"Hiding" vegetarian foods among omnivorous foods in supermarkets

Just wondered if anyone had heard the item on yesterday's "You and Yours" programme on BBC Radio 4, to the effect that supermarkets are currently tending to put vegetarian foods among general foods, rather than in a special vegetarian section, and not to mark them conspicuously as vegetarian, in an attempt to make them appeal to meat-avoiders generally?

If not you can listen to the item again here for the next 7 days:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yqtqp

I don't think vegans were mentioned at all, and it was generally a bit irritating, but I thought there might be some merit in putting the foods where other people will buy them.

I can see what they are doing, studies of their sales have probably shown that certain items sell better when placed into 'general foods' sections rather than 'specialist sections' such as vegetarian or free from, likely stemming from a misguided consumer belief that taste will be comprimised somehow because it's 'specialty food'.

I hide the foie gras when I go to the supermarket... shove it right to the back of the shelf :devil:

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Zero

I can see what they are doing, studies of their sales have probably shown that certain items sell better when placed into 'general foods' sections rather than 'specialist sections' such as vegetarian or free from, likely stemming from a misguided consumer belief that taste will be comprimised somehow because it's 'specialty food'.

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Yes, I think some of the people on there were saying that labelling things "vegetarian" put people off when otherwise they would be quite happy to eat them :rolleyes: I'm all for putting the "vegetarian" labelling in small print if less animal foods will be consumed overall, though I suppose it's a nuisance if it makes those foods harder to find when you're looking for them? (My local Waitrose is meant to have Cheezly somewhere but I don't think I've ever managed to find that - mind you I've not looked that hard as it's easy to find in H&B.)

Very cunning, fiamma ;)

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Zero

a misguided consumer belief that taste will be comprimised somehow because it's 'specialty food'.

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Definitely, haha, heaven forbid certain people should eat foods that don't have meat or dairy in them - rabbit food!! How could that even be considered edible??? :rolleyes:

Instead of labelling the outside of the box "vegetarian", perhaps they need to put a label at the bottom of the foil container for people to read after they've eaten the contents: "Fooled you - that was rabbit food".

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harpy

"Fooled you - that was rabbit food".

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You wicked woman you!!! :lol: PMSL!!!!

LOL Harpy. and Fiamma!!!

If you listen to the link, the bit on vegetarian foods starts at about 16:20.

My own experience is that people who eat meat have misconceptions about what vegetarian food is, even more vegan food. I think it's because people think of vegetarian/vegan food being very heavily based on meat substitutes as reflected in the radio programme. Calling something 'vegetarian' tells you who the item is intended for, rather than what it actually is.

Personally, it doesn't have a massive effect on my life where the pre-packed veggie food is because a) I don't tend to buy them, both for reasons of health and economics and b) They are rarely vegan.

Oh, and I had to laugh at the women from the Vegetarian Society at about 19mins saying that 'at least 2,000,000 people in the UK are committed to living completely without animal products in their diet'. No poppet, you are confused about what an animal product is, there are only about 180,000 vegans. You vegetarians do eat animal products, you just don't eat meat. Different thing.

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Ms_Derious

If you listen to the link, the bit on vegetarian foods starts at about 16:20.

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Yes, or if you page down I think you can go straight to that item.

I don't buy convenience foods much, partly because as you say there aren't many that many vegan ones, but if I do I find it helpful to have them labelled as such, like the Co-op often does with their own brand stuff (I suppose the flash is fairly discreet but at least it's usually on the front, except for wine). Their vegetarian and vegan lines seem fairly well-integrated with their other stock but still not too hard to find. (Mind you ours is a fairly small Co-op, perhaps it would be harder in a big one.)

It would be interesting to find out whether this ploy actually does increase sales. Personally I prefer the chilled and frozen vegan foods to be kept separate from meat as far as possible. I don't think I'd fancy buying Linda McCartney sausages in Tesco if they were stacked between pork and beef sausages. As it is, they've got a Quorn buffer zone.

It's strange, I'd never go shopping in one of those butcher's shops that also sells fruit and vegetables, but I do buy food in supermarkets that are actually much bigger butchers. Ideally I'd prefer not to, but I console myself with the idea that increasing demand does bring vegan products to the mainstream marketplace. I've noticed a massive increase in non-dairy milks available in supermarkets over the last 15 years or so and that's very encouraging.

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fiamma

I hide the foie gras when I go to the supermarket... shove it right to the back of the shelf :devil:

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Hehe, good one! I'll do the same in the future should I come across any or anything else that can be shoved back easily :)

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kokopelli

It would be interesting to find out whether this ploy actually does increase sales.

