Better nutrition for health-minded consumers

Consumers are hot on the tomato trail in their quest for health. Tomatoes are America's most-eaten non-starchy vegetable (after potatoes), and most of that volume is canned, notes Mark Andon, PhD, vice president-nutrition at ConAgra Foods.

For diced, whole and stewed tomatoes, Hunt's unique flash-steam process helps keep in the flavor and color of tomatoes picked at their peak of ripeness. This allows Hunt's varieties to deliver the high nutritional profile and fresh taste that canned tomatoes consumers desire.

These buyers are discriminating—often age 40 and older, with the maturity to understand that what they eat affects their wellness. They want to feed their families nutritionally sound meals, and as busy as they are, they willingly spend more time cooking than most. They value the short ingredients statements on Hunt's products, and they categorize canned tomatoes as a less-processed' food that deserves to be on their table.

Canned tomatoes are "vastly superior to raw tomatoes" in several ways, details Dr. Andon.

• Lycopene concentration is 5 times greater in a half-cup of tomato sauce than in a full raw tomato.
• Lycopene absorption is 2 to 3 times greater in canned tomato products than raw products.

Also, canned tomatoes supply 2 times the potassium content of bananas on a caloric basis. Lycopene is approximately 10 times as powerful as Vitamin E as an antioxidant, he adds.

ConAgra Foods has quickly acted on its sodium reduction pledge—a category first when issued— to reduce sodium by 20% by 2015 across its entire portfolio and 10% per year for 3 consecutive years within canned tomatoes. Its three new no-salt-added varieties that launch next month (see separate story) represent visible progress in offering choices towards helping to improve consumer health.

Canned tomatoes users are nutrient-driven

Compared to people who eat little canned tomatoes, regular category users (those who consume a serving or more per day):

• Consume about 50% more vegetables overall than non-users

• Consume about 28% more fiber, 19% more potassium and 17% more Vitamin C
• Exhibit 10% lower C-reactive protein levels — a marker of inflammation (an emerging risk factor for heart disease.)

Source: Responses to a ConAgra Foods research question in the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Moreover, the 2009 Health Focus' Trend Report shows a marked increase (comparing 2004 with 2008) in the percentage of shoppers that said they adopted low-sodium diets: four in 10 said they actively maintain these low-sodium diets, and 41% of this group said they consume low-sodium products once a week or more.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  
• 
  

A more shop-able tomato section drives category growth

The canned tomatoes category builds the most opportunities when it is highly shop-able. That's because 80% of canned tomatoes shoppers approach the shelf knowing precisely what they need. If their recipe is for a sauce or a salsa, that determines the specific product form they will buy.

Read Full Story

Hunt's canned tomatoes: a total-store sales engine

Few categories match canned tomatoes for cuisine versatility. A central ingredient in planned home meals, and a major appeal to big basket buyers ($83.75 on average...

Read Full Story

Three new heart-healthy, no-salt-added varieties

Consumers will get the best of both worlds when they buy their preferred Hunt's brand of canned tomatoes in new no-salt-added varieties: the great fresh taste they enjoy...

Read Full Story

Missed the last issue? View the latest and previous issues.

View Archive

Hunt's Crash Kitchen Tour

Hunt's is continuing to crash into America's kitchens and supermarkets with Chef George Duran to show consumers that switching to Hunt's will enhance the quality and freshness of the meals they serve their families. Duran's mission is to "personally show everyone the difference between other canned tomatoes and Hunt's tomatoes" through a new integrated, multi-media campaign beginning in September.

Watch this Video

View Video Archive

Tomatoes are a versatile ingredient; driving basket ring and meal solution opportunities.

• Canned tomatoes consumers shop the entire store¹
• Average basket ring for:²
  • Pasta Sauce - $91.12
  • Canned Tomatoes - $83.75

¹ IRI S3 Panel Data — Total US FDMx — 52 Weeks End 12/27/2009
² NPD Group 2 Years Ending May 2008; IRI FDMx, Current Weeks Ending 8/02/2009

SN Power 50 for 2010

This year's Power Players are reinvesting in their companies to spur growth in an uncertain economy.

PMA Officials Discuss Top Issues

Supermarket retailers joined growers, packers and other produce industry executives this weekend at the Produce Marketing Association's annual Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition in Anaheim, Calif.

Home Cooks May Need More Food Safety Advice

This week, SN's Fresh Market section includes two unrelated stories involving tough new food safety requirements for processors of meat and poultry.

ConAgra to Cut Salt by 20%

ConAgra Foods here has pledged to reduce the salt in its products by 20% by 2015.

Counter Cultures: Fighting Free Radicals With Antioxidants

Boost your immune system. Slow down aging. Reverse heart disease. Antioxidants have emerged as a near-universal cure for what ails you, regardless of the ailment.

Power Packed

Forget conventional medicine. Many shoppers are replacing traditional remedies with functional foods that are believed to prevent disease and provide relief from common ailments.

Study Shows SKU Cuts May Cost Shoppers

More than half of U.S. consumers say they are likely to shop elsewhere if they notice that a store is reducing selection, according to a Nielsen Co. study unveiled at the Consumer 360 Conference here Tuesday.

Regional Can Compete vs. Wal-Mart: Study

A regional grocery operator can hold its own against Wal-Mart Stores by emphasizing value and neighborhood appeal, according to a study by Kantar Retail here that compared a Wal-Mart Supercenter with a new 76,000-square-foot Market Basket less than a mile away in Epping, N.H.

INITIATIVE 1: Tighten Up Product Assortment

The Value Improvement Program now under way at Stop & Shop and Giant-Landover stores in the U.S. involves a sophisticated and multidisciplinary approach to pricing, quality perception, costs and category management, but its effect can be summed up in a simple phrase: Less is more.