SAINSBURY’S FIRST UK SUPERMARKET TO STOCK UK-GROWN LIME LEAVES

SAINSBURY’S FIRST UK SUPERMARKET TO STOCK UK-GROWN LIME LEAVES:
Sainsbury’s is the first retailer to sell fresh kaffir lime leaves, which are now available in selected stores.

The leaves, which are grown on British lime trees are traditionally used in Thai and Indonesian dishes and for garnishing or muddling in drinks.
The leaves are said to add a zesty edge to curries, soups and cocktails alike.

Fresh kaffir lime leaves cannot be brought into the EU and are not widely grown in the UK, meaning they are often difficult to find.

Available for the first time from a UK retailer, the leaves are grown exclusively for Sainsbury’s in Colchester, in a small nursery.


Kate Fox at Sainsbury’s said:

Our customers are always keen to try new cuisines and we love being able to offer exciting new ingredients to keep up with our aspiring cooks.

“It’s great to be the first retailer to offer fresh lime leaves, making Asian dishes, cooked from scratch, taste even better.”
Kaffir lime leaves are available in selected Sainsbury’s stores now, priced at £1.49 for a pack of four double lime leaves.

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CARBONATED SOFT DRINK CANS EXPERIENCE HIGH MARKET GROWTH

CARBONATED SOFT DRINK CANS EXPERIENCE HIGH MARKET GROWTH:
The Can Makers, the body representing the UK manufacturers of beverage cans, has revealed that carbonated soft drink can shipments are up 5.6%, with 273 million additional units shipped in 2011 compared with 2010.

In total, 5,118 million cans for soft drinks were shipped in 2011.

According to Nielsen, retail sales of larger cans sizes are seeing the strongest growth at 28%.



This is primarily in the 500ml category and is driven by the energy drinks sector, where new product development (NPD) tends to be launched.
Retail sales of single cans have also grown over the last year, increasing unit share to 12% of all canned CSD sales.
While carbonated soft drinks continue to grow, shipments of empty beer and cider cans were down in 2011 by 4.9%, with 4,331 million cans shipped.
This was due in part to comparison with 2010 when demand was stimulated by the World Cup and to the effects of the economic crisis on overall beer and cider sales.
Despite an overall drop in demand, according to Nielsen, retail sales of lager in cans have still performed better than other pack formats in the beer and cider category.
Across the sector, the 12-multipack can format has seen strong sales.
The Nielsen retail audits also show that there was growth in retail sales of both single cans, which increased by 6%, and cans smaller than 440ml, which increased by 13%.
Total can market shipments for both CSD and beer and cider in 2011 remained stable, which, in the ongoing economic climate is a creditable achievement, with a slight increase of 0.53% to 9,449 million cans.
The UK continues to be the largest market for drinks cans in Europe.

Geoff Courtney, chairman of the Can Makers, said:
“The statistics show that soft drinks continue to be the hero sector for cans.

“Multipacks, particularly six to eight packs and also 12 to 15-packs, continue to help drive the market, which is no surprise given the strong supermarket promotions.

“The increase also seen in single cans in CSD sales suggests that convenience has continued to remain important in 2011.
“It is clear that CSDs continue to be a popular choice for everyday drinks whether in the home or on the go.
“Overall, we are pleased to see that cans are still a preferred pack of choice in the UK.”

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CHERRYGOOD LAUNCHES SMALLER SIZE TO CAPTURE LUNCHBOX MARKET

CHERRYGOOD LAUNCHES SMALLER SIZE TO CAPTURE LUNCHBOX MARKET:
Cherrygood, the UK based cherry juice drink, is now available in a smaller ready-to-go size.

Cherry Burst, primarily aimed at children, will launch in Morrisons stores across the country next week as a triple pack of 200ml cartons.
Each carton counts as one of the recommended Five-A-Day.
In addition to children it is also hoped Cherry Burst will appeal to the adult lunchbox market.

The packs will sell at RRP £1.35 and will be on promotion throughout March with a 30p saving.




John Heseltine, the founder of Cherrygood, said:

“Mums have been telling us how much their children love drinking Cherrygood for breakfast and that they would love a smaller version to pop in their lunchboxes.

“We listened and created Cherry Burst.

“All the goodness and flavour of wonderful real cherries are packed into each carton making it an easy way for children to get one of their Five-A-Day.