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My impression is that (like a lot of things) this goes in cycles over a decade or so, and supermarkets have tried mixing the stuff up before, then gone back to having vegetarian sections, and so forth. So maybe it's moving stuff around that increases sales? :)

Personally I rarely shop in a stupidmarket...I usually shop in a health food market so searching for vegan foods isn't as tedious. The few times I do shop in a stupidmarket I do head for the crazy people's (health foods) food department. I do understand mixing the vegan/organic food among the poison foods so their sales don't suffer but I'd still like them to keep one area with the same healthy foods so I don't have to search the entire market. I tend to go to the stupidmarket when /I run out of certain foods like soy/almond milk and varies vegetables that are a lot less expensive than in my health food store.
I will tell you this about shopping in the stupidmarket....it's kind of entertaining in a car wreck kinda way looking in other people's shopping carts. It just amazes me!!

^ i love it...'a quorn buffer zone'!!

i bought some lentils the other day form a supermarket, i know its nothing really to get rilled at, just on the packaging it said *add cooked red lentils to mashed potatoes as an accompaniment to red meat or fish*

^it is interesting to look in other peoples baskets/trolleys.
i just had an online shop delivered..its annoyed me that some of the stuff i've ordered is stuff i dont especially want to buy. go figure my logic for doing so.

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emmapresley

^it is interesting to look in other peoples baskets/trolleys.

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I wasn't sure about an international vegan forum but I'm liking it more'n more....so y'all call em' trolleys huh? I like that!!

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emmapresley

i just had an online shop delivered..its annoyed me that some of the stuff i've ordered is stuff i dont especially want to buy. go figure my logic for doing so.

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If you like buying good food on line try some of this http://www.amazon.com/Nutiva-Bulk-Or.../dp/B0012C7VLG . Not sure how to find the European version of Amazon but I'm sure you do . Their price for hemp seeds in the USA is the best on amazon but it may be different on your side O' the pond :p and the brand is from Canada being you're not allowed to grow hemp here in the USA STOOPID!....and if you Google "hemp seeds" you'll see what an amazing product it is as far as nutrients go.....BTW..unfoprtunatly you can't plant them :thumbsup: They taste fantastic. I use them to make hemp milk in my milk maker as well as sprinkling them on my waffles with some maple syrup. I just make sure never to cook them as I don't want to ruin the nutritional value. You may already know about hemp seeds but figured I'd post em' anyway...just in case.

One last thing as long as I'm here..here's the SoyMilk maker I have..it's GREAT! It's real easy to make tons of things in it and cleaning it is also very easy.You save tons of money with this thing.
Read all the reviews:http://tinyurl.com/45nsnhg

wow. the capability to make mung bean milk eh?

Yeh..you can make just about any beverage/milk you want with it and whats left...what you strain out is called the Okara which you can add to breads or whatever...personally I add maple syrup and eat it like a super healthy partridge. Tastes awesome!!! I'd almost make the milk just for the okara. You do have to experiment a little with it. I'm tryingh to find something to make my milks a bit sweeter without the use of sugar. I tried brown rice syrup but I didn't like that. I think I'm going to try using dates next. I heard that makes it taste awesome. We shall see. I do love the machine a lot.

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harpy

So maybe it's moving stuff around that increases sales? :)

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Yeah, probably. I really hate it when they move stuff around because I normally just go around as fast as possible on autopilot, picking up the items I know I need and it's really annoying when things aren't where they usually are.:confused: But I suppose the cunning marketing strategy is to make you notice something you don't really want and hope for an impulse purchase.

andybuildz, hemp milk is lovely and I'm wondering if it's possible to make hemp tofu. I'm definitely going to try one day :)

I had lupin tofu once - a German friend sent it to me but I'm not sure they still make it...

Incidentally I know from work that the supermarkets have software to analyse what people buy, and so they try and do things like putting things that are often bought together next to one another. The classic example was beer and nappies (though I think that one may have been an urban myth!).

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kokopelli

andybuildz, hemp milk is lovely and I'm wondering if it's possible to make hemp tofu. I'm definitely going to try one day :)

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I make tofu in my milk maker which means you CAN make hemp tofu.

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harpy

I had lupin tofu once - a German friend sent it to me but I'm not sure they still make it...

Incidentally I know from work that the supermarkets have software to analyse what people buy, and so they try and do things like putting things that are often bought together next to one another. The classic example was beer and nappies (though I think that one may have been an urban myth!).

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Trying to sell more alcohol by putting it next to other stuff was mentioned in the news the other day. It was suggested that supermarkets should only keep it in the alcohol aisle, not strategically displayed all around the store. I wouldn't be surprised if they put beer at the end of the toiletries aisle where the nappies are usually kept. At Christmas especially, it's all over the place.

