western grocer magazine jan / feb...

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019

Left to RightMunther Zeid, board of directors and Wajih Zeid, president

REAL CANADIAN CHEESE CHOICES!

• Made with 100% Canadian Milk• No Added Preservatives or Milk Bi-products

• No Artificial Colours or Flavoursbothwellcheese.com

Sample these cheeses at Booth #1220 during CHFA West 2019.

8 Get the Latest on Organics at SIAL!

17 Eastern LessonsSimple strategies can enliven any grocer’s Asian food aisle.

21 The Most Important Meal of the DayCanadians are increasingly aware of the need for a nutritious breakfast and are looking for time-conscious options to help.

27 Frozen is Hot!Frozen food and meals offers solutions fresh can’t.

30 Santa Cause is a Huge Success!

33 Infused ProfitsIndian flavours driving sales.

38 Top Trends in Signage and GraphicsGrocery stores can’t ignore the impact of signagedesign on the shopping experience.

41 Whim PowerImpulse buying is escalating thanks to the better-for-you movement.

On Our Cover

9 When You Are Here, You Are Family

Winnipeg’s FoodFare has seen over 40 years of success from taking care of its community.

Cover Photography: Steve SalnikowskiDepartments

In this Issue

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 • VOLUME 105 , NO.1

Serving Western Canadians for 100 Years

21

17

276 Market Update6 Calendar of Events37 Category Management44 In the Bag46 Taking Stock

The beginning of a new year is typically the time tolook ahead to discern any headwinds or tribulationsthat might befall the grocery sector as the year progresses.

From a macro competitive point of view, thedisparity between growth rates in foodservice versus grocery retail shouldhave most in the industry concerned. The Food Institute forecasts eatingaway-from-home sales growth will outpace at-home in 2019, accordingto its webinar “An Honest Look at 2019 Food Industry Trends,” BrianTodd, president of The Food Institute, predicts 5.1 per cent growth foreating and drinking places in the coming year and 2.8 per cent growthfor food and beverage stores.

Among the trends for 2019, The Food Institute sees plant-based foods,cannabis and updated vending concepts growing in popularity. Fuel anddriver issues will continue to be problem areas for the distribution sector,while Amazon will remain a company to watch as it expands its capabilitiesin brick-and-mortar, meal kits, private label and even drone delivery.

Areas of disruption to watch out for include food delivery, deep discounters,private labels and, of course, the continuing impact of new technologies.Loblaws’ new shop and scan for example allows customers to download thePC Express app on their phone and connect to free Wi-Fi offered in their store.They then use the app to scan items before putting them in their shopping cart.

On-line grocery shopping is predicted to continue its upward trend.KPMG recently published a study showing that close to half (48 per cent)of U.S. grocery shoppers currently purchase at least some of their groceriesonline and 59 per cent intend to in 2019. Those who plan to do 40 per centor more of their grocery shopping online make up the fastest-growingsegment — from 17 per cent in 2018 to 25 per cent in 2019.

In Western Canada’s grocery scene, expect to see the continued impactof supplier consolidation on retailers’ bottom lines. It appears that Sobeysmay finally iron out most of the kinks persisting after a merger with Safewaythat saw a lot of value written off almost immediately and tremendouschallenges in merging cultures and systems. Just two years after Medline’sarrival, Empire’s share price has reboundedby 56 per cent, and the rejuvenation effortsare going faster than anticipated. In fact,Report on Business magazine named himtop CEO for 2018.

Grocery Industry FacesHeadwinds in 2019

publisher’s perspective

Robin Bradley

Associate Publisher &National Account Manager

[email protected]

Melanie Bayluk

Western Account Manager

[email protected]

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4 WWW.WESTERNGROCER.COM

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Publisher & Editor, Frank Yeo; Associate Publisher & National Account Manager, Robin Bradley; Western Account Manager, Melanie Bayluk; Editor/Editorial Production Coordinator: Nicole Sherwood; AdvertisingProduction Manager, Marsha Coombe; Creative Manager, Sarra Burton; Circulation Department e-mail: [email protected]; Advertising Consultants: David Bastable, Sheilah Davila, Loren Fox,Elaine Dufault, Edna Saito. Publisher: Western Grocer Magazine is published bi-monthly by Mercury Publications Limited Head Office: 1313 Border Street, Unit 16, Winnipeg, MB R2H 0X4 Tel: (204) 954-2085Fax: (204) 954-2057 www.mercury.mb.ca • e-mail: [email protected] Associated Publications: C-Store Canada Magazine, Commerce & Industry Magazine, Western Hotelier, Western Restaurant News, Health &Wellness Retailer, Western Food Processor and Bar & Beverage Business. Circulation: Western Grocer Magazine serves the grocery and allied non-food industries. Readership includes distributors, brokers,manufacturers, wholesalers, independent grocers, food processors, bakeries, supermarkets, convenience stores, principal food service outlets, food researchers and consultants, government, voluntary groupsand co-ops in the four Western Canadian provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Northern Canada and the Northwest Ontario area. Subscription Rates: $45.00 for one year, $63.00 fortwo years, $93.00 for three years; $5.00 for single copy, plus 7% GST. Canadian rates only. Advertising: Deadline is 25th of the first month. Editorial: The contents of this publication may not be reproduced inwhole or in part without written consent of publisher. Photo credits not given unless requested in writing along with photo submission.

Publication Mail Agreement No: 40062509. ISSN# 0705-906X. Return Undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Dept. at 1313 Border Street, Unit 16, Winnipeg MB R3H 0X4 e-mail: [email protected] Printed in Canada

WWW.WESTERNGROCER.COM 5

Frank Yeo, Publisher & Editor

market update

6 WWW.WESTERNGROCER.COM WWW.WESTERNGROCER.COM 7

events calendar

Berg Chilling Systems ExpandingInto Western Canada

Berg Chilling Systems issetting up shop in Edmon-ton to offer Western Cana-dian businesses a compre-hensive range of industrialrefrigeration services thatincludes natural and HFCbased solutions.

“Berg’s new office inEdmonton will be a vitalbase of Western Canadianoperations for us,” saysBerg Chilling Systems Pres-ident Don Berggren. “Wehave already hired a new

Western Canadian branch manager andwill be hiring administrative staff andindustrial refrigeration mechanics overthe next several weeks as we ramp upour local presence in Alberta, BritishColumbia and Saskatchewan.”

Don Berggren

“Berg’s new office in Edmontonwill be a vital baseof Western Canadianoperations for us.”

Claude Lafleur joins Nutri Group’s Board of Directors

Serge Lefebvre, President of Nutri Group, has appointed ClaudeLafleur, Agr. MBA, to Nutri Group’s Board of Directors. Lafleur hasserved as a member of Nutri Group’s Audit Committee since January2017. Having trained as an agro-economist at Université Laval andMichigan State University, Lafleur is a well-known figure in Québec’sagricultural industry and agri-food sector. He has served as managingdirector of the Union des producteurs agricoles and then as chiefexecutive officer of the Coop fédérée from 2005 to 2014.

February 21-24, 2019

CHFA WestVancouver Convention Centre, West Building. Vancouver, BC

https://chfa.ca

April 1-2, 2019Grocery & Specialty Food WestVancouver Convention CentreVancouver, BChttps://gsfshow.cfig.ca

April 30-May 2, 2019SIAL CanadaEnercare Centre, Toronto, ONhttps://sialcanada.com

May 5-6, 2019Bakery Showcase 2019Palais des congrès de MontrealMontreal, PQwww.baking.ca

May 21-23, 2019Sweets & SnacksExpoMcCormick Place, Chicago, IL, USAhttps://sweetsandsnacks.com

May 28-29, 2019store2019Toronto Congress Centre, North Building, Toronto, ONwww.storeconference.ca

Loblaws Wants to Reap the OnlineBenefits of Customer LoyaltyBy Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Institute for Market Studies

DCI Announces New LeadershipBarry Lanteigne will be transitioning into the leadership position at Distribution Canada Inc. (DCI) effective January 7th, 2019.

Lanteigne has been actively involved withDCI including two years on the Board as adirector followed by progressive roles astreasurer, vice-chair and chair. He currentlyserves as past chair with DCI providingLanteigne with an extensive background on

the operations of the organization.

Barry Lanteigne

iLevel Appoints WilsoniLevel Management Inc. has appointed

industry veteran Russell Wilson as the newSW Ontario Account Manager. With 20 yearscombined sales and marketing experience inretail, distributor, broker and vendor roles,Wilson has developed broad knowledgeand understanding of the natural productsindustry. He has serviced the broker segmentprimarily with over 10 years’ experiencerepresenting two well-established broker-ages and 5 years managing his own independent agency. His focuson building and executing results-based strategies for vendors,motivates him to attain specific goals in company growth.

Russ L. Wilson

Loblaws’ latest e-commerce move is significant.Canada’s largest food retailer has launched asubscription program for its PC Optimum members— more than 16 million people.

For $99 a year, members of the newly-created PCInsiders program can get perks such as extra pointsfor certain products purchased online, along withfree delivery. This is clearly based on AmazonPrime, which costs $79 in Canada.

Loblaws’ commitment to free delivery for onlinepurchases is the first true sign that the companywants to get into the ring with Seattle-based onlineretail giant Amazon.

For the longest time, Loblaws focused on compet-ing with Walmart as that chain made its ascent intothe food retailing stratosphere in Canada.

Now Loblaws is fixating on Amazon — and it hasno other choice.

Most surveys show that just two per cent ofCanadians purchase the majority of their food online.But surveys also suggest that more than a third ofCanadians are considering regular online food orders.

While it seems that actually seeing and touchingyour food before buying it is still preferred (surveyssay almost half of Canadians aren’t even thinkingof going online to grocery shop), a growing numberof Canadians appreciate the benefits of groceryshopping online, especially for staples and regularly-purchased items.

Online grocery shoppers are a different breed ofconsumer. They tend to be more rational, moredisciplined and less inclined to buy on impulse.That’s scary for the grocery sector, which clings tovery traditional ways of conducting business.

But things are changing, due to an aging popu-lation and the fact that much of the Canadianworkforce couldn’t imagine life without the Internet.

