The podcast for curious food industry minds, hosted by Julia Glotz.
Episodes
Friday Mar 05, 2021
Friday Mar 05, 2021
Julia and Laura are joined by Barbara Bray MBE, a food safety and nutrition consultant and founder of Alo Solutions.
They talk about Sainsbury’s new slogan, Wrap’s inaugural food waste action week and what the latest Kantar figures tell us about discounters vs supermarkets and the importance of online.
Plus, they discuss food poverty and making the case for a legal right to food, Ocado’s new mini warehouses and an innovative Dutch supermarket app called Crisp.
Articles discussed in this episode:
‘Calls to make access to food a legal right’ | The i
‘Dead-cat distractions & sticky slogans’ | Mediatel News
‘Aldi and Lidl lose out as UK online grocery sales hit new heights’ | The Guardian
‘Ocado raises capacity to reach larger swath of UK’ | FT
‘Dutch supermarket app Crisp raises €30m’ | Sifted
Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk
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Friday Feb 26, 2021
Friday Feb 26, 2021
Laura and Julia are joined by Monisha Singh, shopper marketing manager at Kepak. They discuss the latest Home Bargains results and how variety discounters are becoming food destinations, lessons for the meat industry from the no & low alcohol boom and Aldi being voted supermarket of the year by Which?.
Plus, they chat about the future of duty-free shopping and why clothes from Tesco and Sainsbury’s are making waves on TikTok.
A big thank-you to Shopper Intelligence for sponsoring this week’s episode.
Articles discussed in this episode:
Another Strong Year For Home Bargains; Maintains Ambitious Store Target | NAM News
Can a gin-free cocktail really raise our spirits? | The Observer
Aldi named supermarket of the year by Which? | The Independent
Tesco and Sainsbury's clothes are trending on TikTok | Glamour
Duty-free retail is finding new ways to grow | The Economist
John Lewis to close more stores | The Sunday Times
Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, subscribe and leave a review.
Friday Feb 19, 2021
Friday Feb 19, 2021
Laura and Julia are joined by Lowri Tan, CEO of Little Tummy. They talk about the key takeaways from Mel Smith’s City Food Lecture, including how data-driven tech can help with meal planning, shareholder pressure on Tesco over the obesity crisis and the race to offer 10-minute grocery delivery.
Plus, they chat about fermentation in the context of alternative proteins and that infamous Weetabix tweet featuring Heinz baked beans.
Articles discussed in this episode:
‘Tesco under fire for lack of action on obesity crisis’ | Financial Times
‘Groceries in 10 minutes: the next delivery battleground’ | The Times
‘Coca-Cola company trials first paper bottle’ | BBC News
‘Food shoppers ‘unlikely to revert to pre-crisis shopping habits’, says Ocado | Food Navigator
‘This cream cheese doesn’t have any milk—just lots of Fusarium strain flavolapis’ | Fast Company
‘Weetabix sales surge following baked beans social media post’ | The Grocer
Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, subscribe and leave a review.
Friday Feb 12, 2021
Friday Feb 12, 2021
Julia and Laura are joined by Tom Richardson, a former supermarket category director and now commercial director of Warrendale Wagyu.
They chat about key shopper trends for 2021, post-Brexit import struggles and a new ‘meat by mail’ service launched by a former HelloFresh exec.
Plus, they discuss calls for an online sales tax and a new animal welfare app trialled by Waitrose.
A big thank-you to Shopper Intelligence for sponsoring this week’s episode.
Articles discussed in this episode:
‘Three key trends that will influence grocery shopping habits in 2021’ | The Grocer
‘UK importers brace for 'disaster' as new Brexit customs checks loom’ | The Guardian
‘Tesco calls for Amazon and online rivals to be hit by 1% sales tax’ | The Independent
‘DNA samples to be used to ensure cattle traceability’ | Farmers Weekly
‘HelloFresh co-founder launches Well Seasoned, a new meat-by-mail service’ | The Spoon
‘UK food retailer Waitrose unveils new mobile animal welfare app’ | The Pig Site
Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, subscribe and leave a review.
Friday Feb 05, 2021
Friday Feb 05, 2021
Laura and Julia are joined by Emily Daw, who is part of the strategic and corporate development team at Bakkavor Group.
They discuss Unilever’s ‘nano factory’ trial, the latest Kantar grocery stats and PepsiCo’s eye-catching new joint venture with Beyond Meat.
Plus, they talk about how to make insect protein palatable to UK consumers and why the online shopping boom as caused a cardboard shortage.
Articles discussed in this episode:
‘Unilever trials portable travel factories’ | Food Manufacture
‘British lockdowns drive acceleration in grocery sales growth’ | Reuters
‘UK shoppers balance new year’s good intentions with life in lockdown’ | Kantar
‘Your wine delivery’s delayed — Amazon has all the cardboard boxes’ | Sunday Times
‘Grubs up! Mealworms are on the menu – but are we ready for them?’ | The Guardian
‘This startup has invented an ice cream with fat you can’t absorb’ | Sifted
‘PepsiCo and Beyond Meat launch ‘win-win’ Planet Partnership joint venture’ | The Grocer
Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, subscribe and leave a review.