“Cherry Burst is not just for children though; we’ve already discovered that lots of dads are tucking them into their briefcases to drink at work as an alternative to tea and coffee and mums are taking them to the gym to rehydrate after exercise.”

The range includes Cherry Burst, Cherrygood Premium Cherry, Cherrygood Original and Cherrygood Light.

Cherry Burst is the latest addition to the Cherrygood family.
There are now four drinks in the range – Cherry Burst, Cherrygood Premium Cherry, Cherrygood Original and Cherrygood Light.
Cherrygood Original and Light both cost £1.50 and are available in all major supermarkets.
Cherrygood Premium Cherry, the UK’s first chilled cherry juice, costs £2.29 and was launched last year.
Montmorency tart cherries are regularly in the news because of their health benefits which include improving the quality of sleep and speeding muscle recovery after exercise.
For more information click here to visit the website.

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LA MAISON DU CHOCOLATE UNVEILS EASTER RANGE

LA MAISON DU CHOCOLATE UNVEILS EASTER RANGE:
La Maison du Chocolat has unveiled their new range of chocolate products for Easter 2012.
Under the impetus of Gilles Marchal, Creative Director, the artist-chocolatiers crafted each piece by hand.
All the pieces and decors are entirely hand-made.


The first piece in the collection is the limited edition Chocorico, which retails at £500 for a 5.1Kg giant piece.

Chocorico retails at £500 for a 5.1Kg giant piece

Pieces and decors are in dark chocolate, milk chocolate and ivory chocolate.

This scene includes 30 eggs “feuilletés”, 4 eggs “coquille” with homemade praline, 7 chocolate fried eggs and 92 praline eggs topped with sparkle or old-style almonds.
The second seasonal product is the Les cocottes, retailing at £116 for the 680g piece.
Pieces and decors are in dark chocolate, milk chocolate and ivory chocolate.
This scene includes 4 eggs “feuilletés”, one egg “coquille” with homemade praline, one chocolate fried egg and 16 praline eggs topped with sparkle or old-style almonds.

Chococo retails at £56 for the dark chocolate 240g piece, mainly made with dark chocolate, milk chocolate and ivory chocolate.
It Includes 2 eggs “feuilletés”, one chocolate fried egg and 3 praline eggs topped with sparkle or old-style almonds.
Chococotte, retailing at £56 for the milk chocolate 240g piece is made with milk chocolate, ivory chocolate.
It Includes 2 eggs “feuilletés”, one chocolate fried egg and 3 praline eggs topped with sparkle or old-style almonds.

The entire range of Easter chocolates is available in-store and on online by clicking here.
For the past thirty years, La Maison du Chocolat has linked expertise and savoir-faire to create new chocolate collections.
The Parisian artisan has become an international luxury chocolatier, each product and component is selected by the La Maison du Chocolat master chocolatier.

La Maison du Chocolat has 21 boutiques worldwide including Paris, Cannes, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong and three in central London (Piccadilly, Harrods Selfridges and Westfield).

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SAINSBURY’S BREAKS UK RECORD FOR SUSTAINABLY SOURCED FISH

SAINSBURY’S BREAKS UK RECORD FOR SUSTAINABLY SOURCED FISH:
Sainsbury’s has announced the launch of its 100th MSC certified product, making it the largest UK retailer of sustainably sourced seafood.
Icelandic line caught Haddock will add to the already MSC certified products available in-store, including Cornish sardines and basics pollock fish fingers.
Working in exclusive partnership with suppliers, the launch also marks the first MSC certified fishery in Icelandas well as the 100th MSC Sainsbury’s product.

Last October, Sainsbury’s announced a sustainability plan to achieve 20 goals by 2020, including all fish will be independently certified as sustainable.
Ally Dingwall, Aquaculture & Fisheries Manager, Sainsbury’s said:

“We’re proud to continue to lead the way in offering sustainable seafood to our customers.
“As the UK’s largest retailer of MSC and Freedom Food fish, we always source food as responsibly as possible.
“At Sainsbury’s we know that customers want the peace of mind that the fish they buy is as sustainable as possible.
“This is why we will continue to boost the amount of MSC certified fish available in our stores.
“With such a stretching target that we have set ourselves by 2020, it’s great to celebrate a landmark such as this.”
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