Consultant editor Fiona Briggs plans to reduce food waste to offset rising prices
My local garage has stopped displaying its petrol prices on the price pole.
It's a pain because I had to pull up at the pump to read the latest price increase this week before begrudgingly filling up.
I asked about the display omission at the checkout.
"There's not enough room for all of the numbers," was the reply.
Hilarious but, unsettling too. After all, the petrol giants clearly didn't bank on petrol prices reaching such highs as £109.9 per litre (the current rate for unleaded at my local garage) when they constructed their forecourts.
But petrol, as we all know, isn't the only commodity on the increase.
This week alone, prices of basmati rice are reported to have rocketed and sugar prices too are on an upward trend as production levels fall off.
Global rice prices have now risen by more than 50% since the start of the year.
A shrinking supply, meanwhile, has been accentuated by the cyclone in Burma, which hit the country's key rice growing region.
Countries including India, Thailand, Bangladesh and Egypt have begun to set limits on rice exports in a bit to contain domestic supplies and stem price rises.
This, in turn, is impacting the global rice market.
RS Seshadri, a director of leading rice supplier Tilda, told the BBC: "Banning the export of rice produces a domino effect across the world market, increasing the pressure on demand from those remaining countries whose markets are still open and causing inflation in countries reliant on imports.
"Increasing global demand and shrinking supply, combined with soaring production and distribution costs are simultaneously conspiring to create a 'perfect storm' of high basmati prices," he said.
In such a climate – economic and meteorological – new research published yesterday by WRAP, the government waste body, could not have come at a better time to call consumers to action.
It reveals UK households waste £10bn worth of food per year, £2m more than was previously estimated.
According to WRAP's study, The Food We Waste Today, the average household throws out £420 of good food a year, rising to £610 in those households with children.
Perhaps of greater concern, more than half of the food that is thrown out is bought and left unused and untouched.
To put some flesh on those bones that includes 1.3m unopened yogurt pots, 5,500 whole chickens and 440,000 ready meals, which are thrown away each day in the UK.
In addition, £1bn worth of food that has not passed its use by date is chucked into the bin too.
The numbers, as WRAP no doubt intended their release to be, are shocking.
Liz Godwin, WRAP chief executive, said: "What shocked me the most was the cost of our food waste at a time of rising food bills, and generally a tighter pull on our purse strings.
"It highlights this is an economic and social issue, as well as about how much we understand the value of our food.
"Tackling the problem of food waste will be at the heart of WRAP's work over the next three years."
Environment Minister Joan Ruddock added: "These findings are staggering in their own right, but at a time when global food shortages are in the headlines this kind of wastefulness becomes even more shocking.
"This is costing consumers three times over. Not only do they pay hard-earned money for food they don't eat, there is also the cost of dealing with the waste this creates.
"And there are climate change costs to all of us of growing, processing, packaging, transporting, and refrigerating food that only ends up in the bin.
"Preventing waste in the first place has to remain a top priority. WRAP's advice on the changes everyone can make to ensure they cut their own waste – and their own bills – makes sense all round."
There's some good stuff there on portion control (spaghetti measurer anyone?), meal planning, use by and best before dates, store cupboard essentials plus tips to make the most of the food we buy.
There are also recipes from top chefs and WRAP's supporters for left overs and odds and ends.
Think I'll pass on the broccoli stalk soup though (with apologies to Irene Pizzie from Stoke on Trent).
But I will take some of the ideas on board – at least so I can pull confidently onto the garage forecourt, petrol prices unseen.
PS Thanks to Erith-based MH Foods for the free-from and healthy products submitted to assist my 'veggie week' – looming.
Fiona Briggs, consultant editor, takes a leaf out of the analysts' books and decides not to discount the discounters
Rising prices at the petrol pumps, rising food bills, rising gas and electricity costs have left me wondering if anything is actually coming down in price these days.
Aha, yes, I almost forgot, house prices. Doh!
As a result, I’m furtively searching for ways in which to make savings.
