold not to vegetarians but to consumers who perceive vegetarian and vegan food to be healthier. Following the popularity of TV programmes such as ‘you are what you eat’ consumers have become more educated about what is and isn’t healthy and were unlikely to continue buying products laced with saturated fat and little or no protein.
Yvonne says “Less than a year later ethically run Redwoods have delivered everything we’d asked for, more protein, vitamin B12, essential fats and less saturated fat. It’s products like this that will ensure the meat free foods industry will have a healthy future, continue to thrive and encourage more people to adopt a diet that is better for people, animals and the environment”.
Editors Notes
More about Foods For Life at http://www.foodsforlife.org.uk
Comment Tony & Yvonne Bishop-Weston 07944068432
More about Redwoods and products including Fishless smoked salmon pate, melting dairy free cheese, award winning meatless chicken pieces, vegan bacon rashers and ready cooked snack sausages at http://www.redwoodfoods.co.uk
Other finalists included
2) Sugar Free Dairy Free Hemp Chocolate – http://www.plamilfoods.co.uk
3) Carley’s Hemp Nut Butter – www.carleysfoods.co.uk
Vegetarian and Vegan Market Value Facts
Food & Drink Federation Vegetarian Market Website at
http://www.meat-free.org.uk
Premier Foods has appointed advertising agency Publicis to handle the £8m advertising account for its vegetarian Quorn food range
