Localvore or Just Loco

LOCALVORE OR JUST LOCO?

Apparently in a bid to prove they are hip to the trends, we hear that Kraft Foods, of all people, are preparing a major ad campaign promoting themselves as localvores.

The other astounding part to this rumour is that Chef David Hawksworth has been signed to be their spokesperson.

We’re not sure what this portends. Does it mean that Hawksworth is going to have to say he stocks up on Kraft Dinner and Oreo Cakesters? Or will he merely be dreaming up recipe cards using local ingredients paired with Velveeta and Triscuits?

Well, this part doesn’t bother us so much. It’s quite obvious why Kraft would want Hawksworth to shill for them, and he’s already appeared in promotions for President’s Choice products (although this trend for high level reputation comadeering is starting to make Umberto and Rob Feenie’s endorsement of the White Spot look pretty tame in comparison).

(UPDATE: Shortly after this post we received an email from a Kraft marketing rep outlining how Chef Hawskworth will be the celebrity judge for a nation-wide cooking contest using Kraft Salad Dressings in combination with a "secret local ingredient". The winner to receive a trip to Italy. Maybe we should run another contest on what better ways Kraft could be spending their dollars if they sincerely want to join the Church.)

What’s really disturbing about this bit of marshmallow fluff is that Kraft would have the gall to try and cross this marketing bridge in the first place.

In Spring 2007 we attended the International Association of Cooking Professionals (IACP) Conference in Chicago. A representative of Kraft Foods was a key speaker at the opening address (presumably because Kraft was a major sponsor for the 3-day event.)

What clearly stands out in memory was the audience listening drop-jawed with amazement as a shiny, young executive from Kraft outlined the company’s future plans for getting its share of the lucrative and growing organic foods action.

Sadly, it hadn’t seemed to have occurred to the mega industrial food company that they might use the millions they had allotted for the plan (not to mention their legislative lobbying power) to assist small family farms to produce healthier and better quality products. Their buying power alone could help legions of them to survive. Instead, what we heard was that their prime focus would be to engage in a lot of expensive lobbying for a looser and wider definition of labeling laws and organic terminology so that it could be legally applied to a wider band of products.

“This” said the Kraft executive, “would enable more people to be able to buy ‘organic’ food products. People trust Kraft” he went on to say, “And so we have the responsibility to educate the general public about what this new segment is all about, and make it more accessible to them."

(If you don’t believe us about this, ask Salt Spring’s famous organic farmer, Michael Abelman. He was sitting on the same guest speaker’s panel. )

Who knows, we will have to wait and see what the content of the Kraft “Eat Local” campaign actually says. Perhaps Kraft has turned the wheel and done a full reversal on their thinking from a year ago. But if not, then their PR releases are going to have to be a masterpiece of spin, David Hawksworth’s association or not.

Added: From what we gather by the update above: Kraft's first move looks like it is going to be to invest heavily in a marketing campaign that will link their products with locally grown food in order to imply that they share the same virtues, without of course, having to meet the same standards..