McCain Foods turns 'chips' category around

Oven chip specialist McCain Foods' efforts to reformulate its product range combined with a targeted PR campaign has helped it to successfully navigate the healthy food storm that has engulfed the UK over the past few years, its corporate affairs director has claimed.

Faced with the prospect of its business disappearing back in 2006 when the popular image began to be promulgated that "processed foods were junk", McCain embarked upon a campaign to rehabilitate the health credentials of the humble spud and chip, McCain's Bill Bartlett told a conference organised by the Food, Drink and Agriculture group of The Chartered Institute of Marketing last month.

"Four years ago we were in the eye of a storm and the impact was quite dire,"reported Bartlett. He noted that scare stories ranging from Sudan 1 and Para Red dye contamination in food;Jamie's School Dinners TV programme;various cancer scares;and health and wellbeing concerns were all taking their toll on sales.

However, Bartlett said the result of McCain's efforts between 2006 and January this year paid off: "We managed to get our products back in growth and we have been credited with turning the category around."