Loblaws’ recent online rollout tells us two things:First, the company is capitalizing on what’s already

considered one of the most successful loyaltyprograms in the country. This is one of the main reasonsLoblaws bought out Shoppers Drug Mart in 2013. Forgrocers, loyalty not only pays, it’s now essential.

On average, Canadians recurrently visit 2.3 differentstores and spend about 32 minutes per visit. Thissuggests that the average Canadian spends less

time in a grocery store but will visit more locations.And it’s a trend that’s likely to continue. Shoppersare becoming more strategic and are willing toconsider more outlet options to obtain similar products.

This is known as the omnichannel approach. It’sthe main reason online shopping matters so muchnow. A higher number of contact points with thecustomer can leverage the entire business andincrease loyalty.

Secondly, membership fees can go a long way.Raising some cash to support its online infrastruc-ture will allow Loblaws to gradually expand its cyberreach. Online delivery is a grocer’s biggest dilemmawhen looking at e-commerce. The click-and-collectmodel was always meant to serve the industry morethan customers. But absolutely no one wants to payfor shipping. It’s anything but convenient to have topick up your order after shopping online.

The Loblaws PC Insiders play is a clear commitmentthat it wants a model that offers what customersreally want while making money selling food online.It’s truly a first in Canada.

Amazon Prime has more than 100 millionmembers worldwide. The vast majority live in the U.S.but Canada is likely home to more than three millionmembers. This is nothing compared to PC Optimum’s16 million members, but PC’s membership is free.

Converting these members into paying PC Insiderswon’t be easy. Still, we shouldn’t be surprised ifLoblaws does well with the program, with results likelyexceeding the company’s goal of 100,000 membersover the next six months. The market is poised for it.

Besides Amazon, another non-traditional foodretailer is causing grocers to lose sleep. In September,Costco launched a pilot shipping program in Ontario.With over five million very loyal paying members inCanada, Costco is likely to launch a similar programin other provinces in the months to come.

This is a real menace for grocers like Loblaws, solaunching PC Insiders now is crucial. Loyalty has itsrewards — and so does good timing.

Sylvain Charlebois is scientific director of theCanadian Agrifood Foresight Institute, a professor infood distribution and policy at Dalhousie University,and a senior fellow with the Atlantic Institute forMarket Studies.

market update

WWW.WESTERNGROCER.COM 98 WWW.WESTERNGROCER.COM

SPECIAL PRESHOW REPORT:

Get the Latest onOrganics at SIAL!

Years ago, analysts were predicting thatthe organic market would explode as moreconsumers realized the health benefits. Well, itturns out they were right: Canada’s total organicmarket (including food and non-food items) is nowestimated at $5.4 billion and growing!

Organics will play a central role at the upcomingSIAL Canada conference and expo.

According to Tia Loftsgard, SIAL Canada’s host expert on organics andexecutive director of the Canada Organic Trade Association (COTA), “Canada’sorganic sector remains on its upward trajectory, gaining new market share asconsumers across Canada ate and used more organic products than everbefore. It is an exciting time to be a part of a sector that shows such promiseto bring positive economic, social and environmental change to Canada.”

KEY BENCHMARKS:

• Canada’s total organic market (including food and non-food items) is estimated at $5.4 billion, up from $3.5 billion in 2012.• 1The organic food and beverage market is estimated at $4.4 billion, up from $2.8 billion in 2012.

• The compound annual growth rate of the total organic market is estimated at 8.7 per cent between 2012 and 2017. Over the same time period, the growth rate for the organic food and beverage market is at an estimated 8.4 per cent.

• As the market has matured, growth rates have slowed but organics continues to capture a greater market share. Between 2012 and 2017, the market share of organic food and beverages sold through mainstream retailers has grown from 1.7 per cent to 2.6 per cent.

• Ontario has the largest organic market, yet British Columbia continues to have higher organic sales per capita.

• Two-thirds of Canadian grocery shoppers are purchasing organics weekly. Albertan’s are most likely to be organic purchasers – 74 per cent are buying organics weekly.

• Currently Canada tracks 65 organic imports and 17 organic exports – a subset of total organic trade. Tracked Canadian organic imports were valued at $637 million in 2016. Tracked exports are expected to reach $607 million by the end of 2017.

While produce has long been the organic hot spot, there is a large demandfor organic meat, dairy, and eggs. This demand is based on consumerconcerns about humane treatment of animals, the overuse of antibiotics,and the quality of livestock feed. Approximately 60 per cent of organicmainstream retail sales are now outside of the produce section.

But these products aren’t coming fast enough. One of the biggestchallenges to organic is that consumer demand is growing more quicklythan the increase in organic production. Organic production needs to beincreased across the spectrum by better supporting farmers transitioning toorganic, as well as those starting new organic operations.

This lack of a consistent supply of local, organic product is one of thechallenges that grocers, especially larger chains, face with the category.

Supply issues, however, are steadily being resolved with more sectorscoming under the organic regulatory regime.

According to Loftsgard, “Organic aquaculture is becoming regulated under theCanadian Organic Regime system, bringing additional credibility to the voluntarystandards that have been in existence in Canada since 2012. Canada is thesecond region of the world to adopt federal regulations for organic aquaculture.”

For processors, grocers and foodservice operators, SIAL will offer a lotof insight into how strong demand for organic is inCanada, many of the innovative companies thathave been leaders in the field and the challengesfaced going forward.

www.sialcanada.com

ON OUR COVER

By Carly Peters

Wajih “Moe” Zeid thinks the coldapproach of online grocery shop-ping doesn’t have much staying

power. The grocery store veteran shouldknow a thing or two about trends within theindustry; he’s run FoodFare, a group of highlysuccessful independent stores, for over 40 years, based ongood old-fashioned, face-to-face customer service, alongwith superior selection of products and prices.

“It will take you the same amount of time to find theproducts you’re looking for online, as in my store. But inmy store you get to see your food. You pick your ownmushrooms; you say how you’d like your deli meat sliced.You are going to get the products and service that is justfor you. Online, in big box stores, customers are just

shopping carts. Here we know your name. We treatcustomers like family,” he says.

Zeid was raised on a sense of high standard customer service.Zeid’s father owned a butcher shop in the Middle East, wherehe grew up and learned the business from very early on. Inhis late teen years, Zeid moved to Germany, where he metsome soldiers that told him about Canada, a multiculturalcountry where a young person could find success. So, withnothing more than enough money for a return ticket to

Winnipeg’s FoodFare has seen over 40 years of success from taking care of its community

You Are Family

Left to RightMunther Zeid, board of directors and Wajih Zeid, president

When You Are Here,

C.B. Powell LimitedAnnounces “CanadianBrands for CanadianIndependents” Program

To make Canadian products more available to awider consumer base C.B. Powell has launched aprogram of promoting and distributing premiumCanadian-made food products through the coun-try’s Independent Grocery Retailers.

Many great products are made by Canadianmanufacturers, but they have a difficult timegetting into mass distribution due to the manycomplexities and subsequent costs of getting tomarket. As C.B.Powell is already a well-established

distributor this programsimplifies the processfor them. It also pre-sents an opportunityfor the Independent

Grocer to offer their customers a unique line ofhigh-quality Canadian products available onlyto them. In return the manufacturers can reach con-sumers coast to coast much more cost-effectively.

This initiative has been well supported by theCanadian Federation of Independent Grocers as wellas Distribution Canada Inc.

The program incorporates products such asinfused organic maple syrup, iceberg water, holisticdog treats, maple sweet water, salad dressings andsandwich slaws.

C.B. Powell has partnered with National Importersto provide sales and distribution services to reachthe vast Independent retailer community acrossCanada.

iLevel Appoints LegeriLevel Management Inc.has appointed Lise Leger asaccount manager Eastern Quebec

Leger has over 20 years’ expe-rience in the Québec NaturalProducts Industry, ranging from asales representative for ten yearsto an account manager for vari-ous supplements manufacturersin the health food store and pharmacies channel.

Lise Leger

Tia Loftsgard

SIAL Canada April 30th to May 2nd at the Enercare Centre - Toronto, Ontario


worked for 11 years, as well as doingdeliveries for Chicken Delight at night.On one particular delivery to a grocerystore on St. Mathews he learned that theowner was looking to sell the business.Zeid, who was always keeping his eyesopen for opportunity, took a chance andbought the Payfair store in 1977.

A year later, he was approached byanother grocery store owner who wasgoing out of business on Lilac Street.After 10 years in business, he wasapproached by the FoodFare group toconvert his store to the brand name.That location is still in operation at 247Lilac Street. Over the years, other ownersbegan retiring, and when an opportunitypresented itself, Zeid and his familyacquired additional stores.

Today, the Zeid family operates fivedifferent locations across the city,making FoodFare Winnipeg’s largestindependent family-owned and -operatedgrocery store. While Moe is still at thehelm of the brand, the company seesthree generations of the family workinghard through both full- and part-timepositions at all levels of store operations— from produce to cash to office staff— to uphold FoodFare’s mandate ofproviding exceptional service.

“When it comes to working withfamily, the job is the job and family is

family,” laughs Zeid, stating all employeesare well trained on how to treat customers,along with listening and learning fromeach client in order to specialize theexperience, products, and services for thecommunity they serve.

That’s why each of the five locations

boasts something a little different. Downat the Corydon Avenue location a heftyGerman and Greek influence can be foundthroughout the aisles, while the PortageAvenue stores feature vast organic optionsto meet the needs of the surroundingclientele. This what makes FoodFare trulystand out from the big box stores, whichhave incredible volume of products butaren’t necessarily the ones customers want.

“At FoodFare you can get whateveryou want,” explains Zeid, adding the


Germany, and the hopes of becoming aprosperous businessman, he moved toCanada as a Palestinian refugee in 1967.

Zeid landed at the Winnipeg airport ona Friday night, rented a room for $11, andset out the next day to find a job. He startedworking for Manitoba Sausage, where he

The Zeid family operates five different locations across the city, making FoodFare Winnipeg’slargest independent family-ownedand -operated grocery store.

