Dive Brief:
- Overall satisfaction with food manufacturers fell 2.4 percent in the most recent ACSI survey. The drop is the first in the food category in three years. Rising prices are seen as part of the cause for the drop.
- Heinz has held the top slot in the food category in the American Customer Satisfaction Index since 1999. But this year Heinz wound up in a three-say tie with General Mills and Quaker.
- The standout loser in ACSI is Tyson, whose meat products lag behind rivals such as ConAgra, Kraft and Hillshire. In the 20 years that the ACSI has been conducted, Tyson has never exceeded the average industry score.
Dive Insight:
The ACSI is an interesting and well-conducted bit of research. But it always leaves us wanting more. No doubt that's because we read the free version of the ACSI survey results, which tell us things like DrPepper Snapple brands have higher scores than Pepsico brand, but doesn't tell us the scores for individual brands. No doubt ACSI's paying customers get more detailed information. Here's hoping someone leaves such a report on their desk the next time we visit their office.