Report reveals that consumers favour Irish Brands

Consumers are increasingly buying Irish brands as we move on from the global health pandemic brought about by Covid-19, delegates at a key food and drinks industry symposium hosted by Love Irish Food.

The Love Irish Food webinar, ‘Embracing Change – Adapting to Change’ which was streamed live online , includes an opening address from CEO of Bord Bia, Tara McCarthy, and keynote speaker James Wilson, Food Director of Dunnes Stores, on the future of Irish produced food and drinks brands.

Consumers favour Irish Brands

According to research from Kantar, to be presented during the Love Irish Food conference, 43 of the top 100 selling grocery brands in Ireland during 2021 were Irish produced.

Over the past year, the combined sales of these 43 brands have grown by 2% compared to the first year of the pandemic, to a total of €1.10bn. This is a 29% jump in just five years since 2016. These Irish brands currently capture 48.1% of the money spent among the top 100 selling take-home grocery brands in Ireland.

David Berry, Managing Director, Ireland at Kantar Worldpanel will present the research at the Love Irish Food symposium. Other industry experts include James Wilson, Food Director at Dunnes Stores, Professor Joe Bogue and Dr Lana Rapar, UCC Dept of Food Business and Development.

Commenting, Kieran Rumley, Executive Director at Love Irish Food, said:

“As we move on from Brexit and the global health pandemic to a period of geopolitical instability the contribution of Irish manufactured food and drink brands to the local and national economies in Ireland is both vital and immense. Buying more Irish-made products helps Irish businesses survive and protects Irish jobs, which is critical in the current climate and will be crucial in food security and driving economic recovery.”

The research shows that new shoppers continued to fuel growth for 88% of growing Irish brands, a 4% increase last year, contributing to the positive result of over half (55%) of brands maintaining or increasing their market share.

As lockdown measures persisted through 2021, spending on food to be consumed at home remained strong, with a staggering €1.2bn more spent on food in the home compared to the same spend in 2019. However, new trends are emerging. New store openings are signalling a shift in retail focus to ‘bricks and mortar’ shopping, while for consumers a new challenge is inflationary pressure with 2.4% food price inflation recorded in the latest 12 weeks alone.