FoodFare’s all-day, well-stocked meat anddeli department, which has developed areputation the city as one of the bestplaces to get unique cuts and products atextremely reasonable prices.

Cranberry Chipotle

Apple Honey

Mediterranean3 Flavours!

grannys.ca

TURKEY SAUSAGEClean Ingredients | High in Protein | Low in Fat

Proud to partner with FoodFare


flexibility to put these innovative or ethnic-specific products on their shelves withouthaving to mark up the cost for thecustomer. Zeid says the same “treat themlike family” approach applies to theirvendors, because in a time when food costsare on the rise, suppliers are extremelyimportant to keeping independent storesopen. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship,where both parties work to ensure eachother’s success, and gives FoodFare theability to keep these quality products at abetter price for customers.

Reciprocal relationships is also whatgives FoodFare the ability to contributeto their community in a meaningful way.“Our customers are our biggest supporters.They support us at the store level day inand day out, which allows us to do whatwe do to support the community through

food, time or donations. We never turndown a charity or a community requestbecause they are the ones who have keptus successful. We are there to meet theirneeds,” says Zeid.

One charity that’s close to the Zeidfamily’s heart is the Winnipeg Children’sHospital, which FoodFare has helpedraise hundreds of thousands dollars forthrough golf tournaments and charitydinners. The company has also given


stores are responsive to customers’ needsby not only carrying a broad range ofproducts but by also bringing in thosespeciality items that may only get soldonce or twice a week. “If one customerorders it or buys it, maybe anothercustomer will want it too. We are opento trying everything.”

That being said, Zeid has appointedhimself the store guinea pig, if you will,quality testing products to ensure theymeet the high standard they have forcustomers. “If I won’t eat it, I won’t sell

it. We want to feed customers like we’dfeed our own family. Our customers haveto have good food on the table,” he states.

This is especially true for FoodFare’sall-day, well-stocked meat and delidepartment, which has developed areputation in the city as one of the bestplaces to get unique cuts and products atextremely reasonable prices. Herecustomers can find premium Alberta beef,

local cuts of meat, as well as specialityitems such as beef heart or kidneys,chicken livers, and turkey necks — itemsthat often aren’t carried in other stores

because there is only a small market forit, but a market for it nonetheless.

Building a good relationship with theirsuppliers has meant FoodFare has the

Building a good relationship with their suppliers has meant FoodFare hasthe flexibility to put innovative or ethnic-specific products on their shelveswithout having to mark up the cost to the customer.


additional contributions to places likeSilom Mission, Winnipeg’s GraceHospital, and Winnipeg PoliceDepartment — not to mention thenumerous barbecue events they hold inthe summer for churches, communitycentres and schools where all the meat,buns, cheese, anything that’s needed, isprovided and delivered.

“If we take care of the communitiesthat we are in we’ll be in business for along time,” he explains.

The family is hoping they can expandinto more communities in the future. Zeidsays he’s been keeping his eye out forproperties in areas on the outer edges ofthe city — including the neighbourhoodsof Charleswood and Transcona - but has

yet to find the right fit for the brand andtheir spacial needs.

There has also been numerous offersto purchase FoodFare or go under anotherbanner name, but even though they havebeen approached by major wholesale

companies, Zeid says it’s better to keeptheir independent store status. Not onlyare they able to control the quality andpricing, but it keeps them genuine in eyesof the people that matter most to them— their customers. ●

There has been numerous offers to purchase FoodFare or go under another banner name, but even though they have been approached by major wholesalecompanies, Zeid says it’s better to keep their independent store status.

199 Hamelin Street, Winnipeg, MB R3T 0P2 Order Desk: (204) 452-8300 Fax: (204) 475-1495 Toll Free: 1-800-661-3866 e-mail: [email protected]

QUALITY& SERVICE

for all your Chicken & Butterball Turkey needs


According to the latest Ethnic Foods and Flavours Canada report from Mintel, over half of2,000 Canadians surveyed are more open to eating ethnic-inspired foods compared to a few yearsago, and 72 per cent turn to ethnic-inspired dishes to break the monotony at mealtime, with

Chinese food leading the way.Mintel’s findings reinforce the obvious for many grocers: Asian food is a potential sales powerhouse — and

listening to what the experts have to say can make the Asian department of any store a magnet for shoppers. Aditi Burman, marketing leader, Blue Dragon North America, says the trends of consumers wanting to

know where their food comes from and expectations of cleaner ingredients are affecting the Asian foodcategory. “That’s why our Blue Dragon brand is becoming non-GMO certified. About half of theportfolio is already done, and we’ll complete the remainder in the next few years.”

Burman points out that pre-packaged ethnic meals are attracting consumer interest,“So recently we launched our Blue Dragon 3 Step kits, which we regard asgreat entry products for curious shoppers and ideal for two-personhouseholds because each kit yields two servings,” she says.

Burman’s advice for retailers is “To study restaurant trends,where Thai and other Asian foods are enjoying the biggestgrowth. I would also love to see more segmentationwithin the Asian food departments for easiernavigation, along with more information onhow to use specific products. Equallyimportant is for retailers to celebrate Asianholidays, and to that end we offer displaysfor Chinese New Year.”

Linda Lee, chief financial officerand interim CEO for LekiuImporting Co. Ltd. notes“Checking sales data and thenpromoting the best-selling itemsis a great way to usher in newproducts. Also, many items thatare used together to create ameal — such as Thai sauce and

ASIAN FOODS REPORT

By Robin Brunet

photo courtesy: shutterstock.com


rice paper wrappers — can be grouped side by side andaugmented with information cards and recipes.”

Lee also suggests that retailers become acquainted withthe staples of Asian cuisine. “For example, Chinese sausagesare an integral part of Chinese food, yet with the exceptionof Loblaws no major Canadian retailer carries them. Loblawshas a wonderful selection of products that appeal to bothAsian and Caucasian shoppers — partly because they hiredpeople with ethnic backgrounds to source products.”

Neysa Davies, senior marketing insights manager for Treeof Life Canada (whose wide range of Asian food brandsincludes the Thai Kitchen Instant Rice Noodle Soups),points out that with regards to marketing Asian events,“While Chinese New Year has had the most focus, other

ASIAN FOODS REPORT

Big Kid on the Block

Between August and December of lastyear the company opened three newstores in B.C. and Ontario — all of whichdemonstrate how it responds to whatcustomers are asking for.

For example, CEO Tina Lee notes thatfor years, Waterloo, Ontario residents“have been yearning for a local T&T” to thepoint where they routinely drove “to ourMississauga location for their authenticAsian groceries.”

So, on December 5, the new T&T Water-loo store was unveiled. It was designed to take shoppers on a`flavour journey’ through East Asia, with over 900 snacks andmore than 200 varieties of sauces. A large assortment of Asianproduce, custom cakes, and Chinese buns baked fresh in storedaily is augmented by a large assortment of Asian health andbeauty products, plus a unique seafood bar within the store’sseafood department in which customers can choose their`catch’ and have the in-house chef cook it for them.

T&T has always been mindful to respond to eating trends,and its new Aurora, ON store (opened last October) offersa wide variety of ready to consume meals in a grab n’ gosection, for those who love authentic Asian cuisine but don’thave the time or skill to prepare a meal themselves.

T&T is also constantly reinforcing its brand, which is vitallyimportant at a time when big box retailers are devoting morespace to Asian foods. Hence, when the company’s largest-ever

new store (70,000 square feet) opened in August inRichmond, B.C., Lee explained, “We opened our first T&Tstore in B.C. 25 years ago and it was important for us to launchour biggest location to date, back where it all started.”

Increasingly, T&T is able to appeal to second generationAsian shoppers as well as non-Asian and Asian cusine enthu-siasts, and it does so by adhering to tried and true businessprinciples. For example, “Our produce is 100 per cent fresh-ness guaranteed,” says Paul Ho, associate director – nationalmarketing for T&T Supermarkets. “We also have a very strongfood safety and quality assurance team across the country toensure our high standard and quality of our products.”

The company’s merchandising team is crucial to everystore’s success, with its experience and background result-ing in the ability “to source the most updated, innovative,and trendy products, especially from Asia, to meet the localmarket demand,” according to Ho.

Finally, T&T is scrupulous about fully exploiting big sea-sonal events such as Chinese New Year. “Our merchandisingworks months ahead to ensure the solid sourcing and logisticsarrangement from overseas,” says Ho. “All the ChineseNew Year festive dishes and cakes are made from upscaleingredients, benchmarking with the traditional cookingmethods. Further, the well designed festive decorationmaterials in each store enhances the overall ambience.”

Founded in Vancouver in 1993 and led by CEO Tina Lee,T&T is the largest Asian supermarket chain in Canada,operating 26 outlets in B.C., Alberta, and Ontario. �

Product ShowcaseCross-potential

Blue Dragon 3 Step kits include Katsu Curry3 Step and Thai Green Curry3 Step and contain no articifialingredients or flavours.Aditi Burman suggeststhat these kits “can becross-merchandised in thevegetable and meatdepartments, as well aswith rice, plus we providestand-alone displays.”

From Bin to Shelf

Authenticity defines the Thai Kitchen InstantRice Noodle Soups distributed by Tree of LifeCanada, made with noodles that arewheat-free and egg-free.“The soups come in caddiesfor shelf display but alsowork in a dump bin forsecondary placement,”says Neysa Davis.“Retailers should alsoconsider merchandisingin HMR sections.”

Capping it off

Asian Family Thai Sweet Chili Sauce distributedby Lekiu Importing Co. is an all-purpose sweetand sour sauce, savoured with mildchili. “Retailers planning tointroduce this sauce andother Asian Family productto shoppers shouldconsider end caps, whichare a great way to drawattention to the brand,”says Linda Lee.

STORE PROFILE


Asian holidays are coming to the forefront: Dragon BoatFestivals happen across many Canadian communities inJune, while the Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated inmid-September.

“During these holiday periods, retailers should ensurethat more than just the international aisles are involved.Such events span across meat and produce as well as centreof store. Houseware items can also be included: thinkserving ware, utensils, and rice cookers.”

