Mintel in the Media – this week's highlights

Starting the week with some great coverage, Mintel’s attention grabbing story on breakfast foods hit the headlines in the UK and around the world. If you think that your burnt toast looks rather sad as first meal of the day, don’t worry, as according to Mintel’s latest report on Breakfast Cereals, toast is Britain’s favourite, closely followed by cereals. If you want to know more about British breakfast habits, you can read the story in full in the Express, Mail on Sunday, Mirror and The Times of India.

And with the harvest season already underway, Mintel appeared in The Telegraph in an article on the sweet success of cider, a market which has gone from strength to strength in recent years, becoming “the drink of the moment”, according to our Senior Drink Analyst Jonny Forsyth. Menwhile, The Financial Times used our data in a piece on food provenance and the BBC quoted Mintel’s research in a piece on the growing popularity of cycling in the UK, with now some 34% of adults in the UK owning a bike.

Highlighting our expertise in responding to news stories with in depth analysis, Mintel’s Director of Retail Research Richard Perks gave an interview for Channel 4 News on the effect of the unseasonably hot weather which is hitting the UK. While the nation enjoys it, clothing retailers may have a different opinion. You can watch the video here.

Mintel was also featured in both The Sun, in a piece on cash-strapped Brits and The Times on post-recession consumers’ habits, switching from high-street salons to hair products which can be used at home. Also, The Independent quoted our British Lifestyles report in a piece on holiday spending cuts. Meanwhile, from the heart of the global financial market, Mintel appeared on the London Stock Exchange website in a piece by DJ Finsbury Food Group on the bread and “free-from” food market, which despite the tough economic climate have continued to benefit from a growing demand. The story on “free-from” food and food intolerances also received some great coverage in The Independent.

Following the beautiful collections seen during the London Fashion Week earlier this month, The Guardian investigated the ethical side of the industry and featured Mintel’s data on consumer awareness and concerns with issues such as sustainability and ethical clothing production.

In Italy, our Director of Innovation & Insight David Jago gave a comprehensive interview to Largo Consumo, the equivalent of the Grocer in the UK. According to Jago, “natural”, “convenience”, “minus” (eg. low fat, calorie, sugar…), “plus” (e.g. added vitamins),”functional” and “ethical” are the most popular claims in food innovation internationally. With regards to the Italian market, according to latest figures from Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD), Italy has recently registered an increasing number of “ethical” and “green” claims.

Over in the US press office the coverage began with an article in Forbes that highlighted Mintel Research Consultancy stats to discuss consumer interest in limiting their calories and fat intake. Other big wins in the Chicago office include an article in The New York Times that used our data on consumer facial tissue preferences and another on Discovery News that included our insight into female shopping behaviours.

Meanwhile, quotes from Andrew Davidson and Mintel Comperemedia data was included in CardRatings.com and Fox Business stories and a Supermarket Guru piece referenced Mintel’s figures on moms’ coupon-clipping habits compared to a year ago.

Also, the ID Report quoted foodservice analyst Kathy Hayden in a story about appetizer innovation at restaurants and also used our information in another article about energy drinks and shots. In other foodservice news, our press release based on the Attitudes Toward Independent Restaurants report, which quoted Eric Giandelone, was picked up by various outlets, including QSR Magazine, Nation’s Restaurant News and MediaPost Marketing Daily.

Last but not least, The Republic included Mintel’s household cleaner data for an article about Windex’s 75th anniversary.