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| Food & Drink |
Growth in ethical food according to Sainsbury boss
 The chief executive of Sainsbury, Justin King, said that consumers are increasingly willing to
pay more for food that provides benefits such as aiding farmers in poor countries and improving animal welfare. “We are seeing a shift to people saying ‘I can pay a little bit extra and for that I can get a lot
extra as a customer’,” Mr King said, also citing improved taste and health benefits as reasons why some shoppers were willing to pay more. Mr King said average household expenditure on food had grown over the
past 20 years, mainly as a result of spending on partially prepared convenience foods. He noted, however, the proportion of household spending on food was falling, with the rise outpaced by more rapid growth in areas such
as consumer electronics and overseas holidays. He added that the willingness of consumers to pay extra for certain benefits partly reflected a reduction in food expenditure to around eight or nine percent of household
budgets. Mr King also said consumers would not be willing to pay extra for British produce purely because of its origin and that domestic producers needed to offer other benefits such as improved taste or better animal
husbandry.
New healthy private label at Sainsbury
Sainsbury’s has introduced a new range of private label healthy eating prepared meals and salads under the ‘Super naturals’ brand. The retailer states that the products are made from natural ingredients
and contain no colours, flavour enhancers, preservatives or added salt. Culinary techniques such as marinating, slow cooking and roasting have been used alongside the use of natural syrups and dishes; these and other
ingredients like lemon juice that have been used to intensify the flavour and replace the salt. As part of contributing towards the 5-a-day fruit and veg consumption target, each dish includes one or more portions of
different coloured vegetables or fruit. Lucy Wager, Sainsbury’s Product Developer, states: “We are delighted with our new Super naturals range and are confident our customers will be too.” |
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