The message is clear: the more grocers delve into Asianculture, the more likely their Asian departments will attracta wide array of shoppers. ●

While the Canadian grocery landscape in 2019 is such that it’s common to findAsian food markets even in rural communities, some stores attract shoppers betterthan others — and the undisputed king in this regard is T&T Supermarkets.

The message is clear: the more grocers delve into Asian culture, the morelikely their Asian departments will attract a wide array of shoppers.


CEO Tina Lee


Someone once said that breakfast isthe most important meal of theday and given the research, it’s

hard to refute. While most everyoneagrees with the importance of eatingbreakfast, the challenge comes in findingthe time to prepare and eat that meal in atime-starved life.

Retailers can help make breakfast aneasier and more regular choice bypresenting weekday options that take lesstime to prepare but still deliver thenutrition consumers demand. With theright merchandising and information,retailers can capture some of the 30 percent of Canadian breakfast meals obtainedfrom drive-thrus, according to the NielsenCompany. In fact, Nielsen notes “Easyto prepare meal kits, grab-and-go snackingsolutions or ready-to-serve mealsolutions… are blurring the lines betweenretailers and restaurants.”

Organic, healthy options are leadingthe charge for breakfast according toArjan Stephens, executive vice-president

with Nature’s Path Foods, Inc.“Breakfast is making a comeback withorganic driving this renewed interest,”he says. “With heightened awareness ofthe synthetic pesticides and herbicidesfound in many foods, consumers areseeking food items that are made withoutthese types of chemicals.”

Within that demand for healthy, dietary-flexible, clean ingredient deck options isthe ever present need for speed. BarbGrant, director of marketing at SunRypesays consumer eating habits continue tochange. “Today people are too busy tosit and eat three square meals a day,” shenotes. “Instead, they eat smaller, morefrequent mini-meals and often they areeating on-the-go. Breakfast is oftenprepared at home, but consumed on-the-go and quick and easy preparation is key.”

SunRype’s 100 per cent fruit juices, Fruitplus Veggies and SunRype Slim beverageshelp provide nutrition quickly, while thecompany’s range of bars and bits offer thaton-the-go convenience consumers need.

Shannon Bowden, brand manager withBee Maid Honey is also seeing lack oftime and other trends in breakfasts. Sheidentified the move to all-day breakfastsas something consumers are embracing.

“Breakfast isn’t just for the morninganymore. With fast food restaurantsoffering their breakfast items all day long,people are fitting in breakfast foods intothe entire day as well,” she says. “Anothertrend is breakfast on the go. People don’thave the time in the morning for a leisurelybreakfast, so they like items that they caneat at their desk, in the car, after the gym,etc. Convenience is key, along withapproachable nutrition and quick energy.”

The trend of time-starved lives cuttinginto breakfast opportunities is also seenby Karolina Deoniziak, senior associatebrand manager, innovation – beverageswith The Kraft Heinz Company.

“Consumers are looking for productsthat they can enjoy on-the-go, but theydon’t want to sacrifice quality forconvenience,” she says. “For example,instant sticks are driving the growth inthe instant coffee format, growing almostfour times as fast as the total format.That’s why we launched two blends ofNabob Ready Brew in January – 100 percent Colombian and Full City Dark.”

BREAKFAST CATEGORY

By Ronda Payne

The Most ImportantMeal of the DayCanadians are increasingly aware of the needfor a nutritious breakfast and are looking fortime-conscious options to help.


Within that coffee category, differentsegments have shifted according to ShawnMcDonald, roast master, director withParadise Mountain Organic Coffee.

“Different segments of the business aregrowing,” he says. “The light roast partof the business is growing. There’s onlyso much of that market… but it’s stillgrowing. Coffee has become more of atool in the breakfast trade as I see it.”

Canadians are turning to quick optionsbut are also learning that classic favouritescan be speedy as Amanda Brittain,

director of communications andmarketing with the BC Egg MarketingBoard notes.

“Eggs continue to be a favouritebreakfast item,” she notes. “The biggesttrend we’ve seen this year is the inclusionof all-day breakfast at several quick-servicerestaurants. Canadians love their eggbreakfast sandwiches.”

Canadians eat, on average, 238 eggs ayear. This isn’t broken down into dayparts, but Brittain believes many areconsumed during the breakfast timeslot.

Product ShowcaseAll the Right Ingredients

The new Oasis Morning Smoothie from A. Lassondecomes in Strawberry-Dragon Fruit and Mango-Passionflavours to appeal to consumertaste buds, but what’s even moreinteresting is the completenessof ingredients in the pre-madesmoothie beverage. Withnutrition from all four foodgroups (fruit, Greek yogurt,cereal, pasteurized eggs),these smoothies pack a healthypunch within great taste.

Liquid GoldOne of the sweetest parts of

breakfast is honey and Bee Maid’sliquid honey is the ideal way toadd a touch of that sweetnessto tea, a smoothie or a muffin.The all white, 100 per centCanadian Honey comes inthree pasteurized sizes andtwo unpasteurized to giveconsumers choice.

Skip the Grains, Keep the Cereal

Whether it’s Paleo demands, celiac challenges or aneed for organic options, Nature’s Path’s new GrainFree granola delivers. This highprotein (10 to 12g), large clustergranola is great for snackingfrom the bag or as a toppingfor cereal or yogurt. Thecaramel pecan, maple almondand vanilla poppy seedflavours are made with plentyof seeds and nuts and havejust 7g of sugar per serving.

Consumer Perception and Choice

Todd McKinley, sales and marketing manager withSparks Eggs Inc. says 75 per cent of people decidewhat kind of eggs to purchase whenin front of the egg case. It’simportant to provide choice andSparks Eggs’ Farmer’s Finestfree range eggs help roundout the offering. These areWestern Canadian producedeggs from prairie farmers whocare about their hens.

TOP FOURBREAKFASTTRENDS:

Sustainable,organic, local and healthy.

Consumers have been demandingsustainable, tasty food with lessadditives and more dietary-flexi-bility for years. It’s no longer atrend but is instead the evolutionof the retail food landscape.Retailers need to provide adiverse range of options thatmeet the need for gluten-free,non-GMO and clean ingredientdeck breakfast choices.

Time isn’t on anyone’s side.

According to The Nielsen Company,80 per cent of Canadians arespending less than 15 minutes onpreparing breakfast. Consumers areeating smaller, more frequent mealson-the-go, even when they areprepared at home. This meansquality and taste must be combinedwith ease and convenience.

Starting the dayoff with protein.

Eggs, yogurt, turkey sausages,cheese, nuts and seeds are allseen at the breakfast table, butwhat they also have in commonis their high-protein content.With families growing savvierabout nutrition, the awareness ofthe importance of protein forgrowing bodies and functionalminds is on the rise.

All-day breakfasts.

If McDonald’s latches on to anidea and Tim Hortons follows suit,it’s pretty much a no-brainer thatit’s a solid trend. All-day breakfastshit their stride in Canada in 2017with no sign of slowing. Whilepeople may be starved for time,they aren’t willing to give up thebreakfast tastes they love andinstead are shifting them intonew timeslots.

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“Fast and nutritious,” she says ofconsumer demands for breakfast. “I thinkthis trend extends to more than justbreakfast though. People are becomingmore and more aware of how variousfoods affect their bodies so they look fornutritious food to help them get throughbusy days packed with work, family andactivities. Because we are so busy, we alsowant food that can be prepared quickly.”

Todd McKinley, sales and marketingmanager with Sparks Eggs Inc. is seeingthe same need for quick options. “Peoplehave busy lifestyles today but they’re

finding time to prepare delicious andnutritious breakfasts. Eggs are easy toprepare, they are quick to cook,” he notes“More and more people are consideringeggs for their breakfast needs. Parents,especially mothers are very wise todayas to what is a well-balanced meal fortheir family. They know that when theirchildren eat eggs for breakfast it increasestheir concentration levels, their attentionspan and improves their memory.”

He also notes the latest advertising ofthe Egg Farmers of Canada around week-day eggs.

“The trend is going away fromprocessed or… packaged foods. Eggsaren’t just for the weekend, they are aweekday product.”

To help meet the need for nutrition ina quick format, Lassonde’s Oasis brandhas launched a breakfast smoothie in therefrigerated breakfast section. This needsto be positioned as a time-saving product,which for many items in the breakfastcategory can be challenging.

Oasis Brand and Innovations Manager,Nadyne Paradis notes creative displaysthat focus on helping simplify theconsumer’s life will be effective with

millennials and other shoppers. “Simply by providing quick and healthy

breakfast ideas ready in five minutesthrough a shopper marketing programwhere multiple breakfast partners couldtake part,” she explains. “This multi-brandbreakfast program could have multipleforms: recipes, buy two get one freepromo, B&B contest, etc.”

Brittain agrees that making things easyfor consumers is key. “People are busy soif retailers can make it easy for shoppersto pick up a healthy breakfast in one quickstop, it’s a win-win situation,” she says.“We suggest stocking a refrigerated casewith eggs, cheese, juice, yogurt and bacon.A nearby rack could hold bread and coffee.Shoppers can check off a big chunk oftheir shopping list in one quick stop.”

Eliminating confusion is essential inmerchandising according to Deoniziak,especially when it comes to coffee.

“Coffee is historically one of the hardestshelves to shop for consumers,” she notes.“Gold standard merchandising entailslimiting consumer confusion andprioritizing ease of navigation. For coffee,it is important to put format first —building clear sections for roast and


ground, pods, Tassimo and instant coffee.”Honey is also the ideal addition for a breakfast-themed display

and Bowden feels it could pair well with coffee and tea as wellas healthier cereals that have a lower sugar content.

“[Retailers] might also consider merchandising honey out ofthe spreads section, like in the baking aisle, with the breadproducts or with hot beverages,” she says.

Grant recommends establishing a Grab & Go section focusedon small meal ideas.

“Make it quick and easy for consumers to grab somethinghealthy to help capitalize on the trend towards one-the-go minimeals, like breakfast on the run and also stimulate impulsepurchases,” she notes.

Educational information is a core of the merchandising approachfor breakfast and especially eggs, says McKinley.

