Daily Research News Online no. 3341 - Nielsen Tracks Hot Labels

Nielsen Tracks Hot Labels

August 18 2004

ACNielsen US has launched LabelTrends(tm), a new service developed in association with Kraft Foods, that monitors sales trends in 13 of the hottest consumer packaged goods (CPG) product segments, using claims made on the labels. Segments include low-carb, low-fat, organic, and sugar-free.

Operating within ACNielsen Strategic Planner(tm), an online sales tracking database of thousands of CPG products in nearly 1,100 syndicated categories, LabelTrends groups products with similar claims on their labels such as 'Reduced fat' or 'No added sugar.'

According to Patrick Dodd, Head of Marketing for ACNielsen North America, 'Much of the innovation within food and beverage packaged goods is focused on health-related benefits such as reduced carbohydrates or fats. These are fast-changing product segments with high-profile news reports, frequent advertising, and numerous new product launches all adding to their volatility. LabelTrends fills a crucial informational void by keeping marketers' fingers on the pulse of these segments, helping them distinguish trends from fads, track the performance of their products within the context of the whole segment, stay current on competitive threats, and uncover new opportunities'.

As an example, the table below shows that sales in the 'Carb Conscious' food and non-alcoholic beverage segment have quadrupled in the 52-week period ending June 12, 2004 to more than $1.1 billion, but that the growth rate in the most recent quarter (42%) is much lower than that of the previous quarter (95%).

Sales of ‘Carb Conscious’ Foods / Non-alcoholic Beverages
13 Wks Ending...	3/15/03	6/14/03	9/13/03	12/13/03	3/13/04	6/12/04
$ Sales (000)	$70,898	$97,293	$121,838	$172,060	$336,111	$478,260
Change Vs. Same Period Year Ago	49%	77%	119%	234%	374%	392%
Change Vs. Previous Period	38%	37%	25%	41%	95%	42%
Source: ACNielsen LabelTrends, Food/Drug/Mass Merchandise (excluding Wal-Mart) stores

'Low-carb is one of the hottest diets in recent memory', adds Dodd. 'Whether it's beginning to wane is yet to be seen. It may be that comparing the second quarter's performance with that of the first quarter is unfair since many diets are especially popular in the first quarter of the year'.

The company's web site is at www.acnielsen.com

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.