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• IRISH EXAMINER: Thinking local in a global sense: Why buying Irish will save jobs 

  April 27, 2021 Profiles and Interview
  

  Thinking local in a global sense: Why buying Irish will save jobs

  Agri-food sector shows resilience in spite of Covid and Brext
  SUN, 25 APR, 2021 – 17:05

  RAY RYAN

  Love Irish Food aims to help shoppers make informed choices about buying Irish food and drinks. That’s because every Irish product on the shelves is a real home-grown story about people working on farms and in factories, on retail floors, and in deliveries.

   

  “It’s simple. Buying more Irish-made products helps Irish businesses survive and protects Irish jobs,” the website says.

   

  The need for that support is now more relevant than ever as the food chain adapts to the challenges resulting from Brexit and Covid-19.

   

  Ireland, a country with a global reputation as an agricultural country, imported 72,000 tonnes of potatoes, 47,000 tonnes of onions, 29,000 tonnes of tomatoes, 23,000 tonnes of cabbage and 15,000 tonnes of lettuce in 2017.

   

  But there is now growing evidence that consumers are responding to the Love Irish Food message and increasingly buying Irish products.

   

  Recent research by Kantar Worldpanel revealed that 44 of the top 100 selling grocery brands in Ireland during 2020 were Irish produced. This cohort has grown by 18% to a total of €1.07bn in combined sales.

   

  Kieran Rumley, executive director, Love Irish Food, which commissioned the research, said the contribution of Irish food and drink brands to local and national economies is both vital and immense.

   

  Educating consumers

  It aims to educate consumers to recognise Irish brands and help these businesses to survive and protect jobs.

   

  “This is critical in the current climate in the context of the global health pandemic and will be crucial in driving economic recovery,” he said.

   

  Last year, despite the largest disruption to global markets since the end of the Second World War, the value of Irish food, drink, and horticulture exports was valued at €13bn, a marginal 2% decline.

   

  However, the domestic food service industry (out of home) collapsed with the prolonged closure of pubs, restaurants, and hotels. But a surge in home cooking boosted the retail sector.

   

  Economist Jim Power also noted during a recent Love Irish Food webinar that Ireland imported over €8bn worth of food and drink products in the first 11 months of 2020.

   

  Britain accounted for 47% of that total, but in the context of Brexit, some of these products are becoming more difficult to source and more expensive.

   

  The restaurant sector took a big hit during Covid.

   

  “There has to be potential for import substitution — in other words producing locally, what we previously imported.

   

  “The decisions taken by Irish consumers can play a key role in this regard. The role of Love Irish Food is to help inform consumers about the impact of such decisions on local communities and local economies.

   

  “This message has resonated with many people during the Covid-19 crisis, and the objective now is to ensure that post-pandemic consumers will not forget the importance of supporting local producers,” he said.

   

  Mr Power, a board member of Love Irish Food, said the agri-food sector was instrumental in pulling the Irish economy out of deep recession after the 2008-2011 period.

   

  The economy now finds itself in another difficult situation as a result of Covid-19. Some sectors have been particularly damaged by the pandemic and the associated restrictions. It will be necessary to rebuild them as quickly and as effectively as possible.

   

  Rebuilding economy

   

  Mr Power said the sector will eventually revert to normal, and then it will have to play a significant role in rebuilding the overall economy, and particularly rural economic activity and employment, Love Irish Food must play a key role in driving home the importance of consumers making informed choices about buying Irish brands but ultimately it is the purchasing decisions of consumers that will matter most, he said.

   

  Rowena Dwyer, Enterprise Ireland, replying to issues raised during a recent Seanad debate on Brexit, said there are opportunities relating to import substitution.

   

  “We have already seen some of our own companies looking more at the domestic market opportunities and growing from there,” she said

   

  Tanaiste Leo Varadkar, speaking on a Love Irish Food webinar last month, said the food and drinks sector, despite the extraordinary challenges of the past year, has shown great resilience and had evolved to meet the needs of its customers domestically and internationally.

   

  Ireland should be proud of its strong reputation as a supplier of safe, nutritious, and sustainably produced food and work to enhance it for the benefit of farmers, fishermen and other producers, he said, adding that the Government will play its part in that regard over the coming months.