Friday Jan 29, 2021
Friday Jan 29, 2021
The Pick List is back for season 3! Julia and Laura are joined by Donal Denvir, GB general manager for Bord Bia.
They chat about trade disruption in the wake of Brexit, soaring bread prices in Ireland, the fate of the ready meals category post-Covid and whether supermarkets are doing enough to cut plastic.
Plus, they discuss why Brits don’t seem to value UK-grown food as much and why major advertisers have pulled out of SuperBowl advertising this year.
A big thank-you to Shopper Intelligence for sponsoring this week’s episode.
Articles discussed in this episode:
‘Consumers facing 9% increase in cost of bread’ | Irish Times
‘It would be feast, not famine, if we learnt to love our own food’ |The Sunday Times
‘UK supermarkets not doing enough to cut plastic use, says report’ | The Guardian
Has Covid finished off ready meals? | The Grocer
‘Lazy Britons aren’t the reason for the UK’s migrant workforce’ | FT
‘Pandemic prompts Super Bowl ad rethink in US’ | BBC News
Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, subscribe and leave a review.
Friday Dec 18, 2020
Friday Dec 18, 2020
Laura and Julia are joined by John Giles, divisional director at Promar International. They chat about Brexit brinkmanship and the impact on food and drink, the evolution of the recipe box model and Asda’s Christmas shopping safety measures.
Plus, they discuss an innovative employee influencer programme at Walmart and what the UK food industry can learn from how Chile markets its cherries in China.
Check out Laura’s new website for her Lavenpark consultancy business and Julia’s weekly newsletter, The Trim, which has just been recognised by Sifted.
Articles discussed in this episode:
‘Billions in no-deal Brexit help for farmers and factories’ | The Sunday Telegraph
‘Meal kits face competition from the microwave’ | Wall Street Journal
‘Asda beefs up anti-Covid security for Christmas’ | BBC News
‘Even more Chilean cherries for 2020/21’ | Fruitnet
‘Inside Walmart’s growing army of employee TikTokers’ | Modern Retail
‘One Stop partners with Deliveroo offering delivery from 200 stores’ | Charged
Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, subscribe and leave a review.
Friday Dec 11, 2020
Friday Dec 11, 2020
Julia and Laura are joined by Bryan Roberts, retail analyst and founder of Shopfloor Insights. They chat about Bryan’s experience working on the Tesco shopfloor during the pandemic, why (some) supermarkets are paying back their business rates relief, the biggest trends from the latest Waitrose food and drink trends report and why we’re running low on ginger.
Plus, they discuss a new DTC concept from Kraft Heinz on the Continent, the retail proposition at Gridserve’s new e-forecourt in Essex and what’s next for Harrods.
Articles discussed in this episode:
‘Asda joins rivals to pay back Covid rates relief’ | BBC News
‘Kraft Heinz to deliver meals all over Europe’ | Retail Detail
‘Kraft Heinz gaat in Europa maaltijden aan huis bezorgen’ | FD
‘UK’s first all-electric car charging forecourt opens in Essex’ | The Guardian
‘Harrods boss Michael Ward: ‘It’ll take us years to rebuild’ | The Times
‘Home bakers snap up ginger stocks amid global shortage’ | The Times
Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, subscribe and leave a review.
Friday Dec 04, 2020
Friday Dec 04, 2020
Laura and Julia are joined by Claire Handley, head of marketing UK for ingredients maker Moguntia. They chat about Covid cooking fatigue and the rise of convenience foods during lockdown 2.0, why Brits are embracing kimchi and Thanksgiving, and Singapore’s landmark decision to allow lab-grown meat to go on sale.
Plus, they discuss Unilever’s trial of a four-day working week and Sainsbury’s virtual queuing app.
Article discussed in this episode:
‘Thanksgiving embraced as Britons find any excuse to celebrate’ | The Times
‘Singapore grants world’s first approval to lab-grown meat’ | FT
‘Britons were the lockdown bingers of Europe, finds study’ | The Guardian
‘Kimchi proves an unstoppable trend as exports to UK fly’ | The Grocer
‘Unilever is experimenting with a 4-day workweek’ | Fortune
‘Sainsbury’s and Asda push rollout of virtual queueing systems’ | The Grocer
Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, subscribe and leave a review.
Friday Nov 27, 2020
Friday Nov 27, 2020
This week, Julia and Laura are joined by Simon Day, head of marketing at Winterbotham Darby. They talk about Simon’s first-hand experience of using TikTok and why the platform remains underused by the food industry, the latest food trends forecast from Whole Foods (‘epic breakfast everyday’ is a firm favourite) and Morrisons’ new Market Kitchen concept.
Plus, they chat about what’s next for the desk lunch and how founder-led businesses can get comfortable with money while keeping their authenticity.
Articles discussed in this episode:
‘Camden Town Brewery faces identity challenge following full AB InBev integration’ | The Grocer
‘Whole Foods reveals top 10 food trends for 2021’ | Food Navigator
‘Consumers Christmas shopping earlier and planning smaller gatherings’ | The Grocer
‘The happy future of the sad desk lunch’ | Quartz
‘Morrisons unveils latest Market Kitchen outlet’ | NAM News
Learn more about our show and get in touch at thepicklist.co.uk
If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, subscribe and leave a review.