**The Meeting Part 2** So, what else did we ask… and what did they say? Here goes: IF YOU ARE LABELLING YOUR SOYA MILK WITH NUT TRACE WARNINGS WILL YOU LABEL YOUR NUT MILKS WITH SOYA WARNINGS? Alpro says ‘no’, because its nut milks have never been labelled as having been made in a “soya free” facility. BUT we have found nut milk cartons that clearly state “no soya”, leading many consumers to assume they are made in a soya free environment (see image attached). IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOUR WEBSITE AS A MEANS OF INFORMING CONSUMERS OF THE FACTORY CHANGE, WHY COULDN’T/CAN’T YOU USE A CARDBOARD WRAP (SEE ATTACHED IMAGE WHERE ALPRO IS ADVERTISING THE NAME CHANGE ‘CREMOSO’ FOR ITS ‘FRUITY & CREAMY’ YOGHURT) OR AN M&S-STYLE ‘ALLERGY UPDATE’ LABEL (ALSO PICTURED) TO TELL US ABOUT CHANGES, WITH A LINK TO YOUR ONLINE FAQS, WHICH CAN EXPLAIN ALL THE CROSS CONTAMINATION PROCEDURES? To be honest we didn’t get a straight answer – something along the lines of there being some 350 different Alpro packs affected by the merger, but no direct explanation. WILL YOU REMOVE THE TRACE LABELS UNTIL SUCH POINT AS YOU ACTUALLY DISCOVER TRACES? The answer to this, as you have no doubt guessed, was ‘no’. Or, to quote communications chief Ann De Jaeger: “As a company we need to take a decision about packaging now… We discussed we will take whatever measure possible to make cross contamination “impossible” but we don’t know yet what that will be… We don’t know the full impact of [production director] Olivier’s exercise. He might realise there are constant traces.” WILL YOU REMOVE TRACE LABELS WHEN THE FACTORY IS UP AND RUNNING AND YOU HAVE PROOF THERE ARE NO TRACES? Again, Alpro fell far short of committing to this key request, although Ann De Jaeger said: “We will certainly evaluate and make the assessments when there is more information… Internally it’s a decision that we cannot take in advance. But it’s stupid people that do not change their minds.” We’d agree with that. WILL YOU AT LEAST KEEP THE MANUFACTURE OF JUNIOR 1+ AND SOME YOGHURTS SEPARATE SO THEY DEFINITELY NEED NO WARNING? Again – no. The merged factory will apparently make all of the soya products and it is not possible to separate the key Junior 1+ and yoghurt from the rest. We’re not exactly sure why, however, as their reasoning was exceedingly vague. Will every product really be made in one lone factory with no option for separation..? BUT WILL YOU BE RELEASING ANY BATCHES IF YOU FIND CROSS CONTAMINATION? Head of production Olivier Galard initially agreed outright that “no” products would be released if cross contamination was found. Pressed on this, however, Alpro refused to re-state this is the case, although Galard laid out detailed plans for eliminating risk: “In this preparation phase we are bring together all the experts that we have. We’re putting a lot of effort to elaborate an effective allergen management system…We’re very thorough… We are redesigning our infrastructure. We can put a wall somewhere, so no cross contamination…There will be batch testing… Every batch will have been tested. Every run.” Head of nutrition Christine Debeuf insisted: “We will do everything we can to avoid cross contamination.” WHAT ABOUT THE SUPERMARKETS THAT SELL YOUR PRODUCTS, EG TESCO? WILL THEY HAVE NUT WARNINGS? The answer here was that every retailer will be able to make its own decisions on what to put on the label: they will send their own experts in to examine the factory sites and make judgments accordingly. SO WE COULD HAVE A SITUATION WHERE THE EXACT SAME PRODUCT FROM THE EXACT SAME FACTORY IS SOLD BY ALPRO WITH A TRACES WARNING AND BY TESCO – WHO HAVE OPENLY DECLARED THAT YOU MAKE THEIR SOYA MILK – WITHOUT? Yep. And given that the majority of supermarkets are refusing to reveal whether Alpro makes their soya milk, and Alpro cannot disclose the information due to “confidentiality”, the consumer will be none the wiser. How does this leave consumers “informed”, we wonder? WHAT ELSE DID WE POINT OUT? • Specialist paediatric allergy dietitian Lisa Waddell noted the huge cost implications to the NHS of Alpro’s move: currently doctors and dieticians advise dairy allergic children to use Alpro calcium-fortified soya, including the Junior 1+ formula, which is the ONLY calcium-fortified non-dairy formula suitable for children aged 1-2. “It would take the number one milk substitute out of play. There is no equivalent junior milk on the market. It will have a phenomenal cost for the NHS.” If Alpro Junior 1+ is ruled out these children will have to stay on prescription amino acid formula at £30 a tin, consuming an average of nine jars a month: a cost of £270 per child. • We pointed out the huge impact to children with dairy and nut allergies, for whom the option of going to a Costa coffee bar or Starbucks or any of the cafes and chains offering Alpro soya provides the chance to feel “normal” and included. While their families and friends sup coffee and cake they can enjoy a cup of Alpro soya milk. They don’t always have to be the ‘allergy kid’ who is visibly ‘different’. For even a highly sensitive child a fresh carton of Alpro soya, opened in front of their parent/carer and poured into a fresh paper cup can be a manageable and first introduction into consuming something out of the home in a social setting. Not only is it important for these children to feel they can socialise like everyone else but it can be one of the first steps for them and their families into the world of dealing with eating out with allergies. It presents an opportunity to have something that is ‘served’ and not from an individual pre-packaged, sealed bottle. It’s something that can be done fairly regularly to build up confidence without huge amounts of pre-planning or expense. Not only will it mean these children will no longer have a ‘safe’ drink, but the knock-on effect will be their friends and families will have to find other places to go. Given the popularity of Alpro soya as a dairy alternative in the catering industry that may be easier said than done. So the result? Included allergy kids excluded again. Having had something and then it being taken away is an added blow. Perhaps a bit ironic given Alpro’s message about being a life style brand for “everyone” • We told them it must be the most ludicrous consumer campaign ever – we are actually begging them to let us, as loyal customers, continue to buy their products! • We told them that a nut trace warning means we will NOT buy it – the allergy parent shopping mantra is: *Product ‘contains allergens’? Put it back on the shelf *Product ‘may contain allergens’? Put it back on the shelf *Product states nothing about allergens? Make further investigations and if satisfied with the cleaning processes and risk assurances, buy that product They seemed taken aback by this and asked us to reiterate it later on in the meeting. They seemed to believe that a ‘traces’ warning was a cue for a food allergy parent to ask more questions about risk, but we set them right on that. It suggested to us that they had not properly consulted with anyone with allergies in the process of making their decision. Although Ann De Jaeger insisted: “We have colleagues who are allergic” we would venture to argue that it’s better to consult people NOT employed by Alpro • We told them that nurseries, schools, hospitals etc who currently rely on Alpro soya for their allergic children will no longer be able to buy or use their products if they contain a “traces” warning We’ll leave the last word to Alpro. Comms chief Ann De Jager: “I really share [your] feelings. We have colleagues who are allergic or who have kids who are allergic. Don’t underestimate the close connection we feel. Our mission is naturally plant based products, caring for people, the planet.” Marketing chief Tim Smith: “This touches us as employees and touches us as human beings. The issue is a sensitive one. As a brand we’ve always taken great care in how we educate consumers. We are passionate about helping people make a positive choice.”
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 11:31:02 +0000
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