And, following a raft of recent news stories posted on Talking Retail and a recent visit to Lidl HQ in Wimbledon, I’ve decided that my food bill is the prime place to start.
I’m kicking myself really. After all, in my 7 March 2008 blog I predicted the discounters would take market share in grocery as the credit cinch became a full-blown crunch.
The latest data from leading research companies TNS and Nielsen supports that trend.
Reporting figures for the 12 weeks to 20 April 2008, TNS reveals Aldi’s share is up a staggering 17.4%. Lidl is up by 7.6% and Netto is ahead by 6%.
To put those figures into context, the grocery market as a whole grew by 6% during the period and both Tesco and Sainsbury’s underperformed the market with gains of 5.5% and 4.2% respectively.
“Aldi has been one of the main beneficiaries of the Kwik Save demise but this effect has largely run its course so the current performance is impressive,” reports Ed Garner, director of research at TNS Worldpanel.
Nielsen is of like mind. Its figures for the 12 weeks to 19 April 2008 show the combined sales for discounters are growing ahead of the market at 13% year-on-year and the discounters’ market share on food now stands at 5.5%.
A visit to the Whole Foods Market stand at last week’s Real Food Festival at Earls Court gave me further pause for thought.
Whole Foods Market’s marketing team leader, Ben Woodgate, claimed shoppers at his store were still keen to buy quality products.
However, he conceded there was polarisation in consumer spend.
“They ski in the Three Valleys but buy their clothes from TK Maxx,” he said.
Food, unlike clothing is not a discretionary purchase. However, just as shoppers have moved from Marks & Sparks to Primark, who’s to say they won’t increasingly turn to Aldi instead of Tesco?
Just check out Aldi’s latest TV advertisement, which features our own Quality Food Awards, for further incentives for shoppers to make a switch.
A visit to Lidl has finally persuaded me to give the discounters a whirl.
Like its rivals, it is keen to shout about quality products at low prices.
“If you want to make substantial savings on your weekly shop without compromising on quality, you can do that at Lidl,” Matthew Nobbs, Lidl supply chain director, told me.
“Why trade down on what you like eating. You can still afford it, just change supermarket.”
I will certainly give it a try.
And, in a week when the Competition Commission, effectively opened the door to more discounter competition, so may many more.
Consultant editor Fiona Briggs prepares for a veggie challenge
Hats off to Su Taylor in the Vegetarian Society press office.
Within days of posting my “I'm going to go veggie for a week” blog, she had sent me some packets of vegetable seeds.
Mixed salad leaves, Chantenay red carrots and basil along with a selection of postcards, leaflets and stickers to promote National Vegetarian Week (May 19-25, 2008) plus a booklet explaining, Why it's green to go vegetarian.
I'm impressed and then some. The very next day, I receive an email from Lisa and Pat Drummy at Beannie's Health Foods in Fareham, Hants, a Vegetarian Society approved business, which imports frozen foods.
They had learnt of my plans to go veggie for a week from The Vegetarian Society and have forwarded details of their “meat replacement” products plus some recipe ideas in case I'm stuck for what to eat during the week.
To be honest, I hadn't given it too much thought. Up until now I figured I'd simply eat my current diet, just lose the meat, poultry and fish. On reflection, it's probably not going to be that straightforward.
The Fry's products, which Beannie's markets, are made from something called Protam, a mix of soya, textured wheat protein plus herbs and spices.
Apparently the range has been recommended as a 'best buy' by The Ethical Consumer magazine and has an 'ethiscore' of 16/20 making it one of the most highly rated meat replacement products on the UK market.
I'm not too up on ethiscores but it sounds good. However, as enticing as Beannie's recipes seem to be, I'm not won over by the substitute meat theme.
After all, who would choose the understudy when you can have the lead?
Just as I am left pondering my veggie diet plans, I receive an email from Andrew Phipps, a senior client director at convenience consultants, srcg.
Andrew's read my blog and has also decided to go veggie for the week. Fantastic. He too thinks it will be a tough call but is bit more explicit about the pending challenge: “We're talking nothing with a face? Fish, chicken – the whole deal, yes?”