“More and more retailers are cross-merchandising with othercooler items,” he notes, “Such as other breakfast foods likebacon or sausage or even orange juice. What we recommend isusing the egg shelf as an education centre as well, with signageand marketing materials to be able to continue to educateconsumers on the value of eggs.”

While demos don’t necessarily work well for every breakfastitem, McDonald notes they do well for coffee.

Few argue the value of a good breakfast, but finding the timeand meeting dietary demands can be a challenge for consumers.Retailers can position themselves as the hero that saves breakfastby merchandising time-saving options, presenting informationabout quick choices and combining on-the-go ideas. ●

There’s no denying fresh is best, but frozen isn’t far behindthese days. According to a 2018 RBC Capital Marketsreport, volume growth for the frozen category has

turned positive for the first time in five years, as frozen-foodcompanies are catching up to align their offerings to the attributesconsumers demand.

In Canada, frozen food has 99 per cent household penetrationrate — everyone buys frozen foods, explains Neysa Davies,senior marketing insights manager for Tree of Life, whichdistribute an extensive lineup of high-quality frozen brands thataddress several dining occasions from breakfast, desserts, entrees,plant-based meat alternatives, poultry and seafood.

She states, as a category, overall frozen foods is growing at+1 per cent, meanwhile individual frozen dinners and entreesare growing +3 per cent, and family size entrees are exceedingthis growth at four per cent.

Even millennials, a generation known for its foodie tastes, areembracing frozen vegetables and meals, which are convenientand less expensive than takeout. According to the RBC CapitalMarkets report, frozen also appeals to the group because there’stypically very little waste.

“Consider that an estimated 80 per cent of fresh food in theU.S. is wasted each year as consumers often overbuy fresh foodor misalign their purchases and consumption, which causesunwanted spoiling,” said RBC. “These problems are largelyalleviated with frozen vegetables and frozen meals.”

Sales of frozen vegetables have been particularly strong, jumping4.5 per cent in the last year to $3.03 billion, according to Nielsendata, thanks to quick freeze technology that retains the nutrientsand flavour for months, versus fresh food that has to travel andspoils fast.

This mental shift from consumers, who once thought frozenmeant compromising on taste and nutrition, has been driven byinnovative brands that go beyond the plastic-wrapped meals ofdecades before.

“For years, the frozen meals category has been saturated witheither diet meals or basic flavour options that compromise ontaste. All too often, frozen meal consumers are willing to acceptmediocre as a trade-off for convenience. Consumers have toldus that they don’t want to sacrifice a great tasting experience infrozen food anymore,” states Rabia Jahangir, associate brandmanager, innovation – grocery, meals & spreads for The Kraft

FROZEN MEALS

By Carly PetersProduct ShowcaseSmall Bites to Go

Satisfy the consumer need for healthy, naturaloptions that taste great and deliver convenience withSunRype’s newest product: Good Bites.Good Bites are chocked full ofdates, coconut, seeds, seedbutter and chocolate for agluten-free, nut-free, vegansnack filled with nutrition.The Chocolate Macaroonand Chocolate Chip flavoursare free from artificial coloursand flavours.

One for the RoadWhen a brewer isn’t handy Nabob’s Ready Brew

comes to the rescue. Offered throughKraft Heinz, this premium, instant,microground coffee comes inindividual sachets ready tobe poured into a mug andblended with hot water.Nabob Ready Brew is madefrom high-quality, single-origin, 100 per cent Arabicacoffee beans from Colombia.

Sustainable JavaWith a complete range of coffee from one farm in

Thailand, it’s obvious Paradise Mountain OrganicCoffee takes the farming and creationof its coffee seriously. Perhapsthat’s why it is trademarked asThe World’s Most SustainableCoffee. Paradise MountainOrganic Coffee’s OrganicEstate Blend, Medium, Darkand Decaf are GMO-free,Kosher certified and Smith-sonian Bird Friendly certified.

Egg-cellent Breakfast FoodAs a wholesome and nutrient-rich food option, it’s

no wonder the BC Egg Marketing Board reportsCanadian egg farmers produced over732 million dozen eggs in 2017.The industry has seen 12 yearsof sustained growth with a4.1 per cent increase in thesale of shell eggs for thefirst three-quarters of 2018.Canadian farms will meetdemand with 700,000 hensadded into production in 2018.

26 WWW.WESTERNGROCER.COM photo courtesy: shutterstock.com

Show your mouth a good time with CRAVEThe #1 New Brand in Frozen Meals.

INTRODUCING FIVE NEW VARIETIES IN 2019

New Dinners for 2019BBQ Angus Beef

Macaroni & Cheese Burrito Bowl

New Breakfasts for 2019Chorizo EggBacon & Egg

CRAVE is the #1 New Frozen Meals Brand1

Growing the Frozen Category

CRAVE is ridiculously good and is made with no arti�cial colours or �avours and in a �lling portion size!

TM/MD

Heinz Company, which recently launched CRAVE, a newpremium line of frozen meals that unapologetically delivers onridiculously good frozen meals across five varieties, and madewith high quality ingredients, no artificial colours or flavours.“CRAVE was designed to relieve consumers of this tension inthe category, and play a role in this prime whitespace opportunity— premium frozen meals that don’t compromise on taste. Weare seeing consumers’ willingness to trade up for increasedquality, taste and experience.”

Along with premium and gourmet, the frozen food categoryhas been expanded by the better for you category.

“Health and wellness continues to be a driver for innovations,while delivering on the convenience of frozen meals,” states

Lisa Browne, director, business development Canada forPinnacle Foods, which serves up Hungry-Man frozen dinners,Swanson frozen dinners, Swanson single-serve meat pies,Swanson Skillet Meals complete meals, Udi’s gluten freefrozen dinners, and Udi’s gluten free frozen pizzas, which


added a Supreme variety in 2018. While the gluten free segment only makes up one per cent

within the frozen meals category, gluten free frozen pizzas areenjoying double digit growth, says Browne. She adds, plant-based frozen products are also seeing similar leaps in growth,pointing to their Gardein plant-based meat alternatives whichrecently added 12 newvarieties to the lineup.

“Plant-based and al-lergen friendly attributesare trends that havecontributed a lot of inno-vation in the freezer aisle,”echoes Tree of Life’sDavies, pointing to theirmost recent launches,Maika, a plant-based,vegan burger, and Monteli, an Italian brand known for itsauthentic, organic and non-GMO pizzas, with a cauliflowerpizza crust.

Davies states with the rise in interest and consumption ofthese options, an integrated frozen meal set makes sense whereall options (conventional and natural) are made available to themainstream grocery shopper. “The rise of fresh home deliveryis indicative of consumers looking for a range of options in the

frozen meal category, there will be less‘aisle confusion’ if all frozen meals aremerchandised together,” she states.

This also requires better signagewithin the frozen food aisle soconsumers can quickly find what theyare looking for. “The frozen aisledoes not get a lot of traffic and itcan be difficult to see inside thefreezer doors, so signage is key.Direct your shoppers to the pizzas,dinners, better for you, and glutenfree products with clear signage abovethe doors,” explains Browne, adding“coffin bunkers” are a good way to

stimulate impulse purchases, along with being a good placefor seasonal or sale items.

Convenience, portion control, and similar nutritional profiles,frozen is heating up for families, millennials, and anyone who’slooking, for something fresh just can’t offer. ●

Maika and Monteli are recent launches from Tree of Life.

CRAVE is a new premium line of frozen meals provided in five varietiesfrom The Kraft Heinz Company.

Tree of Life distributesan extensive lineup of high-qualityfrozen brands.

Pinnacle Foods provides a variety of frozen meals including HungryMan, Swanson Skillet Meals and Udu’s gluten free pizzas.


EVENT UPDATE By Frank Yeo

This year, the honourees wereexpanded from two to three and for the

first time a women food executive washonoured. Held in conjunction with the Retail

Council of Canada, the event was held in Calgaryon December 3rd at the Italian Cultural Centre. CFDEhonoured the following individuals, along with the charitablecauses they have worked to support:

Albert Lum, vice-president, supply chain, Buy-Low Foods - supporting Variety Alberta

Josianne Legare, senior vice-president, sales, A. Lassonde - supporting North Saskatchewan Riverkeeper

Rick Jolie, Western Canada sales, Erie Meat Products - supporting Calgary Alpha House Society


The event raised close to $15,000 for the respective charities and, in addition,food donations to the Calgary Food Bank totaled over 2100 lbs.

SANTA CAUSE a Huge Success! THE ANNUAL SANTA CAUSE

CHARITY EVENT ORGANIZEDBY THE CALGARY FOOD & DRUG EXECUTIVES (CFDE) WAS ONE OF THE BESTATTENDED YET WITH WELLOVER 120 ATTENDEES.

This years honourees: (left to right) Albert Lum, Josianne Legare and Rick Jolie

INDIAN FOODS By Karen D. Crowdis

IndianFlavours Driving Sales

Canadian shoppers are pushing thestatus quo of what constitutesgrocery staples by seeking more

variety of authentic and ethnic flavours,including Indian. Retailers are respondingand it is benefiting the bottom line.

About five per cent of the Canadianpopulation is of Indian decent. The marketfor this cuisine goes beyond that as demandfor plant-based foods continues to increase.According to a Neilson report, 2017 plant-based food sales were about $3.1 billiondollars in the United States.

“There are four markets driving the trends,” says Braham Teja, directorof Teja Foods. “Growing Indian populations, continued immigration,the convenience seeking market and the health-conscious market are alldriving demand for Indian flavours and products.”

Dan Varaday, director of sales and marketing with KFI Sauces indicates,“The category is still growing. Indians look for convenience and mixing withNorth American fare. Non-Indians look for flavours to try. Both want tomash up Indian cuisine with a variety of other cultures.”

Blended BlissThis blending of cultural foods is driving continued growth of ethnic flavours.“We’ve seen Indian consumers gravitate to our products as a base for their

sauces,” notes Anthony Morello, president of Aurora Importing, a specialistin Italian foods. “We’ve adopted the phrase ‘Great food has no borders’.The best ingredients will create the best dishes, regardless of ethnicity.”