   

  Earlier this month, Bord Bia began a new year-long programme to support the €2.5bn Prepared Consumer Foods (PCF) sector.

   

  With the UK accounting for 70% of its total exports, the sector carried a significant Brexit exposure.

   

  The full and first tangible impact of that exposure was highlighted in January — just one month into post-Brexit trading, with year-on-year PCF exports to the UK decreasing by 19% (€28m).

   

  Total exports (in value terms) of prepared consumer foods globally were down 18% in January compared to 2020. This €37.5m decline was the largest decrease since the onset of the pandemic, and the first reflection of the impact of Brexit on trade

   

  Last month, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State Martin Heydon led a series of Bord Bia organised meetings with key global customers.

   

  The need to diversify into new priority markets for innovative prepared consumer food product companies a key message Bord Bia and over 50 Irish prepared consumer food (PCF) companies also hosted some 500 virtual trade meetings over six days with buyers from key export markets.

   

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• IRISH FARMERS JOURNAL: Love Irish Food announces their Double Up Awards

  July 10, 2020 Profiles and Interview
  
  Love Irish Food announces their Double Up Awards

  Janine Kennedy

  Winners will receive marketing support and a total of €40,000 worth of radio advertising space in 2021’s second quarter, writes Janine Kennedy.
  

  Love Irish Food

  PreviousNext

  It’s often said that, during economic downturns, advertising and marketing are the first budgets to be cut in small and medium sized businesses. With the announcement of Love Irish Food’s 2020 Double Up Awards, this problem is being addressed head-on with a top prize of a “Double Up” totalling €200,000.00 in radio air time. In partnership with Core and Media Central, Love Irish Food will give five Irish food companies the chance to double their spend on radio advertising in the first and second quarters of 2021. Kieran Rumley, executive director of Love Irish Food, says this is a bit of a departure from their usual awards.

  Brand Development Awards

  “For the last number of years we’ve run the Brand Development Awards for smaller producers,” he says. “This one is for those who are a bit larger and may have advertised before. The aim is to give them a stronger budget they can plan for now.”

  In light of the business interruptions that occurred throughout the COVID-19 lockdown and with the uncertainty of Brexit on the horizon, Kieran says that amplifying the voices of Irish brands has become increasingly important.

  “At the moment, people seem focused on (what will happen) this year, but I really think next year we’re going to have the ultimate fallout,” he says. “Hopefully, by then, COVID-19 will have been well-handled, but the cliff edge is Brexit. We don’t know yet what will happen, but the signs are not great, at the moment, for a smooth transition.”

  “There is a lot of good will at the moment (among consumers) with shopping local, supporting local and staying local,” he continues. “We want to move that intention into a bit of action, to encourage support of local brands, of foods produced here in Ireland and especially those that use local ingredients where possible. We want to give these brands a stronger voice to consumers; to give them a better edge against imported competitors.”

  While Love Irish Food awards are usually geared toward brands that are members, this year they have opened things up to both members and non-members; giving all Irish food brands an equal opportunity to win. Along with winning a €40,000 radio advertising budget for the second quarter of 2021 (matching a spend of €40,000 on advertising in the first quarter), Love Irish Food, Core & Media Central will work with the winners to plan their advertising campaign in accordance with their brand objectives. Winners will have their campaigns shared across Media Central radio stations, which include Newstalk and Today FM. Media Central’s eight stations achieve a weekly audience of over two million.

  It is hugely important that we support this Irish industry and other locally owned businesses in every way that we can

  Gavin Deans, Media Central’s managing director, says it’s a crucial time to support Irish food producers.

  “It is hugely important that we support this Irish industry and other locally owned businesses in every way that we can,” he says. “We hope this initiative can do just that by allowing the winners to reach a much wider audience, over a longer period, across our network of stations than might otherwise have been possible and provide a base to build on in 2021.”

  To register, brands must submit their company details before 5:30pm Friday, 24 July, 2020. Then, registered brands can submit their completed entry form online before 5:30pm Friday, 28 August, 2020.

  The judging panel includes Kieran Rumley (Love Irish Food), Eddie O’ Mahony (Core) and Gavin Deans (Media Central). Judging will commence in September, with the five winners to be notified on Monday, 28 September.

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