Mm. I hadn't looked at it that way before, but we agree to compare notes.
As I desperately try to block out the bowl of white bait I ate at the weekend (lots and lots of faces Andrew), another veggie-inspired email arrives.
This time it's from Pertwood Organic Farm & Cereal Company, offering a sample of its new organic muesli, banana & walnut.
Now, as I will be recording my vegetarian diet on my blog, I don't want to trip up at the first hurdle.
Consequently, I politely reply that I would be happy to sample the muesli although I don't eat nuts or drink milk but I'm neither allergic nor lactose intolerant.
No problem, replies Pertwood. It even recommends I try the muesli with orange juice as opposed to eating it dry.
It forgets to mention the walnuts, however, so I'll just ignore them, along with the fresh meat, poultry, fish…
Consultant editor Fiona Briggs on why the ice age cometh, not goeth
Ex-Atomic Kitten star and recent Priory guest, Kerry Katona, isn’t the only mum shopping at Iceland these days.
Indeed, if the frozen food specialist’s recent sales are anything to go by, Iceland is winning much broader appeal than D-list celebs.
The latest TNS Worldpanel data, which tracks grocery market year, shows Iceland’s share up 11.6% in the year to 23 March 2008.
Okay, Iceland’s 660 UK stores still only represent 1.7% of the total grocery market, but the growth is better than all of the top multiples, Morrisons (+11.4%) included.
In fact, only Aldi (+14.3%) is performing more strongly year-on-year.
Earlier this week, Andrew Phipps of global convenience consultants, srcg, tipped a "big comeback for the frozen aisle" this year, as consumers look to make cutbacks on their weekly shop.
In the light of rising food prices, Phipps highlighted the economical attributes of frozen food.
It’s a hot, or rather cool tip.
Figures just out from the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) show the frozen food market grew by 4.2% in the 52 weeks to 23 March (TNS again) and the sector has recorded improving growth, on an annualised basis, for the last eight quarters.
Specifically, fish is enjoying 10.9% year-on-year sales growth. Frozen potato products are up 7.8%, meat and poultry up 6.6% and frozen vegetables are steaming ahead by 5.8%.
The results come as no surprise to Talking Retail, which recently published the results of the leading frozen brands in our Top 100 Grocery Brands report.
Our figures, based on Nielsen data, were for all of 2007 and showed six out of the top seven frozen food brands in growth.
The trend, as the TNS data reveals, is continuing.
In frozen fish, Birds Eye and Young’s are competing head on. The result, according to the BFFF, is "terrific quality products being offered at very competitive prices".
Growth in frozen potato products, meanwhile, is being partly driven by price inflation but also promotional activity and npd.
Then there’s the Delia effect – David Craig take note.
Both McCain and Aunt Bessie’s are reaping the benefits of "glowing praise from the nation’s favourite cook", says the BFFF.
More grist to the mill then, or ice in the ice box, in this case.
As to the suggestion that frozen foods’ "biggest challenge will be that people don’t have enough freezer space because have been educated that chilled is best", I disagree.
I’ve just conducted a straw poll of office colleagues and all have fridge freezers in 50:50 proportions, 60:40 at worst. And, you only need to check out the Comet web site to clock the numbers of fridge freezers and American-style (read: super size) fridge freezers on offer.
And, I will also throw into the war chest (freezer), the fact frozen has appeal across the supermarket spectrum – at Iceland in the value market and at Waitrose at the premium end.
Interestingly, Waitrose is another beneficiary of the Delia effect. According to the Gazette online, the magazine of the John Lewis Partnership, 22 Waitrose own-label products feature in Delia’s How to Cheat at Cooking book including frozen fish, vegetables and fruits.
The Gazette also informs readers Delia even learnt a thing or too about frozen food and its preparation from Waitrose, proving you can teach old dogs new tricks after all.
