Last year it was pointed out that the word ‘artisan’ doesn’t mean anything anymore. S.T. VanAirsdale thinks the same is now true of the word “fresh”.

• Consumers have gravitated towards ‘fresh’ food because eating is no longer thought of as fuel for the day. It’s meant to be an experience in itself.
• Fast food restaurants like the word ‘fresh’ because it sounds good but doesn’t require any investments in high-quality or health conscious ingredients.
• Yet food marketed as fresh can be sold at a premium.
• For those who can get it to work, the strategy is effective. Domino’s share price has increased 400% since its successful freshness campaign. Subway beat McDonald’s to become the largest food chain because Subway was perceived as fresh.
• Taco Bell is currently trying to compete with Chipotle by releasing its own line of ‘fresh’ products while Arby’s is trying to throw doubts about Subway’s freshness by raising questions about where the meat is sliced.

The full article has many more fascinating anecdotes and points about the freshness wars. It’s well written and you should head on over here to read it.

Source: Slate