Food firms ‘will be left on e-shelf’ if they neglect online retail

Food processors must tackle the complexities of online retailing or risk being left behind, a leading global agri-food analyst has warned.

Rabobank senior analyst John David Roeg said food companies of all sizes will need different strategies to make products stand out against the competition. Processors can help “online-proof” their goods by ensuring their goods are not filtered out by consumers whose searches include terms such as ‘gluten-free’ and ‘low sodium’.

A Rabobank report, entitled ‘Food Processors Challenged by Online Growth Dynamics’, predicts that the growth of online food retail is a game-changer for processors, similar to the impact of self-service supermarkets in the 20th century.