While I don’t imagine the economical benefits of frozen food is the key appeal for Waitrose shoppers, I’m certain the wastage aspect is, not to mention the lure of more exotic freezer ingredients – frozen Alphonso mango any one?
I also notice the frozen food chain Cook is expanding with its 24th store recently opened in Banstead, Surrey.
It has grown in parallel with the growth of fresh and chilled foods – it even sells to farm shops and online and has just expanded its kids’ range and launched a range of frozen baby and toddler meals.
I don’t see Kerry Katona as a target customer but there are plenty of other mums who would be.
Consultant editor and carnivore Fiona Briggs on food shortages and ways to reduce environmental impact and help ensure food security
Fears of food shortages and food price inflation are gathering momentum.
This week it was announced the Prime Minister Gordon Brown has written to the chairman of the G8 group of industrialised nations to call for international action to tackle rising food prices.
In a letter to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, Brown said: "Rising food prices threaten to roll back progress we have made in recent years on development.
"For the first time in decades, the number of people facing hunger is growing. Food prices have risen sharply leading to food riots in several countries."
Why? Increased wealth and growing populations in developing countries have contributed to steadily increasing global demand for grains, for food and animal feed. And the position has been aggravated by rapidly increasing biofuel production.
"Meanwhile, recent crop failures in major producing countries are reminders of the expected consequences of climate change, as the frequency and severity of extreme weather events increase in years to come," added Brown.
Brown has called for support for developing countries, which import food and are facing higher bills.
He also suggests backing agriculture in developing countries to increase the opportunities for people to support themselves through trade.
The severe food shortages and the ensuing responses in countries including Haiti, Egypt and Bangladesh put the UK's rising food and fuel price inflation firmly into perspective.
Nevertheless, rising food prices are a worldwide issue and, while the UK situation should not be compared with what's happening elsewhere in the world, there is still cause for concern.
The latest BRC/Nielsen figures show an increase in food prices remains the main driver behind overall shop price inflation.
From a grocery retail perspective, food and fuel price hikes in the UK are already impacting supermarket market shares.
The latest TNS data shows retailers with a value proposition and discounters are winning at the expense of mid-market operators.
Similarly, value lines are selling well while premium offerings are falling out of favour.
Food and fuel price inflation is driving another interesting trend too.
Earlier this week I reported on Dobbies' financial results.
The garden centre chain, in which Tesco has a majority stake, revealed plant sales declined last year but it enjoyed a 22% increase for fruit and vegetables as the whole 'grow your own' trend moved forward.
Similarly, a recent article in the Guardian revealed UK shoppers are buying vegetable seeds in favour of flower seeds.
According to a top seed supplier, the split between vegetables and flower seeds was 60:40 five years ago. Today the position is reversed and in some areas is 70:30 in favour of vegetables.
The seed suppliers say growth is due to people being more interested in the environment, wanting to take back control of what they eat and reduce food miles.
In addition, however, they state that food and fuel price inflation is helping to drive the shift to vegetable growing.
"You can plant your garden with veggies for the price of filling your car up with petrol," said one supplier.
"£50 of seed is a lot of vegetables. People tell us they are planning to spend much more time in the garden now because they cannot afford to go out so much."
Talking of veggies, a flier from The Vegetarian Society has just landed on my desk. It's promoting National Vegetarian Week 2008, 19-25 May.
It claims eating a vegetarian diet is better for the environment. I'm intrigued, so I decide to check out its web site.
"Why it's green to go vegetarian" features lots of interesting facts and claims, largely about beef production but also about water use, pollution, wildlife and over fishing.
And it states "by feeding grain and vegetables directly to people (rather than livestock) we can increase the amount of food available to everyone".
"Going vegetarian is an easy way to lower your own environmental impact and help ensure worldwide food security," it proclaims.
Now, I can't do much to solve the global food crisis, but I can give up meat, for a week, at least. And, what better time to begin that in National Vegetarian Week?
I will be recording how I get on in my meat-free week on my blog.
Who knows, if I can keep it going, I could be heading down the garden centre for some vegetable seed packets.
