3DAWN FARMS TOP 9 | ISSUE 3 . 2018

GLOBAL UPDATE ON CONSUMER, MARKET AND MENU INSIGHTS. 

1. YOU DON'T SEE THAT EVERY DAY

In a devastating blow to healthy eating resolutions nationwide, McDonald’s UK has added a new breakfast item to its menu - watch the ad here >> To quote Cosmopolitan this week “it looks IMMENSE”. The new Cheesy Bacon Flatbread is packed with melted Cheddar cheese and beechwood smoked bacon in toasted flatbread. In 2017, NPD Crest reported that breakfast occasions were up by 8.4% to 1.14 billion, however latest research suggests this early morning daypart has been affected by consumers eating out less often but spending more when they do. This type of innovation by McDonald’s helps counteract this by stimulating some excitement for snacking outside the home. 

2. CRUST GOURMET PIZZA BAR TO LAUNCH IN THE UK

Australian chain Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar is set to enter the UK market with an ambitious plan of opening 250 gourmet, woodfire style pizza outlets in the UK in 10 years (starting in summer 2018). The chain first opened in Sydney in 2001 and operates 200+ stores in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Global operator Retail Food Group Ltd has announced new master franchise agreements for it and Donut King (140 units planned in the same period). Crust’s menu is international - from Australian to Moroccan and Thai-inspired pizza toppings and salad bowls. It takes gourmet seriously eg the Truffle Beef Rossini (Wagyu Beef, Wild Mushroom, Black Truffle Aioli).

3. GREGG'S EVENING ONSLAUGHT

While McDonald’s refreshes breakfast, Greggs is taking a bite out of the fast food chain’s business with a new focus on hot food in 2018. Options include chicken goujons, potato wedges and pasta dishes. This week the ‘bakery food-on-the-go’ chain announced lfl sales growth of 3.7% in the 52 wks ending 30 December 2017 – its “17th consecutive quarter of like-for-like sales growth”. According to Greggs, evenings are a daypart they haven’t addressed before. It has installed hot food cabinets in 100 stores and if the menu is well received it could extend its trading hours into the evening to cash in on consumers heading home after work.

4. NYP LOOKS EAST

Continuing with its innovative start to the year, fast growing Dutch pizza chain New York Pizza has introduced 2 new pizzas; the Moroccan Chicken (spicy Harissa chicken, cucumber, red onion, freshly tomato, coriander, and garlic oil) and the Satay Pizza, featuring satay chicken, fried onions and satay sauce. Indonesian satay is a traditional food in the Netherlands, one of many dishes introduced when Indonesia was a Dutch colony in the 19th century. Other popular dishes include bami goreng and rendang.

5. MOVE OVER MILLENNIALS

Are Millennials no longer ‘des-dem’, as Gen Z/Centennials begin to flex their spending power? Mintel puts forward that Millennials are still a lucrative segment to pursue as they reassess their purchase habits, giving brands a new opportunity to win them over. To read more about Gen Z’s eating habits – click here >>

6. CANNABIS CUISINE

San Francisco-based consultancy Mattson has an interesting take on some macro trends driving food and drink innovation in 2018. Cannabis cuisine faces challenges in terms of scalability but is considered set for growth given that a new generation is growing up in US states where cannabis is legal (20% of population) and furthermore alcohol is in decline. Another trend to watch is ‘intrinsic nutrition' - renewed focus on nutrient-dense foods naturally rich in healthy fats, protein, fiber, and other nutrients. Also interesting is non-food brands branching into foods such as Patagonia clothing and Patagonia provisions.

7. M. SANDERS: LEGEND, MAN, CHICKEN

After 26 years in France, KFC has decided to ‘introduce’ the infamous Colonel Sanders to the French. Why now? According to a survey, only 3% know who the Colonel is despite his face on KFC buckets since launch in 1991. Advertising campaigns will now feature the iconic personality speaking French in an American accent about the unique recipe – “not just chicken”.  

8. CARL'S JR. TARGETS LES BURGAVORES

Yesterday America’s 4th-biggest burger chain Carl’s Jr. opened its first French outlet. Established in 1941 it has nearly 3800 restaurants worldwide – with 120 planned for France in the next 12 years. For an average ticket price of €11, customers can now order signature burgers such as the Big Angus Burger, Western Bacon Cheeseburger, Guacamole Bacon Burger in the city of Toulon in southern France. Several American burger brands including Burger King, Steak’n Shake and Five Guys have sought to gain share and grow the $10bn+ burger market (Gira) in recent years. French company B-Go has the exclusive franchise agreement of the brand for France –a subsidiary of Brescia Investissement.

9. HOW HEALTHY IS GLUTEN FREE

Amidst a backlash on sugar and high caffeine content - Asda and Aldi are the latest UK retailers to ban sale of energy drinks to under 16s – gluten free also came under the spotlight this week. Gluten free foods reportedly contain more fat, salt and sugar than their gluten-containing equivalents, and are generally more than twice as expensive, a study by the University of Hertfordshire has found. The report which compared more than 1,700 products from Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Ocado stated it was clear that gluten-free (GF) products offered no nutritional advantage over regular foods and were not healthier.