“Culinary curiosity continues to drive the international category,” observesNeysa Davies, senior marketing insights manager with Tree of Life. “Thedemand for quality and authentic items will grow. While convenience is key,it can’t come at the expense of flavour and tradition.”

Indian influence on restaurant menus draws consumers to theflavours. Snack foods feed that new desire.

“Ethnic has grown to infused and blended foods,” says JeetuPatel, sales and marketing manager with Guru Lucky

Snacks and Sweets Ltd. “More snacks areinfusing the flavours. People like the snack

flavour and it expands to full meals.”

Infused Profits

photo courtesy: shutterstock.com WWW.WESTERNGROCER.COM 33


Rakesh Raniga, chief executive officerwith Indianlife Foods adds, “We areseeing Indian foods and spices beingmainstreamed. The interest in ‘streetfoods’ and the desire for healthier snacks,especially for children, is growing.”

Selling ItThis mainstreaming of flavours creates

the dilemma of merchandising the productsto ensure sales growth. Merchandisingis shifting to an integrated approach,with any holiday offering uniqueopportunities to showcase products.

“We encourage our vendor partnersto make things convenient for shoppers,”says Teja. “A defined section creates thatconvince, but recognize some itemsshould be in other sections as well, likerice and bakery.”

Varaday notes, “Block sections accord-ing to culture to avoid confusion.Merchandise Indian foods off-shelf aswell. Combining sauces, chutneys andnaan offers a one-stop meal solution.Consider co-merchandising Indian withtraditional North American fare.”

Cross-merchandising Indian offeringsis key. Think outside the norm to increaseincremental sales.

“Ensure all categories around the storeare utilized,” says Davies. “Considerhousehold items during holiday times;things like serving platters and even hotplates mixed with products can create thefull picture for customers.”

“Cross-sell ‘heat and eat’ products withthe perishable recipe ingredients,” addsRaniga. “Retailers can inspire consumersby having our recipe cards handy wherethe products are.”

Holidays are great promotionalopportunities. Amply stocked produceand in-store demonstrations are important.

“Invite the community in to celebrate,”suggests Morello. “Celebrate Diwali in-store with customers. Place festive foodswith great POS in a prime store area.You have to welcome diversity,understand what foods are important anddon’t be afraid to cross over. CapturingIndian holidays is as important ascapturing holidays like Christmas.”

Aurora Importingprovided a recipebooklet and POS forstores for Diwali.KFI Sauces offers a variety of sauces

and marinades.

CATEGORY MANAGEMENT By Sue Nicholls, CMKG

Break Down the Barriers That May Be Limiting Your Growth in 2019

Sue Nicholls is the founder of “Category Management Knowledge Group”, an online, accredited category management training company. She can be reached at [email protected].

As we kick off 2019, there may be obstacles in your category plansthat can unknowingly limit your category results. These obsta-cles exist for many retailers because their category analytics and

plan development haven’t kept pace with some of the biggest disruptorsin the industry – including data, the changing shopper and the changingmarketplace. If you don’t change your strategies, processes and think-ing to consider these changes, and if you don’t look from different per-spectives than you have in the past, your biggest growth opportunitiescan be completely overlooked.

Below I’ve captured some examples of potential barriers that maybe limiting your growth:

1. UPDATE YOUR OVERALL CATEGORY MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. Category management has changed significantly over the past 10

years (primarily in the past few years). When was the last time yourefreshed your approach? There’s an opportunity to attain organization-wide, internal alignment in category management including standards,best practices and processes. Start with your overall corporate categorymanagement strategies (definitions, roles, store clusters). This needs tofeed into business units/departments, where further strategies aredeveloped that align to corporate strategy. From there, category man-agement teams can develop category plans aligned to overall strategies.

OPPORTUNITIES:a. Have well defined roles and consider future needs for your category management team.

b. Review your category management process.c. Determine participation or interest in category captaincy with suppliers, data sharing, data gaps to be filled via supplier partners.

d. Identify opportunities for collaboration with suppliers.

Many retailers are realizing the value that trusted supplier collabora-tion can bring to their category results. But this can only come once aretailer has well-defined overall category management strategies.

2. DATA AND ANALYTICS NEED TO CHANGE TO REFLECT DEEPERSHOPPER UNDERSTANDING AND AN EXPANDED “MARKET”.

In the past we have primarily focused our analytics and categorymanagement work on Retailer POS, syndicated market data and for afew, household panel data. This is not enough anymore, as retail pointsof sale have multiplied into mobile commerce, automated storefronts,on-demand services, voice commerce, e-commerce and more! The“total market” measured by traditional Nielsen data no longer capturesthe true total market. E-commerce retailers are stealing share frombrick and mortar, but according to your market data, your “share” maybe growing. You may end up focused on the wrong opportunities orcompletely miss out on new business because of the limited lens youare looking through.

OPPORTUNITIES:a. Provide a robust data set to the category management team to include Shopper data and e-Commerce data.

b. Integrate data (or make it easy to access reports) for quicker insights.c. Develop an analytic pathway to help guide your category managment team.

Without benchmarking to the outside world – i.e. total market (thatincludes online), shopper trends (beyond your shopper and your suppli-er’s brand shoppers), other trends (environmental, geographical, politi-cal) - you are limiting your approach. Ask more of your suppliers whocall on you and ask them to bring in breakthrough ideas and opportuni-

ties that go beyond your internal POS analysis – particularly for yourmost important categories.

3. THE MISSING SHOPPER. We talk about the shopper a lot, but scratch below the surface, and

many retailers and suppliers completely forget about the shopper intheir analytics, tactics, strategies and category decisions. The result ismaking decisions that don’t match best with what your shopper wants- and ultimately potential shopper dissatisfaction.

The shopper path to purchase has changed. The generations havedifferent needs and paths to purchase. Consumers are demanding andexpecting more from the brands they purchase. Your stores attract dif-ferent types of shoppers. If you are creating category plans that do notconsider the shopper (with a focus on your heaviest buyers and satisfy-ing their needs), you’re limiting your approach.

OPPORTUNITIES:a. Identify your heaviest shoppers and get to know them better.b. Improve access to and use of shopper data and insights across your organization.

c. Demand more of your supplier partners through inclusion of shopper insights in all analytics and presentations.

d. Add and track shopper-focused metrics and goals to your category scorecards.

Many suppliers can add great shopper perspective, as they typicallyhave much more robust shopper insights than retail organizations.Start asking them for better insights as it relates to YOUR category andshoppers (and then understanding how brands fit within that).

4. PRIVATE LABEL CONTINUE TO GROW IN IMPORTANCE. Facing increased competition in both brick & mortar and online, retail-

ers are turning more to their own private label brands for loyalty, andultimately growth and profit. Some strong online retailers like Sephoraand Amazon have been able to turn their data into private label sales bygetting to know their shoppers better than you do.

OPPORTUNITY: Include private label brands as part of total category.

Many retailers continue to keep “Private Label” as a separate depart-ment that has no access to the rich category insights available throughthe category teams. Also, Private Label is not included in the categoryanalytics, which limits the planning and opportunity growth for PrivateLabel brands. The opportunity is to look at the broader category andshopper perspective, and for retailers to include Private Label in the cat-egory discussions, as well as work with their private label manufactur-ers for additional shopper and category insights.

So when you’re planning for 2019, think about what you’re going todo differently to help arm yourself/your organization with better skillsand tools to surpass some of these obstacles and continue to findgrowth opportunities in your business. By moving to more critical think-ing, and developing your business acumen, you will be better equippedto make better decisions and recommendations in yourcategories/business.

With all of the changes happening in retail, it’s important to evolveyour approach! Where are YOU going to start? ●


While Diwali is a major holiday,retailers should remember otherfestivals and events.

“Fit the selections into non-cultural holidays as healthyversion offerings of flavourfulfoods,” says Patel. “The vegetablebases of much Indian food offersa protein packed option.”

Snack food products will easily transferbetween cultural celebrations or any event,like Grey Cup or barbecue season.Gatherings are great opportunities tocross-merchandise. Retailers have quality,

Canadian produced optionsthat will meet demand.

“We have several productofferings that are a great fit

within the Indian community.” addsMorello. “Aurora Passata, tomatoes, pasta,beans and polenta are all good crossoveritems. Our executive Chef, ChristianPritchard, prepared a Diwali recipe

booklet and POS for stores to easilydisplay relevant products together as asolution for all consumers.”

Snack OnQuality is the bedrock of creating great

food experiences, including snack offerings. “We are dedicated to continuously

providing quality,” says Teja. “We arelooking to expand our organic and snacklines that will appeal to both mainstreamshoppers and younger Indian consumers.”

Patel adds, “Portions are important tokeeping snacks affordable. Our newTOOBS puff snacks will introduce any agegroup to the flavours. Our coated peanutline uses Indian spices aswell as chilli masala,mesquite barbecue, ranch.The flavour profiles fit tothe event.”

Cooking sauces are avaluable tool in the retailerarsenal for promotingIndian foods.

“Our Sharwood IndianCooking Sauces aretraditionally spiced cook-ing sauces, pastes andchutneys that are flexiblefor culinary fusion,” saysDavies. “Add our PatelReady Meals for heat and serve options.Tie into local by offering ourSaskatchewan grown legumes and pulseslike Kashmir Valley for the plant-basedcomponent people are looking for.”

KFI Sauces now offer squeezable saucesand marinades. “Our small batch productionallows for quality ingredients and cleandeck, made in Canada products,” notesVaraday. “We offer a Chill Garlic Saucethat is ideal for wings. We just launched aline of marinades, ideal for barbecue season.”

“We’ve added restaurant style Cilantro,Mint and Cilantro-Mint “green” chutneysto our line,” says Raniga. “Our newIndianlife spices offer our exclusive blendsin retail sizes, including a Chai Masalato brew chai drinks. We are developingshelf stable, portion-controlled pouchpackaging for our sauces and entrees andlaunched our online store.”

Thinking outside cultural boundariesand knowing consumers are increasinglyeating multiculturally easily facilitatescross-promotion of Indian flavours.Welcoming diversity into the store willgenerate the best return for retailers. ●

TOOBS puff snackfrom Guru Luckyintroduces consumersto a variety offlavours.

