We Are What We Eat

"One factor is the consistent decline of the consumption of canned soup -- in Canada, it has declined 30 percent in the last ten years."
"That decline is happening in both Canada and the United States. We had to make the difficult decision to consolidate. The Toronto plant was the oldest and the smallest. We produce more soup than we can actually sell."
"Consumers' preferences have definitely changed, and our job and our commitment is to change with them and adapt to where they are going."
"Consumers are snacking more, less often having three square meals a day, and they are looking for healthy foods, better-for-you foods and, obviously, the taste profile of the foods is evolving."
Ana Dominguez, president, Campbell Canada

"[As for the decline in confectionery manufacturing sales], That's due to a combination of plant closures -- cereals declined dramatically due to the closure of the Kellogg plant in 2013 -- and the overall business shrinking, in response to industry trends."
"Demand [for processed food] is not what it used to be. The centre of the grocery store [where packaged goods tend to be placed] is getting smaller, and that is probably going to continue."
Kevin Grier, food industry analyst, Guelph, Ontario

Snack foods like chips are notorious for having a high salt content. But the categories of processed foods assessed by Health Canada that are not making any progress in cutting salt include bakery products, salted butter and margarine, and, not surprisingly, sauces, dips, gravies and condiments. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

"We offer ready-to-eat, ready-to-heat meals in all of our stores."
"Certain stores have a more expanded offer. It's a growing business for us that we are putting more focus on. The quality for us is improving. We think we can get more share of stomach than we have currently."
Eric La Fleche, chief executive Metro Inc.

"Most national brands are slaves to their past branding strategies. They are just trying to make sure that the products are moving."
"Metro, Sobeys and Loblaws are all trying to increase the size of the periphery [of the supermarket shelving]."
"[Fresh baked goods, deli foods, meats, dairy products and ready-to-eat meals are featured on the peripheries of the stores.]  They are taking more and more space."
Sylvain Charlebois, dean of management, Dalhousie University, Halifax

According to Dr. Charlebois, a "bloodbath" is taking place among foreign owned mass food producers in Canada. The announced closing of Campbell's Toronto plant, the planned closure of the Dr. Oetker frozen pizza factory in Grand Falls, New Brunswick, represent prime examples of large corporations fleeing falling sales and attempting to fall in line with the consuming public finally taking to heart health advice -- linked to the quality of foods being consumed -- by public health agencies, dietitians and the medical community.

The growing phenomenon among populations world-wide -- and most distressingly hitting young children -- of obesity linked to fast food, convenience foods, unhealthy food products, leading to the onset of diseases like Type 2 diabetes, in turn triggering heart and stroke conditions and early deaths has led to a tardy, but welcome wake-up call to the general public. To an extent, in any event, the message that consumption of fresh whole foods beats processed, high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar foods is resonating.

No one wants to deliberately hasten their mortality. And though bad eating habits are hard to break, it can be done, and since consumers' emerging choices and pocketbook decisions are impacting on the huge food producers who have traditionally marketed processed foods for their convenience, taste and affordability are seeing their products languishing on supermarket shelves, they recognize that their traditional market is shrinking. They have no wish to be left behind, so they're developing coping strategies, hoping to be in the lead in offering consumers what they seem to want.

The decline in national brands that produce boxed, canned and jarred goods boasting labels like Nabisco, Kellogg and Chef Boyardee have read the writing on the wall. The ingredients they depend on which have come under fire from dietitians badly require strict editing. The goods that fail to move off supermarket shelves are being pried off them now by resorting to price markdowns, persuading those still trusting in their food value to get them while they yet can.

Companies' food portfolios are of necessity now diversifying. The testing and developing of new products has  been hastened. The new focus on healthy which spurs consumers to spurn the old standbys represents ample warning that food processors would do well to rethink, reconfigure and recant. Sales of breakfast cereals in Canada fell to $488-million in 2016 from $1.57-billion in 2012, a fairly swift transition.

Eating the kinds of food products once considered convenient and good tasting such as Tang drink crystals, margarine, crackers, soda pop and the majority of dry breakfast cereals has dwindled as the message by dietitians encouraging fresh food and home-cooked meals with the use of whole grains and raw ingredients has entered public consciousness. Soup sales in Canada declined to $699.9 million in 2017 from $709.4-million in 2012. Chilled fresh soup sales has been growing at a rate of six percent annually in the past five years.

Dr. Alfred Aziz, chief of Health Canada's nutrition regulation and standards division, says the results of the evaluation are disappointing. (Health Canada)

A concerted move to consume more fresh foods and to reduce dietary intakes of salt, trans fats and sugar means that packaged goods manufacturers have received a hearty thumping of disapproval evidenced by slowing sales and best-before dates sitting stale on supermarket shelves. Unfortunately the ongoing trend toward eating fewer meals at home in favour of increasingly enjoying meals taken in restaurants puts a bit of a crimp in the new awareness of whole foods and fresh foods.

Still, the fast-food corporations, grocery stores and branded outlets are diversifying even while manufacturing jobs are melting away as the production of traditionally produced processed foods has lost its market. But convenience still reigns supreme. The large and popular specialty fresh food markets that capitalize on drawing people to shop at their establishments, featuring fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy products and choice meat cuts are now setting aside wide aisles to feature whole-food convenience meals, pre-prepared and ready to serve.