Consultant editor Fiona Briggs on whether proposals for a tobacco display ban will prompt retailers to stop selling cigarettes altogether
On Wednesday I attended an Imperial Tobacco briefing, organised to bring the media and, in turn, our retail readers up-to-speed with the latest legislative developments in the sector.
It was no coincidence the event followed government proposals for a tobacco display ban and further restrictions, which grabbed newspaper headlines on Easter Monday when public health minister Dawn Primarolo spoke to the BBC.
But Imperial, and its rivals, certainly knew they were coming.
And, they will be acutely aware the anti-smoking lobby is no longer an irritating tickle but a wheeze, and fast developing into a big and loud chesty cough.
2007 was a particularly busy year in terms of tobacco legislation. Just to recap: The smoking ban was introduced in England on 1 July and in Northern Ireland and Wales in April. On 1 October the minimum legal age for tobacco was raised from 16 to 18 in England, Scotland and Wales.
So far in 2008, child safe lighter legislation came into force on 11 March and pictorial health warnings will appear on the back of tobacco packs later this year.
The impact? According to Imperial Tobacco, UK sales are down by 4%.
Imperial has branded the proposals to ban tobacco displays in retail outlets as "daft".
No surprise there, of course. And, it wants retailers to join its lobbying to oppose such action.
Why? Tobacco is a major grocery category, worth some £13bn in retail sales.
And, of the top 20 fmcg products, 11 are tobacco brands.
Imperial argues a display ban would hit sales and retailers will have to bear the brunt of new merchandising costs.
It has a point, or rather a number of points.
As Deirdre Healy, Imperial's corporate affairs manager, states: "Every consumer is entitled to see product and make an informed choice.
"We will absolutely defend the right of the retail trade to display the goods they have and show the prices."
Tobacco, as Imperial reminds us, is a legal product after all.
And what kind of precedent would a display ban set for other categories such as alcohol and, when we live in nation that is growing increasingly obese, sweets and snacks?
There are equally serious health implications associated with sales of products in those categories too.
But there are powerful counter arguments. Not least that by Imperial's own admission, sales in Ireland and Scotland, where smoking bans have been in place for longer, have started to recover after initial declines.
Imperial anticipates the same will happen in the rest of the UK. Hence, no doubt, the government's push on further restrictions.
Imperial presented some pretty grim pictures of retail outlets in Canada, where display bans are already in force in some states. Make shift screens, including a shower curtain in one store, were used to shield tobacco displays – not pretty, I assure you.
Now, I take on board the fact tobacco is a big and legal fmcg category and a leading footfall driver to grocery stores so that to remove tobacco from display altogether could be, in Imperial parlance, "daft".
However, in an increasingly corporately responsible retail environment, I could also envisage leading supermarkets preempting potential new display legislation by being the first to take products off display.
And, they would execute it in a far more sophisticated fashion than a shower curtain, I assure you.
Any potential display legislation could also provide the tipping point for retailers to exit the tobacco category altogether.
It's happening elsewhere in the world.
In the US, for example, Wegmans Food Markets, the 70-strong regional upmarket supermarket chain, which is ranked third on Fortune Magazine's list of 100 Best Companies to Work For, stopped selling cigarettes earlier this year.
Kevin Coupe, founder of the retail news web site Morningnews-beat.com, supports Wegmans' move and provides a balanced view.
"Good for them," said Coupe. "Not every retailer is going to do it and not every retailer should do it, necessarily.
"If you're going to make a part of your appeal good, fresh food and you're trying to be about health, it doesn't make sense to sell cigarettes. It makes sense. It's about being consistent and delivering a specific message to your customers."
Back in the UK, meanwhile, the discounter Lidl announced plans to stop selling cigarettes in its Scottish stores in November 2007.
Lidl claimed the move was part of a wider drive to position itself as a retailer with a strong health message.
As Coupe states, it's unlikely to be a trend that will sweep across a nation, but it does most certainly provide pause for thought.
Consultant editor Fiona Briggs on the implications of food price inflation
Another stormy week is drawing to a close and I am not just referring to the weather.