Teja Foods sees factors such asgrowing Indian populations, convenience and health-conscious-ness as a driving demand for Indian flavours and products.

STORE DESIGN: SIGNAGE

By Frank Yeo


To appeal to today’s shoppers, store designers must create an exciting and engaging in-store experience to com-pete with the upward growth of online shopping. Retail signage is highly effective not only for branding,information and navigation but at influencing and driving sales as well.

Exterior signage is the first consideration because it creates customers’ first impression of a store. It is critical tobrick-and-mortar retailers because it’s what gets shoppers in the door. This signage needs to be placed in highlyvisible areas to attract both walk-by and drive-by traffic.

Informational signage is also known as departmental, directional, or wayfinding signage. Directional signagetells customers where to go as well as add to the look and feel of the design of the store. Department signs shouldhave a similar appearance so that shoppers begin to recognize and look for these signs to help them navigate thestore. Retailers can strategically place the signage to subconsciously influence flow and guide shoppers through todifferent areas of the store they want them to shop. These signs are critical to giving your guests a pleasantshopping experience as they help the customer navigate your space more easily.

Grocery StoresCan’t Ignore the Impact of Signage Design on the ShoppingExperience

TOPTRENDSin Signageand Graphics

USE SIGNAGE TO TELL YOUR STORY AND REINFORCE THE STORE’S OVERALL BRANDING.

It’s important today for retailers to be transparent and to focus theirmarketing efforts on the local community and demographics with theirchoices of lifestyle images and murals. Timeline graphics and photos thatcommunicate the history and mission of the company help customersidentify with the store brand. Branded signage should be in a variety ofstore locations for reinforcement.

Fact: Timeline graphics and photos that communicate the historyand mission of the company help customers identify with the store brand.

USE PROMOTIONAL SIGNAGE BUT DON’T CLUTTER

Promotional P.O.P (point-of-purchase) is used to advertise a featuredpromotion, product or service and include aisle violators, shelf talkers,channel strips, floor graphics, ceiling danglers, endcaps, posters, countersigns, window graphics or banners. One growing POP trend is cut-outshapes and dimensional printing. These signs are effective in drawingattention to a specific promotion and persuading shoppers to buy. Butretailers must be selective in which promotion to highlight because toomuch signage confuses customers.

Fact: One in six purchases are made when a POP display is presentin the store and 16 per cent of unplanned purchases were driven by adisplay the shopper saw while shopping. ●

1

2

DESIGN BEST PRACTICES:

BE SPECIFIC: Include specific details about a service, product, or promotion(known as narrowcasting).

BE CLEAR & CONCISE: Customers should be able to read your sign in less than fiveseconds, or else it is ignored. Informational signs shouldinclude large, bold fonts in highly-visible colour schemes.

WRITE IN HEADLINE TEXT: Effective signage uses a message hierarchy: headline,explanatory text, and a call to action. Keep it simple and omitany unnecessary words.

INCLUDE A CALL TO ACTION: Signs are advertisements with a simple goal of getting thecustomer to do or feel something. Tell them what you wantthem to do.



Any economist will assert thatimpulse buying is an importanteconomic driver, but in the gro-

cery sector it’s fundamental to success.According to research undertaken by

Brandon Gaille, president of the BrandonGaille Small Business & Marketing Advicewebsite, 62.4 per cent of all supermarketshopping is impulse buys, compared to39.9 per cent in department stores and 40per cent of consumer spending overall.The most significant motivation forimpulse buying, says Gaille, is sale items.

There’s also a relatively new motivationto purchase items on a whim. Jeff Lahey,

director of Canada sales for AmplifySnack Brands, explains, “More than ever,the better-for-you movement is influencingthe two biggest categories that dominateimpulse buying, namely sweet snacks andsalty snacks. Snacks that have the benefitof being gluten-free or low sodium, withclean decks, are growing three times asmuch as their traditional counterparts,according to the Nielsen Company — soretailers ought to focus on this in theirplanning strategies moving forward.”

Chuck Corrigan, business manager forC.B. Powell, agrees with Lahey’s view ofhow snacks are changing, but he suggests

that “The big retail chains should spendmore effort segmenting snacks, fromnon-nutritional items to those that arenutritious — instead of lumping themtogether.”

Lahey and Corrigan’s companies arededicated to helping expand the better-for-you snack category. The former hasa growing family of snack brands, themost popular of which is Skinny PopPopcorn and its offshoots (Popcorn Puffsand Popcorn Cakes).

The Popcorn Cakes in particulardemonstrate Amplify’s pro-active stancein expanding the better-for-you market.

IMPULSE BUYS

By Robin Brunet

© 2015 Blue Diamond Growers. All rights reserved.

BUILD SALES THE GOOD WAY

CONSUMERS KNOW AND TRUST US

• USE ONLY THE 2 TOP GRADES OF ALMONDS: NONPAREIL AND CARMEL

• 100% DEDICATION TO ALMONDS

• 100% PEANUT FREE

Give your consumers what they have been waiting for – a snack that is portable, packed with nutritional goodness and available in popular flavors that make snacking fun.

PRODUCT OF CALIFORNIA

“Rice cakes has been a largely ignoredproduct that has great impulse buypotential, so we launched our PopcornCakes in 2018 as a low in fat and non-GMO verified alternative and immediatelyenjoyed strong sales,” says Lahey.

C.B. Powell’s range of Blue Diamondalmonds have some of the highest impulselifts in the snack category.“Exploiting this type ofimpulse buy is important,because the snack nuts andseeds market in Canada isextremely large with sales of$475 million annually andgrowing at two per cent,” saysCorrigan, adding that hiscompany will “continue topromote our relatively new43 gram Blue Diamond SnackAlmond packs, which are theideal size for point of salesmerchandising.”

The confectionery specialistFerrero Canada invests in

understanding consumerand shopper behaviour, inorder to define in-storemerchandising principles anddetermine the right productsfor the right location in-store.This focus has gone a longway in maintaining the success

of its brand portfolio,which includes Nutella, FerreroRocher, Kinder, and Tic Tac.

In the fall of 2018, Ferrero wasinvolved in the launch of a newproduct that is a marriage of twoof the most iconic impulse buysimaginable: breath mints andchewing gum. Tic Tac GUM hasa crunchy shell on the outside andlong-lasting flavour on the inside,and Cheryl Kamran, senior brandmanager, Tic Tac Canada, hintedat the merchandising possibilitiesof this product by pointing outthat “What’s unique aboutTic Tac GUM is its versatility.The size of the gum pieces,combined with the iconic packdesign, lets you customize the

flavour intensity everytime you chew just bythe number of pieces youpop in your mouth.”

While impulse buyitems may be changingto cater to the health-

conscious shopper, many of the mer-chandising strategies remain the same, orat least familiar to any grocer worth hissalt. By understanding the behaviourof their customers and developingwithin-store and front-of-store strategiesaccordingly, grocers will be able to fullyrealize the potentialof this powerhousetype of purchase. ●

Lahey explains, “Entrances, store perimeters, and as closeto checkout as possible are the perennial areas for impulsemerchandising. The Loblaws chain has better-for-youmerchandising vehicles right at their home meal replacementareas, which is very effective.”

For Corrigan, the most importantstrategy is “to maximize visibility, andwhile the best impulse opportunitiesare at the front of the store, there aresecondary islands of opportunitiy. Acreative grocer can make an obstaclecourse of impulse buy displays that areeye-catching but not obstructive.”

From a grocer’s perspective, aggres-sively going after the impulse dollaris paramount. “I can’t stress enoughthe importance of cross-merchandising,”says Bruce Hanna, grocery merchandis-ing manager for Buy-Low Foods. “I believe a well-executedcross-merchandising program throughout all storedepartments will drive impulse sales.”

In other words, placing a stack of a new brand (or a newflavour or style of an existing brand) in an area within the storewhere these categories are not regularly merchandised willdraw in shoppers, according to Hanna: “Think of a basketof lemons beside the fresh fish case, or crackers in the delisection. These simple strategies trigger impulse buying.”

Hanna is especially passionate about the power of sweetand salty snacks as impulse purchases. “These itemsare generally cased with a removable front that tearsaway from the cardboard box, which creates great productvisibility and makes for excellent free standing casedisplays — which I call ‘chips in your face’,” he says. “These

case stack displays can be merchan-dised throughout the store.”

Derek Dewolf, director of merchandis-ing for Quality Foods, points to chal-lenges in impulse buy strategizing: “Wecontinue to merchandise our ends andfloor displays, plus we try to protect orgrow margin whenever possible - but thisis getting harder due to cost increasesand very little `up’ movement in theretails with our competition, so marginsare getting tighter on skus also.”

Dewolf concludes that “Energy bars asimpulse items are growing and margins arehealthy in this category. Overall, we have

shifted more into merchandising some of the fresh depart-ments, as this increases margins for the total store. Centre ofstore is a hard draw for customers, but becoming better in freshis the answer. Anyone can sell canned goods, but if you’reknown for fresh you will be a better grocer all around, and withthis will come more impulse sales and margin.”


As far as Lahey and Corrigan are concerned, opportunities for product placementin order to stimulate impulse buying are limited only by one’s imagination.However, traditional merchandising techniques cannot be ignored.

Chuck Corrigan,business manager,C.B. Powell Derek Dewolf,

director of merchandising,Quality Foods

The Impulse Imperative

Tic Tac GUM has a crunchy shelland a long-lasting flavour.

Amplify Snack Brands offers SkinnyPopcorn and Popcorn Cakes providingconsumers with a better for you option.

C.B. Powell Blue DiamondAlmonds 43 gram packsare ideal for point ofsales merchandising.

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WHAT’S NEW & IMPROVED IN THE GROCERY AISLEin the bag


New from Aurora

Trucillo CoffeeSince 1950, Caffe Trucillo’s aim is to make an excellent coffee,

capable of spreading Italian coffee culture. A widerange of espresso blends are skillfully createdthrough the craftsmanship of selected beans toappeal to your customers’ tastes.

