Mccain Case Study
1. Describe the measures that McCain is taking to inform the public about the nature and nutritional qualities of its chips.
Mccain headquarters has been kept plenty busy on the public relations front, as a growing number of U.S. communities ban their use in food preparation. That trend has sent huge ripples through the food industry, where the first step in eliminating trans fats begins - in the processing phase.
The health risks of large amounts of saturated fats have been agreed upon for years, but it has only been relatively recently that trans fats earned a similar reputation. So as more communities began debating bans on use of trans fats in restaurants, McCain Foods choose to accelerate its efforts to be rid of them, van Schaayk says. It centered its marketing efforts around a “Better For You” awareness campaign, which now includes 16 food service products.
Equally important is the company’s efforts to educate food preparers. As the CEO of McCain Mr. van Schaayk notes, McCain Foods can do all it might to eliminate trans fats from its products, but if a local chef tosses them in a pan with trans fat laden oil, their efforts have been for nothing.
“We have trained our sales force, and our independent brokers, to help communicate that message clearly,” van Schaayk said.
The food industry overall also needs to get the word out, van Schaayk believes. “We think the industry needs to move more quickly, to give the general public confidence in the food that they eat,” he noted.
“The danger is that the public doesn’t understand why you’re trying to change your product,” van Schaayk. This is especially true with a product with a long history with consumers.
McCain is therefore working with two marketing firms to help it with the public awareness campaign. As part of the effort, it is reaching out to public school systems and nutritional organizations, to help them realize that McCain has made their products healthier.
2. Why is it important for a
Mccain headquarters has been kept plenty busy on the public relations front, as a growing number of U.S. communities ban their use in food preparation. That trend has sent huge ripples through the food industry, where the first step in eliminating trans fats begins - in the processing phase.
The health risks of large amounts of saturated fats have been agreed upon for years, but it has only been relatively recently that trans fats earned a similar reputation. So as more communities began debating bans on use of trans fats in restaurants, McCain Foods choose to accelerate its efforts to be rid of them, van Schaayk says. It centered its marketing efforts around a “Better For You” awareness campaign, which now includes 16 food service products.
Equally important is the company’s efforts to educate food preparers. As the CEO of McCain Mr. van Schaayk notes, McCain Foods can do all it might to eliminate trans fats from its products, but if a local chef tosses them in a pan with trans fat laden oil, their efforts have been for nothing.
“We have trained our sales force, and our independent brokers, to help communicate that message clearly,” van Schaayk said.
The food industry overall also needs to get the word out, van Schaayk believes. “We think the industry needs to move more quickly, to give the general public confidence in the food that they eat,” he noted.
“The danger is that the public doesn’t understand why you’re trying to change your product,” van Schaayk. This is especially true with a product with a long history with consumers.
McCain is therefore working with two marketing firms to help it with the public awareness campaign. As part of the effort, it is reaching out to public school systems and nutritional organizations, to help them realize that McCain has made their products healthier.
2. Why is it important for a