Food Pyramid Still Has Impact, Even With Poor Marketing

NEW YORK - While the USDA dropped the ball when it came to communicating the value of the Food Pyramid to consumers, it seems that the supermarket industry picked it up and ran, and as a result people are eating healthier, according to the latest alert from VNU's Executive Perspective. Now a new initiative from the USDA plans to take the message even further.

Despite the lack of knowledge about the new food pyramid, an analysis of the sales data of items sold within each food group shows that consumption of fruits and grains has grown almost three times faster than the overall food sales over the past five years, according data from market research firm ACNielsen:

5-Year Compound Annual Growth Rates
Overall Food Pyramid 2.5 percent
Fruit Group 6.6 percent
Grain Group 6.3 percent
Other (fats, oils, sweets) 2.6 percent
Meat Group 1.8 percent
Milk Group 1.0 percent
Vegetable Group 0.5 percent

However, MyPyramid will soon get that much needed marketing support with the launch of Take a Peak, an in-store promotional campaign scheduled to roll out at over 3,500 food stores starting in the first quarter of 2007. Backed by the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and Food Marketing Institute (FMI), supported by the USDA, and created by MatchPoint Marketing, Take a Peak is the first widespread attempt at an in-store education campaign by the food and beverage industry.

The Executive Perspective alert outlines the Take a Peak program, offers some key takeaways for retail executives, and highlights three supermarket operators who are ahead of the pack in nutritional marketing programs.

For the full report, visit www.execperspective.com
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