News
Report from the NDC Dairy: Food for Life Conference & 45th Members' AGM
Pictured at the NDC's Dairy: Food for Life Conference & 45th Members AGM are (l-r) Henry Corbally, Vice Chairman; Dominic Cronin, Chairman and Helen Brophy, Chief Executive
The National Dairy Council Conference took place in Dublin’s Clarion Hotel on 23rd June, 2009. The Conference was officially opened by broadcaster and journalist George Hook, who said he may not be a specialist on farming or agribusiness, but in these times of recession, survival is something he knows about.
George Hook talked about his experiences running a catering business which failed and shared some of his ‘personal survival tips’ with NDC delegates:
- If you are in a business you know nothing about, it is bound to fail
- If you don’t love what you are doing, then get out of it
- Unless you are proud of what you do, it won’t work – you have to have pride in performance
- Preparation is essential
- If you don’t invest in your own talent, who else will ?
George Hook said there can be a tendency to say some people are just lucky. “We are all lucky – half of us just don’t recognise it. The other half do - and grasp the opportunity.
NDC AGM: Industry Needs Strong Voice to Face Changes & Challenges
- The NDC Conference preceded its Annual General Meeting for members for 2008. Speaking in Dublin, Chief Executive Helen Brophy described 2008 as a year of “restructuring and renewal” leading to the development of a new 5 year strategy (Dairy Food for Life) launched in April 2008. “The strategy saw significant progress during the initial implementation phase of its 6 programmes of activity during 2008,” said Ms Brophy.
'Looking forward, the Irish dairy sector faces pressures which are not only economic – but
which include issues such as environmental sustainability as well as changing lifestyle and
shopping trends or misunderstandings about milk and dairy among Irish consumers. These
challenges underline the need for a strong, science-based, authoritative and positive voice for
the industry which is strategy-driven and which safeguards the long-term development of the
Irish milk and dairy industry, in a cost effective and measurable way,” said Ms. Brophy.
American Study Shows Economic & Health Benefits of Balanced Diet
• Speaking about “World Consumer Issues in Dairy” at the National Dairy Council (NDC) conference in Dublin (23rd June 2009), Kevin Bellamy, Executive Director, Global Dairy Platform said that there are real financial benefits to the consumer and society in consuming a healthy diet.
“Last year we evaluated the effect of increasing the American intake of dairy products, just to government recommended levels. The report concluded that such a move would save the US over $90Bn per year in direct and in-direct health costs,” said Mr. Bellamy.
Irish Consumers Are Concerned About the Future
• “Irish consumers are concerned about the future, resulting in dramatic changes with grocery shopping habits. Shopping around for value is now the norm,” says Alan Purcell, Head of Marketing with Nielsen Ireland. Mr. Purcell was speaking about “Shopper Trends” at the National Dairy Council Conference, 23rd June 2009.
“Irish consumers continue to claim strong support for Irish made products, which for the time being is being backed up by actual purchases,” said Mr. Purcell. “However there is immense pressure in this area.”
Mr. Purcell concluded that there is a “rainbow”. “Consumers have cut back on all aspects of their spending, but the big savings are on big ticket items – like cars or holidays. The Food sector is not recession proof, but is more recession resistant than other sectors.”
Mr. Purcell urged producers to resist the temptation to cut prices or product quality. “Recession is a time to build competitive advantage with innovation and with selective, conservative and strong allocation of marketing spend”, said Mr. Purcell. “Brands with strong equity will survive and will thrive on the other side.”
Promoting the Benefits to Dairy to the Medical Community - Both Osteoporosis & Dairy Suffer from Misinformation
• Professor Moira O’Brien, President of the Irish Osteoporosis Society, speaking at the National Dairy Council Conference on 23rd June, 2009, said that Osteoporosis is not a disease “just for old ladies.” Osteoporosis affects people of all age groups, including children and young adults. Therefore dairy products should be encouraged throughout life.
Osteoporosis – or brittle bone disease - is a disease which is preventable and treatable in the majority of people. Consuming dairy as part of a regular, balanced diet, is an essential part of preventing and treating osteoporosis because it provides us with calcium in a format that our bodies can easily absorb. The Irish Osteoporosis Society sends out the message that eating dairy products, especially low fat and fortified milks, are the best way for people to get their daily calcium and vitamin D requirements.
Unfortunately the message can get lost with poor or incorrect perceptions about dairy. The fact that milk is the perfect food, is completely forgotten. Fortified milk is actually suitable for people with high cholesterol. Milk also has an important role to play for athletes in improving performance.
It is important to educate patients as well as the medical community. Next year we will see osteoporosis as part of the Leaving Certificate included in the Home Economics programme. But education does start in childhood and the NDC School Milk Programme should significantly help to increase awareness of dairy products.
The Irish Osteoporosis Society and dairy share similar problems. There is a lot of misinformation about dairy and a lot of misinformation about osteoporosis.
The Questions You Need to Ask About Your Brand Today
Professor Damien McLoughlin, Smurfit Graduate Business School UCD, asked delegates to the NDC Conference a number of core questions:
* Is your customer still your customer ?
* Does your segment still exist ?
* Do your customers still value what you offer ?
* Have you built a customer persona ?
* Have you cut costs, or have you cut corners ?
* What investment are you putting in to your sales force ?
Professor McLoughlin concluded that consumers buy brands first on emotion, second on function. Building great brands takes a long time and patience. Companies need to be able to identify the skills in their firm and need to be able to identify the opportunities that may arise.
Given the speed of change, a scenario approach to planning should be considered.
The Role of Diet in Sport
Packie Bonner, Technical Director of the Football Association of Ireland, said: “Top performers need confidence, composer, focus and competitiveness. In addition to performance and health, good nutrition and diet is part of a player’s confidence because it effects how well well-prepared the player feels.”
Quote from Joseph Blatter, President of FIFA (2005): “The food and drink that players choose to consume can affect how they perform in sport and help them to stay fit and healthy. All players should choose food wisely to help achieve their goals in sport.”
"The Role of Diet in Sport" - an extract of a presentation by Packie Bonner, Technical Director, Football Association of Ireland