Once again, supermarkets have been grabbing the headlines and mainly because of rising prices and, boringly, carrier bags.
It began on Monday with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealing that food price inflation was up by 8.4% in the last 12 months – its highest level since 1986.
The ONS blamed rising meat costs in particular for the higher food prices.
Dairy producers and specifically cheese makers joined in the debate. They reported cheese prices have risen by almost a third in the past two years and warned of further price rises on the way as matured products come onto the market.
Wednesday was Budget day. Dull was the pejorative word used by political commentators to describe Alistair Darling's first bash at balancing the economy's finances.
I doubt that's how grocery retailers and consumers would sum it up. Unpopular would be far nearer the mark.
Tax rises on alcohol – 6% above the rate of inflation – will come into effect from midnight on Sunday.
That translates to a 4p rise in the price of a pint, 14p on bottle of wine and 18p on a 750ml bottle of sparkling wine.
Then there's extra duty on tobacco, already in play, with cigarettes up by 11p for a pack of 20.
And, of course, there was the warning shot to stores about single use carrier bags with the threat of legislation if retailers fail to reduce their usage.
On Thursday, when Morrisons released its preliminary results for the year to end 3 February 2008, outgoing chairman Sir Ken Morrison acknowledged: "The year under review saw the rise of inflationary cost pressures in a number of basic commodities such as dairy products and wheat.
"We fought hard to avoid passing these higher costs onto consumers, and we will continue to strive to operate at low cost in order to ensure maximum value for our customers."
According to a report on Bloomberg, Morrisons expects food price inflation to increase by between 2% and 2.5% this year.
And the same report reveals a leading investment bank has cut its recommendations on Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury's because of concern that higher food prices and a slow down in consumer spending will impact earnings.
More gloom then. And, it has all left me wondering what food stuffs and drinks will be left on my shopping list?
Meat, bread, milk, cheese, eggs, butter, alcohol…price rises are occurring on a growing basket of products. I'd turn vegan but I don't like nuts. Thank goodness I stopped smoking, otherwise, I'd be really out of pocket.
But supermarkets will at least be cheered by a new report released today by Verdict Research, which shows more people in the UK are shopping at their stores for non-food products.
In the last five years, the number of shoppers using supermarkets for their non-food needs has increased by 17% to over 62%.
Collectively, says Verdict, they are spending £19.7bn in supermarkets with shoppers attracted by both the convenience and competitive pricing.
As food prices rise, perhaps that non-food pricing strategy will prove to be a draw and help supermarkets maintain customer loyalty.
Consultant editor Fiona Briggs considers the rise of discount retailers in the UK grocery market
I'm going to make a prediction.
The leading discounters, Aldi, Lidl and Netto, will significantly expand their market share in the UK this year.
Their so-called no frills retailing will thrill UK consumers and their low prices, own label and branded mix, plus an increasingly 'upmarket' image will entice new shoppers into their fold.
It's very easy to see why and how.
A new report on the German retail market released today by Verdict Research shows discounters are on course to account for half of all grocery spend in Germany – that's phenomenal.
Elsewhere, in mainland Europe, the discounters are pushing their market shares above 30%.
Even in France, where the discount share is only just in double digits, mainstream grocers like Auchan have responded to the discount threat by introducing discount-style shop-in-shop areas in store.
Of course, the fact discounters were launched in Germany and other European markets, well before their arrival in the UK, has helped established their appeal.
However, the tougher economic climate in Germany, with high levels of unemployment and low consumer confidence, has certainly been a driving factor in discount growth in recent years.
Sound familiar? With all the recent talk of high food price inflation, the credit crunch and increased costs of borrowing, the UK economy appears to be taking a similar turn.
And, as a result, it is expected that UK consumers will start to tighten their belts.
Nielsen's Mike Watkins has suggested that in such a worsening economic climate, consumers will look to make savings and the grocery shop is where they will find them.
In particular, consumers will move away from premium lines to better value products.