Allessia Cherry Tomato Sauce 660mlAllessia Cherry Tomato Sauce, made with the best

Sicilian cherry tomatoes, are theperfect addition to pasta dishes.The cherry tomatoes provide justthe right amount of sweetness topasta sauce.

Basso Galloncino EVOO 1ltA well-balanced mix of Italian, Spanish, and

Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oils. The perfect oilfor those that enjoy fruity notes, and a balance ofbitter and spicy flavours.

For more information: Aurora Importing & DistributingTel: 905-670-1855 Ext. 258

New Nabob Ready-Brew Sticks

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Five New Crave Varieties In 2019!

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Bringing Back The No.1 Flavour Variety inPouch Purees

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Meet Plant-Based Demand withNoble Vegan Jerky

Demand for vegan plant protein offer-ings are growing. Noble jerky is the firstplant-based jerky on the Canadian mar-ket. The all-natural superfood has thetaste and texture of meat jerky, with sim-ple, non-GMO ingredients. Noble jerky isavailable in four flavours: teriyaki, chipo-tle, sweet BBQ, and original.

Email [email protected] for more information.

New LaFamiglia Cannoli Chips fromBosa Foods

Cannoli Chips are amodern twist on an Italiantradition. The Cannoli isa dessert that has beenenjoyed by Italians forgenerations. Cannoli Chipsbring together the deca-dence of a Cannoli with theconvenience of a chip. They are available in Powdered Sugar andCinnamon & Sugar flavours and are kosher, trans fat free andpreservative free.

For more information contact www.bosafoods.com

Le Saveur de St. Germain, ChestnutsCream and Puree from Bosa Foods

This line of authentic all-natural chestnut products comes fromthe heart of the French Countryside. The cooked chestnuts textureis like that of a baked potato, with a delicate, sweet, and nuttyflavour. It can be eaten as is, steamed, grilled, or roasted in sweet orsavoury recipes. They can be used to stuff vegetables, poultry, fowland other edibles.

For more information contact www.bosafoods.com

Manitoba Harvest Launches Granola Line

Manitoba Harvest, theworld’s largest manufac-turer to make and sell itsown line of hemp foodproducts, is launchingtheir brand-new HempYeah! Granola line set tohit Canadian shelves inJanuary 2019. Not only can fans of the Manitoba Harvest brandexpect the perfect amount of chewy with a crunch, but the productis nutrient dense, and protein packed:

• 10g of plant-based, non-soy protein with 10g of sugar or less• Each 55g serving provides Omega 3&6, iron, zinc, fibre,

magnesium and more• Quality, organic, non-GMO ingredients – hemp seeds, quinoa, chia and natural sweeteners

Available in three delicious flavours (Honey & Otas, Blueberry andDark Chocolate), Hemp Yeah! Granola is a great, nutritious breakfastoption to kick-start the morning.

Fresh Is Best’sNew Tortilla Chips Lineup!

Fresh Is Best is celebrat-ing its 20th year bringingWestern Canadian shoppersfresh Tortilla Chips, Salsasand Dips. The company haslaunched new Tortilla ChipProducts for 2019 includingJalapeno, Chili, Tri Flavouredand non-GMO stonegroundyellow corn chips. They are preservative free, low sodium, koshercertified, gluten free and contain no trans fats.

Visit www.freshisbest.ca

JOYYA – 100 per cent Canadian Ultrafiltered Milk Launches in Canada

Saputo has launched JOYYA ultrafiltered milk, a proudly all-Canadian dairy product and next step in the superfood movement.JOYYA ultrafiltered milk challenges the long-standing status quoof regular milk, serving up to 16g of protein per 250ml serving. Itoffers 75 per cent more protein and 25 per cent less lactose(sugar) than regular milk.

Two years in the making, JOYYA ultrafiltered milk speaks to Cana-dian consumer demands and provides a simple solution to help fueltheir day with a little extra joy. “JOYYA ultrafiltered milk is more thanmilk, it is “ultramilk’’. It’s a simple choice that’s packed with uniqueand quantifiable benefits,” says Kim-Tuan Nguyen vice-president,Saputo strategic business development for fluid, bottling & cultureproducts. “We know Canadians crave more out of life, and thereforeexpect more from their milk. By adding a new premium product to themilk category, JOYYA ultrafiltered milk is providing more of the goodand making dairy relevant again.”

When unopened and refrigerated, JOYYA ultrafiltered milk staysfresh for up to 120 days from the production date.

Touché Launches Across Canada

Inspired by Montreal, Café Touché’s beans are carefully selectedand locally roasted in micro batches for both their classic andorganic collections.

Touché’s espresso beans are chosen based on a complexprocess that ensures rigorous quality and stability in flavourthroughout time. The result is an extremely fresh espresso, witha deep yet refined flavour.

The key to success: local roasting!

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De Luca’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Discovery Organics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Dunn-Rite Food Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Elias Honey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Etalex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Granny’s Poultry Cooperative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Guru Lucky Snacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34Howell Data Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Italpasta Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7Kraft Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20, 29Natural Bakery Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Naturally Splendid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3Obrigado . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .OBC

Old Dutch Foods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Paradise Mountain Organic Coffee . . . . . . . . . 23Pratts Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11Rock Ridge Dairy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26SIAL Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .IBCSobeys Wholesale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Sparks Eggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Teja Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Tree of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Weston Bakeries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Winnipeg Old Country Sausage Ltd. . . . . . . . .17Worlds Best Milkman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10


Is the Ketogenic DietRight For You? Components of a

Ketogenic Diet

Here is a list of some of the food items typically consumed on a Ketogenic Diet(1):

• Seafood• Low-carb vegetables• Cheese• Avocados• Meat and poultry• Eggs• Coconut, olive and other healthy oils• Plain high fat yogurt and cottage cheese• Nuts and seeds (in moderation: eating too many can be problematic with the ratio between Omega 3 and Omega 6 oils)• Berries• Butter and cream• Olives• Unsweetened coffee and tea (use healthy sweeteners such as stevia and monk fruit if necessary)• Dark chocolate and cocoa powder

Potential Health Benefitsof the Ketogenic Diet

There are many documented benefits associated with the Ketogenic Diet, in fact itwas first developed to help children withuncontrolled seizures such as in epilepsy.

Following are some of the documented benefits (2):

• Low-carb diets kill your appetite (in a good way)• Low-carb diets lead to more weight loss• A greater proportion of the fat lost comes from the abdominal cavity• Triglycerides tend to go way down• Increased Levels of HDL (the “Good”) Cholesterol• Reduced blood sugar and insulin levels, with a major improvement in Type 2 Diabetes• Blood pressure tends to go down• Low-carb diets are the most effective treatment known against metabolic syndrome• Low-carb diets improve the pattern of LDL cholesterol• Low-carb diets are therapeutic for several brain disorders – such as dementia and Alzheimer’s)• A reduction in inflammation• Helps to turn on good genes and turn off bad genes

(1) Franziska Spritzler, RD, CDE (2017, January 23) 16 Foods to Eat on a Ketogenic Diet, Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/ketogenic-diet-foods(2)Kris Gunnars, BSc (2014, January 28) 10 Health Benefits of Low-Carb and Ketogenic Diets, Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-low-carb-ketogenic-diets


TAKING STOCK By Dr. Lorne G. Swetlikoff BSc., ND, Naturopathic Physician, Vancouver Naturopathic Clinic

In 2018, the top researched diet termaccording to Google is the KetogenicDiet. In this article, we want to define

for you what exactly a Ketogenic Diet isas well as highlight some of its potentialhealth benefits – and some information asto whether the Ketogenic Diet is some-thing you may want to consult your NDabout as to whether it would be good toconsider for yourself.

The Ketogenic Diet, also referred to as theLow Carb/High Fat (LCHF) Diet consistsof a large proportion of healthy fats, moderateprotein and a small amount of healthycomplex carbohydrates.

One misconception about the LCHF dietis that you can eat large amounts of proteinwhich is not part of the diet.

The reason for this is that protein can beconverted into sugar compounds in the bodywhich may create too many carbohydratesin the diet.

There are two main energy sources inthe body: sugar and fats. The overwhelmingmajority of individuals burn sugar as anenergy source due to the consumption oflarge amounts of sugar: it is estimated thatthe average yearly consumption byindividuals in North America of sugarexceeds 150 pounds!

And we must not forget that food itemssuch as bread, pasta, rice and other grains getconverted into sugar compounds in the body.

The other energy source in the body isburning fats: when sugar energy levels get low,a person’s metabolism switches over to burningfats. These fats that are burned for energy arereferred to as “ketones or ketone bodies”.

Ketones are produced by the liver fromfatty acids during periods of low food intake(fasting), carbohydrate restrictive diets,starvation and prolonged intense exercise.

Being in a state of ketosis (i.e. burning fatsfor energy) is the normal metabolic state that

our ancestors, going back some two millionyears, typically functioned in: it is just withinthe last two hundred years or so that themain energy source has switched to sugars.

The key to getting into a state of ketosisis drastically reducing carbohydrate con-sumption: the amount varies betweenindividuals however the amount of dailycarbohydrate consumption to get into thisstate is typically between 25 and 50 gramsper day of sugar compounds.

Like all healthy diets, the quality of thefood you consume is important: organic andgrass-fed designations are key considerations.

Healthy oils such as coconut, olive,avocado, macademia or hemp can be animportant part of the Ketogenic Diet. Someoils are not healthy to consume such as: corn,canola, cotton seed and soy bean.

An important consideration to rememberis that every individual is biochemically uniqueso a diet that works well for one individualmay be disastrous for another.

What most health care practitioners thinkis that getting into a ketogenic stateperiodically – maybe two or three times peryear for a month or two can act as a valuable“metabolic reset”.

What can be extremely beneficial is shiftingyour metabolism such that it can switch backand forth between burning either sugar orfats: this typically involves staying in aketogenic state for a minimum of six to eightweeks. This is referred to as being “FatAdapted”.

There are ways to check whether yourmetabolism is in a ketogenic state: the simplestway to do this is to check your urine withketone strips.

Your Naturopathic Doctor can provideyou with more information on the KetogenicDiet, how to check if you are in a ketogenicstate –and whether the Ketogenic Diet wouldbe a good choice for you. ●

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