Survey lists food and beverage winners, highlights Canadian food trends

Toronto – Research company BrandSpark International has released the results of its 14th annual Best New Product Awards and they hold clues to which food products Canadians seek.

The program has more than 20,000 Canadian consumers vote on the latest health and beauty, food and beverage, and household products in 50 categories, the research company said in a news release.

The BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study is a comprehensive source of insights about Canadian shopping habits for everyday consumer packaged goods. More than 39,000 Canadians participated in the Study and the results are used to determine the winners of the 100 consumer-voted Best New Product Awards (BNPAs).

Food and drink winners
Alcoholic Cider – Strongbow Apple Ciders Gold
Baking – Duncan Hines Salted Caramel Brownie Mix
Bread/Wrap – Country Harvest Canadian Rustic Bean
Butter/Margarine – Becel Original with Simple Ingredients
Cheese – Black Diamond Natural Cheese Sticks – Marble
Cheese – Laughing Cow White Cheddar
Chocolate Bar – Brookside Dark Chocolate Tablet Bars
Chocolate Snack – Mars Bites
Coffee – NESCAFÉ Sweet & Creamy
Crackers – Twistos Garden Dill and Cream Cheese Baked Snack Crackers
Drink Carbonation System – SodaStream Power Sparkling Water Maker
Frozen Dessert – Chapman’s Yukon Moose Sandwich
Frozen Entrée – High Liner Marinated Portions
Frozen Pizza – Dr. Oetker Casa di Mama Pulled Pork Pizza
Ice Cream – Chapman’s Premium Maple Walnut Ice Cream
Juices & Drinks – Simply Orange with Coconut Water
Limited Edition Seasonal Chocolate – TURTLES Limited Edition Assorted 4 Flavours Box 67g
Meat Snack – Piller’s Salami Whips
Packaged Meat – Maple Leaf Canadian Craft
Pasta – Catelli SuperGreens Pasta
Protein Bar – Genuine Health Fermented Vegan Proteins+ Bars (Lemon Coconut and Dark Chocolate Almond)
Snack Bar – Special K Nourish Cranberries & Almonds Bar
Spread/Dip – Sabra Hummus Spreads
Yogurt – Liberté Caramelized Pineapple & Pecans

“The sheer number of new products that appear on store shelves each year can be overwhelming,” said Robert Levy, president and CEO of BrandSpark International and founder of the BNPAs. The Awards Program and the Study provide manufacturers with important insights about what Canadians look for while they shop.”

In addition to determining the winning products, the BrandSpark Canadian Shopper Study uncovers what is on the minds of Canadian shoppers. Highlights from this year’s survey include:

Canadians embrace innovation and are willing to pay for new products that deliver results
“We’ve seen Canadians’ interest in new products remain strong through economic ups and downs, with 75% embracing innovation,” said Levy. This trend extends to consumer wallets, with 67% stating they will pay “a little more” for a new product that truly appears to be improved. “Brands need to clearly show shoppers the benefit of their incremental innovations. Shoppers only report purchasing a new product for the first time on 13% of their shopping trips, so new products need to stand out.”

Canadians split on household shopping trips: 52% enjoy them while 46% prefer fewer trips
More Canadians enjoy household shopping than not, with 52% of shoppers saying that hunting for deals makes the trip fun. Fifty-six per cent regularly shop multiple stores to get the best prices, a proportion that has decreased modestly with the rise of price matching. Just 33% of shoppers say that the convenience of one-stop shopping is more appealing than the lowest prices. “With 46% of Canadians saying they would be happy making fewer trips to the store, we anticipate ecommerce shopping to rise in the future,” added Levy.

‘Natural’ over-the-counter health products resonate with 53% of Canadians
“Price is not always the only factor for over-the-counter health products,” said Levy, “55% of Canadians agree that they will often spend a lot more for health products they know work.”

Canadian shoppers believe in organic food products but aren’t willing to pay for them 
Thirty-six per cent of Canadians are convinced that organic food products are healthier, even though only 23% regularly buy them. Sixty per cent of Canadians stated they would buy more organic food products if they were less expensive.

Brand loyalty is on the decline as Canadians become “deal hunters”
Forty-five per cent of Canadians say they are not as brand loyal as they were a few years ago; an increase from 33% in 2014. “This decrease in brand loyalty is interesting,” added Levy. “It appears to be driven in part by rising food prices and the low dollar, as we’re seeing promotions drive product switching more than ever.” Seventy-five per cent of shoppers report checking print flyers each week, trying to find low price promotions. Still behind print flyers, digital flyer usage is on the rise, with 40% of household shoppers looking to them each week.

50% of Canadians believe that mass-market beauty brands are as effective as prestige brands
“We’ve seen a shift in thinking about beauty product efficacy,” added Levy. “Fifty-three per cent of shoppers believe that ongoing research and development is leading to more effective beauty products, and they don’t just think these come from prestige brands. Fifty per cent of shoppers believe that it is possible to get the same effect from mass market brands.”