From The Straits Times    |

'Artisanal' foods latest marketing ploy among manufacturersThe term ‘artisan’ may conjure up images of cheese makers crafting wheels of cheese the old-fashioned way and bakers mixing dough by hand.

But a scan of major grocery store shelves reveals that many food manufacturers are slapping the label on their mass-produced items in a bid to appeal to the latest consumer appetite for promises of traditional craftsmanship.

According to Datamonitor, more than 800 new products released over the past five years carried the term ‘artisan’ on their packaging, as consumers move away from processed foods, reported industry website FoodNavigator.com this week.

While the label is most commonly associated with foods like bread, cheese and chocolate — finicky foods that historically require special skills to produce — major food manufacturers like Campbell’s and Frito-Lay have been tapping into the selling power of the label, said Datamonitor’s Tom Vierhile in an interview with the trade website.

Campbell’s, for instance, announced an “artisanal transformation” of its new Harvest Orange Tomato Soup launched last month, Domino’s touts Artisan pizzas, while Frito-Lay also sells Tostitos Artisan Recipes tortilla chips.

But as Vierhile points out, the term is simply a marketing tactic to suggest that the product was made with special care or ingredients.

Meanwhile, the Good Food Awards, sponsored by US-based Gilt Taste and Whole Foods Market, announced the finalists in their second annual competition this week, in which food producers and famers will be judged on the authenticity and craftsmanship of their products.

Winners will be announced in January in categories like beer, charcuterie, cheese, chocolate, coffee, pickles, preserves and spirits. — AFP RELAXNEWS