September begins with plenty of news in the FMCG sector. Take a look back at the top headlines from this week.
Bega invested in Hummingbird Superfoods
Bega Cheese has taken a minority stake in the online breakfast subscription company, Hummingbird Superfoods. The business offers home-delivered healthy breakfast foods such as on-the-go porridges, cereals and “blendies”. The new deal strengthens Bega’s portfolio and its online presence. Hummingbird Superfoods co-founder Sean Collins said Bega has an “incredible reputation and immense experience that can only benefit our already growing consumer base”.
Woolworths fined $50,000 for selling expired infant milk formula
Supermarket giant Woolworths Group was fined A$50,000 for selling expired baby formula in a Cairns store. Woolies was ordered to pay A$1,847.95 in court costs. The Tropical Public Health Services Cairns inspection of its store at Abbott Street in July 2018 found the grocery was selling items that breached the Food Act 2006, with six food items, including five infant formula products expired. A Woolworths spokesperson told Inside FMCG that they take food safety and quality very seriously. “We have introduced new processes and improvements in to our stores to ensure food safety and quality standards are met.”
Nutella celebrates multiculturalism with new label greetings
Nutella is celebrating Australia’s rich cultural diversity in a new campaign with celebrity chef, Miguel Maestre. It will release jars with a “good morning” greeting in different languages, including Spanish, French, Chinese and more. Maestre whipped up his favourite breakfast recipes, including Spanish Orange Magdalenes and Mama Florentina Palmeritas with a Nutella twist as part of the new campaign.
Mondelēz brings SnackFutures to Australia
Confectionery maker Mondelēz International is bringing SnackFutures innovation hub to Australia and New Zealand. The new hub will be in Melbourne to accelerate growth and innovation. Brigette Wolf, head of SnackFutures innovation told Inside FMCG that the business is focused on developing different brands. It will collaborate with startups and building “an ecosystem of partners”.
Woolworths, Coles brand value drop due to tough competition
Supermarket rivals Woolworths and Coles saw their brand value decline this year due to stiff competition, according to the latest BrandZ Top 40 Most Valuable Australian Brands report. WPP and Kantar found that discount retailer Aldi caused the drop in Woolworths and Coles’ brand value. Aldi has 15 per cent market share among the supermarkets. Woolworths’ ranking dropped 1 per cent and is now in fifth place. While Coles takes seventh place, down 10 per cent.
That’s it for this week. We will be back on Monday morning!
