Frozen foods: McCain Foods



By switching its chip recipe to sunflower oil McCain has successfully re-launched its brand and dispelled some of the bad health myths around frozen chips. In a bid to give its consumers clarity on the issue of nutrition labelling, McCain has also opted to put both GDAs and traffic lights on its packaging, and has launched Rustic Oven Chips, which carry all-green traffic lights. Buyers have also been impressed with its lighthearted TV campaign.

Second place: Birds Eye, Northern Foods Third place: Masterfoods, Schwan's



Cereals: Weetabix



Weetabix won votes from buyers because of its ongoing ability to listen to individual company needs, offer strong promotional deals and work actively in the field advising on range and merchandising. The well-supported launch of Oatibix and Oatibix Bitesize in August last year was warmly applauded. Weetabix has also been innovative in its marketing activities, notably offering free packs of Merlin Football Stickers in Weetos to celebrate the World Cup.

Second place: Kellogg Third place: Cereal Partners

















Ambient meals: Masterfoods



Dolmio is the market-leading Italian wet cooking sauce, with a 42.5% share of the £269.2m market. The brand grew 3.7% in value in the year to 24 February 2007, thanks to Masterfoods' relentless efforts on availability and the help it provided to retailers on layout and space planning, according to James Mills, Masterfoods category director. The brand's main advertising focus has been its two-year sponsorship of ITV's This Morning.

Second place: Unilever UK Third place: Heinz

















Biscuits & cakes: UBUK



The overall biscuits category has grown by 1.4% in the latest year, of which McVitie's commands a 36% share. Growth has come about thanks to the introduction of healthier, low-fat options, as well as innovation in the indulgence market with the recent introduction of McVitie's Lights and Moments. The company has also provided retailers with more display-ready units.

Second place: Burton's Foods, Northern Foods Third place: Bahlsen, Nestlé















Crisps, nuts & snacks: PepsiCo



Relaunched at the beginning of 2006, Walkers Crisps are now cooked in Sunseed oil and contain 70% less saturated fat and 25% less sodium. PepsiCo believes this change is helping to revive the overall crisps market. Walkers impressed buyers with its work around shelf-ready packaging, flexibility on pack sizes, and NPD. Walkers Baked has just been launched and Walkers Sensations, now a £100m brand, has been relaunched.

Second place: UBUK Third place: P&G



Bread & morning goods: Warburtons



Warburtons achieved national distribution last year and launched its first-ever national TV campaign in January this year. This year-long campaign aims to attract consumers to the new areas of Warburtons' portfolio under the strapline 'Bakers Born and Bred'. The brand will receive a £20m investment during 2007. Warburtons' premium products, such as its fibre-rich white loaf Healthy Harvest, have also encouraged consumers to trade up.

Silver: British Bakeries Bronze: Allied Bakeries







Canned foods: Premier Foods



Premier Foods gave the beans category a much-needed boost with a PR and ad campaign that pitched Branston Baked Beans, launched in 2005, against Heinz in terms of taste. The beans has already commandeered a 6.3% share of the total beans category and added £15m to the category. This year's £3m marketing budget includes TV. New lines are expected to be launched. Buyers were particularly impressed by its supply chain efficiency.

Second place: Heinz, Del Monte Third place: Princes

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