By George Anderson
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Through special arrangement with Grocery Headquarters magazine, we present these opportunities to discuss the subjects of GHQ's monthly cover stories.
Until recently, when manufacturers and retailers spoke about convenience foods and related items, they meant that these products were fast and easy to prepare, portable or had some other feature focused on speeding consumers through their busy lives.
Today, as the June cover story of Grocery Headquarters points out, convenience also means packaging that keeps ice cream off your knuckles while scooping it out of the container.
It could also mean a new type of container for ice cream that deals with the problem of packaging that collapses with use and becomes difficult to close.
Michael Crone, vice president, retail sales for Wells' Dairy (maker of Blue Bunny ice cream) said, "The old round half-gallons are very wide and, unless you have a big hand, hard to hold. This one you can grab easily and scoop across the top. It was amazing to watch the consumers react with it. They just fell in love with it," he said.
Another food that carries the possibility of a gooey mess with its use is honey. Granja San Francisco honey comes in bottom-pour bottles that instantly stop dispensing when no longer being squeezed.
"This is the easiest-to-use honey on the market," said Jim Beaver, sales director at Globe Trends, Inc., the importer of Granja San Francisco honey.
Moderator's Comment: What role, if any, do retailers have in communicating the full convenient nature of products to the shoppers in their stores? What does an expanded definition of convenience mean for a retailer's heat and eat foodservice offerings, as well as its private label? - George Anderson - Moderator