That will be music to the ears of the discounters.
They shout about better value. Just visit the home pages of Aldi, Lidl or Netto.
They are all about low prices, savings, offers and being cheaper.
However, they also claim to offer quality at the best prices and it's that message, which will drive UK shoppers to their doors.
Market leader Aldi has been canny. As Verdict Research points out, it only offers own label so the consumer has no way of comparing prices.
It's probably been at the forefront of promoting a more upmarket image too – it was a winner in our own Quality Food Awards last year – so it is certainly getting some things very right indeed.
Lidl and Netto, meanwhile, both offer top brands so will be a draw for shoppers keen to make savings on family favourites.
To date, the discounters have been held back from lack of store space – it's no coincidence all three feature their property requirements online.
They may pick up stores from the sale of the Somerfield estate but will be also intent on driving extra traffic to existing sites.
Should the big four be worried? Yes, I think they should. The discounters are poised to take market share.
Tesco has already introduced a so-called no frills offer to compete. Asda, unsuccessfully, trialed a discount format, Essentials. Arguably, it was ahead of its time.
I've often heard it said the car parks of the discounters are filled with BMWs and Mercs.
Soon they will be filled with Ford Mondeos and Vauxhall Corsas.
The smart money is definitely on so-called smart shopping.
Consultant editor Fiona Briggs on being in the media spotlight
What a week and I couldn't have imagined a better one to launch my first 'Briggs' Blog'.
Yesterday, Talking Retail launched the Checkout/Nielsen Top 100 Grocery Brands report.
Hard copies will be landing on the desks of Checkout's former subscribers today.
If you are not one of those lucky readers, the report, including the Top 100 league table, is also available to view online along with some bonus features, not included in the print version.
It's already caused a bit of a stir. The nationals have run with it –broadsheet and tabloids – as has radio, online and TV.
There's more coverage in the pipeline too, so don't forget to check the weekend press for report highlights and follow-ups.
As a result of the media buzz, I've found myself in an unusual role reversal situation being interviewee rather than interviewer.
Yesterday, and I make no apologies for bragging, I was twice summoned to the BBC at White City to be interviewed for TV.
The first was for Working Lunch, where I was mildly grilled by Adam Shaw and Nick Wood about the report's key finding – that ethical shopping has gone mainstream.
On reflection it was fun, but daunting given that you only have a few minutes to get your point(s) across.
Before going on air, I was ushered into the green room with my lovely "media mummy" Maria. After make-up – a little powder, I avoided the Cuprinol treatment – Adam entered for a brief, brief chat about the report's key findings.
In terms of pre-recording preparation that, it seemed, was that.
I was subsequently whisked onto the set, miked up and quizzed live on air.
Later in the afternoon, having just returned back home, I pick up a call from a researcher from BBC News 24.
He had just seen the Working Lunch footage and wanted me back to talk about Marks & Spencer's plan to charge for carrier bags.
There's good synergy with the Top 100 report – growing consumer concerns for the environment – so I wasted no time in deciding to accept.
I was scheduled to appear at 8pm but before I even left for the studio, breaking news about Prince Harry serving in Afghanistan intervened.
It pushed me understandably down the schedule but I still got a two-minute slot with questions from Anita McVeigh.
No preparation or briefing on this occasion but at least I managed to name check our report and Talking Retail got a plug too – hurray.
And that, once more, was that.
In the car driving back home, it struck me just how quick and timely live media has to be.
I guess it's the nature of the beast. But yesterday TV condensed the Checkout Nielsen Top 100 report – all of its meticulous research, data and thousands of finely polished words – into five minutes of airtime.
Equally, the M&S story, which is based on a deep and forward-thinking environmental strategy – the one it calls Plan A – was squeezed into a two-minute sound bite.
For those of us in the industry, we can dig behind the headlines and read more (viz; checkout our Top 100 brand profiles).
But while the TV coverage may only be skin-deep it does have, however, a greater power to inform and a much wider reach.
And, for that, I'm grateful for the media spotlight.
