Sneak Preview of New Labels

As the development of the new product labels continues apace, we thought that now might be a good time to give you a sneak preview of what they will look like.  Although they are a couple of months away, our new product labels will look like the example below (although not, as is the example, somewhat pixilated due to being resized for use in this article!).  We have also negotiated a very favourable arrangement with our label suppliers, allowing us to make changes to labels (and to design new ones) more cost-effectively.  This will mean, for example, that we will no longer release new products under the temporary monochrome labelling as we have done in the past.  All new products will be released with full-colour labels, giving us a much more consistent brand presence.

The new labels are intended to resolve a number of issues associated with our existing product labels:

1. They are full colour, and will provide us with a more professional and "premium quality" shelf presence.  This will make it easier for us to get the products into larger stores, such as IGA's, upmarket grocery chains (such as Thomas Dux, Harris Farms, etc.).
2. They clearly state our unique selling points: that we are 100% wheat free, 100% gluten free, 100% peanut free, free of additives and free from genetically modified inputs.
3. They will adopt standard terminology for identifying additional "free-from" characteristics.  The most significant of these is the adoption of the term "Fructose Friendly™" to denote those products which are safe for people who suffer from Fructose Malabsorption Allergies, but standard terms for the absence of yeast, dairy and nuts will also be prominent.

We are presently in the process of revalidating the detail of the label information (including weights, pack sizes, nutritional information, etc.) for every product in our range, prior to signing-off on the new labels.  We have already identified and resolved a number of minor errors or omissions in the existing labelling and no doubt more will be discovered and corrected before the process is complete.  Once this data validation exercise is complete we will then need to check and sign-off on proofs from the printers before the new labels can begin to appear on our products.

We are hopeful that we can complete this process within the next three months and that you will see our new product labels on the shelves no later than the end of June 2010.