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andybuildz

I make tofu in my milk maker which means you CAN make hemp tofu.

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Interesting.

What was the lupin tofu like, harpy?

I bet the supermarkets use their CCTV footage to check out people's shopping habits too. It's quite demeaning, really, to be lab rats for their marketing experiments.

You know what I think?

The mighty masters of the supermarkets decided to 'mix it up' because the mammoth task of labelling items 'veggie' or 'non-veggie' did not prove economically viable when it involved vast teams of workers sticking 'veggie' labels on every individual potato, apple or walnut!!!

Shame really...cos it sure as hell would have confused the s*** out of meat eaters!

Slack Alice

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andybuildz

Yeh..you can make just about any beverage/milk you want with it and whats left...what you strain out is called the Okara which you can add to breads or whatever...personally I add maple syrup and eat it like a super healthy partridge. Tastes awesome!!! I'd almost make the milk just for the okara. You do have to experiment a little with it. I'm tryingh to find something to make my milks a bit sweeter without the use of sugar. I tried brown rice syrup but I didn't like that. I think I'm going to try using dates next. I heard that makes it taste awesome. We shall see. I do love the machine a lot.

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carts...trolleys..isnt a partridge a bird that sits in a pear tree on the first day of christmas? :p

dates sound good. i used to make almond milk and cashew nut milk with the addition of a few dates. was yum.
can you get 'sweet freedom' where you are?
www.sweetfreedom.co.uk

im guessing maybe no. is a sort of honey/alternative? kind of thing. fruit extracts..apples grapes and carob.

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emmapresley

carts...trolleys..isnt a partridge a bird that sits in a pear tree on the first day of christmas? :p

dates sound good. i used to make almond milk and cashew nut milk with the addition of a few dates. was yum.
can you get 'sweet freedom' where you are?
www.sweetfreedom.co.uk

im guessing maybe no. is a sort of honey/alternative? kind of thing. fruit extracts..apples grapes and carob.

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You typo catcher you... :o funny too...because I never call it porridge. I think talking to you European folks has me not only calling shopping carts trolleys now but I think I'm getting an accent as well...haha.
Just Googled "Sweet Freedom" but it didn't come up although this did coincidently http://sweetfreedomcookbook.wordpress.com/ Now you've got ME looking into buying stuff on line I wasn't expecting to.
Going to try the dates first and see how that comes out but it would be nice to see other alternatives anyway because my Milk Maker IS awesome for all kinda goodies.
Actually I've been buying SILK milk the past cpl of weeks in the store because I have my kitchen ripped apart being I'm renovating my house...thats what I do for a living.
Has me thinking..maybe I should start a thread where we can show our kitchens and/or things in it.
The last kitchen I built (then sold the house recently) was fantastic if I say so myself. You can see it in my website under the "Goose Hill Rd Project" HTTP://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM although I won't be using cabs in this house like I did in that one. this house is more budget conscious minded to say the least.
Can't wait to get a kitchen back. Right now my fridge is in my living room.. the old gas stove I have on wheels so I can roll it around debris as I work..the sink I have to use the tub in the bathroom...don't ask. I'm living like a gypsy but it's nothing new for me.

I like the kitchen thread idea :)
I've tried to get brown rice syrup but can't find it anywhere, even online.
Do you make your own?
I used to use chopped dates to sweeten porridge, cooked until they went mushy and blended in. It was delicious.

Biona do brown rice syrup, available at goodnessdirect.co.uk

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kokopelli

What was the lupin tofu like, harpy?

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OK AFAICR - tasted a bit marzipan-y which is not what you expect from tofu!

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I bet the supermarkets use their CCTV footage to check out people's shopping habits too.

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I'm not sure about that, but have you seen this item about tracking "facial coding"? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12581446 One can think of better applications for the technology, but I suppose if they can get corporate marketing departments to pay for the research....

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harpy

OK AFAICR - tasted a bit marzipan-y which is not what you expect from tofu!

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hmmmmm...... marzipan. I now want to try lupin tofu. You are a bad influence ;)

I like marzipan too Ms_D but I wasn't sure I wanted it in my stir-fry etc!

I suppose that's another thing you could make for yourself with the right gear, but you would also need to make sure you got the right kind of lupin as some are toxic, or at least indigestible, I think.

I work at a supermarket and it can be annoying when I nip round after work to get a few bits - they are spread out all over the place!

Ditto what everyone has said about other people's baskets. I can't help but notice when I am working on the checkout. I can't help but smile when I put through a vegetarian shopping basket of goods. Only ever served two vegans - in 6 months - but that was cool too. We ended up discussing the wonders of CocoNice and Swedish Glace etc. :D