Business Leaders' Forum
Geoff Eaton
New England Seafood International boss and former Premier Foods and Uniq director Geoff Eaton spoke about obesity and retail.
Eaton: “We started off the day with the biggest issue of all – which is the changes that are happening in the grocery trade.
“The big four are feeling the pressure of the limited range discounters. Consumers are showing now that they are looking for real value and they want to trust that the price and value that is offered by the retailer is simple and easy to understand.
“Our industry absolutely depends on access to the right skills in order to maintain the efficiency of the industry. We need to excite young people. There’s so much opportunity, we don’t do a good enough job of doing that.”
On obesity he said: “The very strong view in the room was that the industry had done an awful lot in focusing on healthy foods and that we should leave consumers to have free choices.
“It’s about much better education in terms of balanced diet and healthy lifestyles.”
Watch our video filmed at the event with Eaton to find out what his views on a ‘fat tax’ were.