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MCEWAN OF SHAW'S: FOSTERING A DIALOGUE

EAST BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Twenty-five years ago, consumers were on the outside of corporate America, looking in."But the industry's attitude is different today because we realize if we don't listen to what consumers are asking about, then they will simply go elsewhere," Margaret McEwan, vice president of consumer services and quality control for Shaw's Supermarkets here, told SN.McEwan also chairs

EAST BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Twenty-five years ago, consumers were on the outside of corporate America, looking in.

"But the industry's attitude is different today because we realize if we don't listen to what consumers are asking about, then they will simply go elsewhere," Margaret McEwan, vice president of consumer services and quality control for Shaw's Supermarkets here, told SN.

McEwan also chairs the Food Marketing Institute's Consumer Affairs Council.

"Clearly there's been an attitudinal change by supermarkets and by all companies toward consumers," McEwan told SN.

"Buying food is a very personal thing because it's something you put into your body, and the supermarket has always been physically closer to customers than almost any other business.

"Supermarkets used to be simply distribution vehicles. But now consumers are making demands on that mechanism and expecting more from that relationship."

Initially, most communication between supermarkets and consumers was one-way, "with consumers giving input to the stores or the supermarkets dispensing information to the customer.

"Now we're dealing more with an ongoing dialogue in which customers are providing us with information or demanding very specific information about personal concerns -- like nutrition, for example -- and we in turn are seeking out answers to their questions."

FMI's Consumer Affairs Council helps consumer specialists at member companies answer customer questions, McEwan explained. "The council is a resource group that provides information on such issues as pricing accuracy, unit pricing and nutritional education," she said.

The council's role also includes keeping members informed about issues that might become important, she explained. "We give the members warnings about TV programs that will raise certain issues and provide background information that will be useful and that they can personalize for their own use," McEwan said.

"Right now we're particularly involved in providing information about the nutritional labeling changes that will be required this month. If consumers have questions about the label format, we're the ones who will provide the information to respond.

"We're also involved in the area of biotechnology, with specific regard to BST."

McEwan, whose own background is in biotechnology, said food-safety concerns will continue to be a big issue for the industry.

It wasn't until the early 1970s that supermarkets began to recognize the value of having consumer affairs executives on their staffs, McEwan said.

"The meat boycotts of the 1970s was the major issue that brought home the message that supermarkets had better listen to consumers," she told SN. "It was those protests over meat pricing that taught consumers they had no control individually but had a lot of control as a group."

That was when most supermarket executives learned the wisdom of paying more attention to what customers thought, after years of fighting against consumer input, McEwan explained.

"As with any change, many people came around kicking and screaming," she said, "but it was clear from that time on that they would have to be more responsive to consumer issues."

Consumer affairs executives at supermarkets have almost always been women, "though in other industries they are generally men," McEwan said.

"Clearly, there was a lack of female representation in the supermarket industry years ago at the corporate level, and it seemed the most natural link to female shoppers was to have a woman representing them.

"And that isn't changing. While most food technologists are men, the departments they report to are most often headed by women."

FMI's Consumer Affairs Council has only one male member -- Paul Bernish, director of public relations for Kroger Co., Cincinnati.