CESME, Turkey — Plenty of competition exists in the global pulse industry, but there is one area where countries are co-operating.
“We’re ready to start rolling out the marketing of the global brand,” said Gord Bacon, chief executive officer of Pulse Canada.
The brand is a joint initiative of the Global Pulse Confederation, the American Pulse Association, the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council and Pulse Canada.
It can be used for promotional purposes by food manufacturers, retailers, traders, exporters, growers, pulse industry associations, government, non-government organizations and research institutes. The objective is to increase consumer awareness and stimulate global pulse demand.
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“What we’ve lacked until recently in the pulse industry is a common front to work together,” Bacon told delegates attending the 2016 Global Pulse Convention in Turkey.
Organizations will pay a US$50 administrative fee to use the brand on promotional material.
Growers, exporters processors, food and pet food manufacturers, retailers and foodservice providers can pay a $1,500 annual fee to use the brand on food labels and advertising.
They can use it on an unlimited number of products as long as they meet the eligibility criteria of pulse ingredients accounting for five percent of the formulation by weight and being one of the top five ingredients by weight.
Daria Lukie, manager of brand development with Pulse Canada, said it is nice to have an image that universally represents pulses.
“People don’t know what pulses are and they don’t have something that they can see and recognize,” she said.
Food companies are already starting to use the brand on their packaging, including the Princes Food and Drink Group, a British company that supplies European grocery stores.
“They have the pulse brand coming out right now with 82 million cans,” said Lukie.
Major food companies such as General Mills, the Campbell Soup Company and Loblaws have also expressed interest in using the brand.
The brand is flexible and can be customized for the desired message in different markets, such as adding a health claim.
It was developed in consultation with a brand advisory committee, which had representatives from Africa, India, Canada and the United States.
It will be administered by the Global Pulse Confederation’s brand management committee, which includes representatives from Canada, the United States, India, Australia and Turkey.
Bacon said the brand is a way to carry on the momentum built by the 2016 International Year of the Pulse.
