Spices and Herbs

product demonstrations, displays, product samplings, make recipe leaflets or place
advertisements or advertorial in the form of recipes in their in-store magazines. Recipes or
suggestions in trying the spice in a different dish are given on the package of most spices
and herbs.
Consumers tend to have a high brand loyalty in deciding which spices or herbs to buy and
often purchase refill bags. There is still little known about which individual spices or herbs
should be used in which dish, so packers consider that giving customers suggestions for
their use is a very important sales aid.
Fresh herbs are now more often bought impulsively and can be found near vegetable
displays which are visited by a much a larger group of consumers. Dried spices and herbs
are stocked by most supermarkets with blocks of jars and refill bags together, arranged by
brand. Colour-coded lids have more impact when the blocks are displayed and a few
supermarkets now have spices or herbs arranged in alphabetical order.
The use of promotional “hot spots” and recipe leaflets/booklets are generally providing
consumers with reasons to try new products. Promotional hot spots of a range of six spices,
brought together by a common theme, have been introduced, often in combination with
recipe leaflets, to maintain consumer interest and stimulate impulsive purchasing.
5.6.1 Trade fairs
Generally, grinders, processors, packers and retailers keep themselves informed of the
latest developments by visits to trade fairs all over the world. Here they can get an
impression of new products and the latest trends and varieties in convenience foods. The
key international trade fairs are the Food Ingredients Europe in Paris (France), the
European Ethnic in Birmingham (UK). The largest EU food exhibitions are the ANUGA
in Köln (Germany) and SIAL in Paris (France). The most important European trade fairs
are given in table 5.1:
92