Friends of Glass invites European consumers to map their taste

Global taste experts & European consumers join forces to define the ‘Taste of Europe’ - Today, Friends of Glass launches the ‘Taste of Europe’ campaign in a bid to discover what tastes best represent the diverse range of cultures across Europe.  Friends of Glass, an influential community movement that encourages Europeans to look beyond the label and choose glass packaging, is inviting consumers to #MapYourTaste via a fun online quiz. All findings will be combined to define the ultimate ‘Taste of Europe’.

Speaking on behalf of the Friends of Glass community, Vitaliano Torno, President of FEVE, the European Federation of Glass Packaging Manufacturers said: “FEVE is committed to make consumers aware of the benefits of glass packaging. The ‘Look Beyond the Label’ campaign focused last year on health and the inertness of glass. With #MapYourTaste, we are supporting consumer trends and European Food and Beverage cultural heritage.”

Globally renowned taste experts such as Andreas Larsson, Swedish Wine Sommelier, voted Best Sommelier of the World; Arno Steguweit, Europe’s first Water Sommelier from Germany; Caroline Furstoss, French Wine Sommelier 2014; Professor Giorgio Calabrese, a renowned Italian Nutritionist; Guillermo Cruz, voted Spain’s Best Sommelier in 2014; Jane Peyton, UK Beer Sommelier of the Year 2014-2015; and Christophe Baert, chef and Vice-President of in the Belgian Euro-Toques Association, have worked with Friends of Glass to create a foundation taste map, which shall be extended by consumer input throughout the continent.

Consumers who take part will also learn more about why glass is the packaging option that best preserves premium taste and untainted quality of any food or beverage. Commenting on an existing body of scientific research that has examined the impact of packaging on taste, Professor Dieter Schrenk, an expert in Food Chemistry and Toxicology at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany states: “Taste is one of the most important yet vulnerable properties of food. Effective and reliable preservation of any taste is amongst the most critical requirements food packaging materials must fulfil. Glass is the ideal food packaging material because of its tightness and inertness; it does not interact with the food or its flavour components.”

The #MapYourTaste campaign will tour various European cities as part of a Friends of Glass taste festival during 2015, including EXPO Milano from 25-29 May, Salon de la Revue du Vin de France on 5 June or at Taste of London from 17-21 June. The campaign will continue until the end of 2015 also visiting other European cities like Hamburg, Munich and Madrid.

How to take part and #MapYourTaste

•Go to www.friendsofglass.com/mapyourtaste and complete the quiz to #MapYourTaste

•Discover how your preferences will feed into the Taste Map

•Learn more about different tastes from peer consumers and our Taste Makers

•Join the Friends of Glass Community on Twitter at @friendsofglass or Facebook or on www.friendsofglass.com/tastemap to stay up-to-date the #MapYourTaste  campaign or share your results and whether you are surprised

•Enjoy the pure taste of your food and drink. Choose Glass

For more information on the #MapYourTaste campaign, please contact:

Michael Delle Selve, Senior Communications Manager, FEVE, m.delleselve@feve.org ,+32 (0)2 5360080

Christian Prior, Weber Shandwick Brussels, +32 (0)2899013, cprior@webershandwick.com OR nlawton@webershandwick.com

ENDS

Defining Taste via the Friends of Glass Taste Map:

Salty, sweet, bland, sour or bitter are five taste categories that are generally agreed as the core parameters to define taste. Spicy and cool tastes can be added to broaden the spectrum. Friends of Glass has created a foundation taste map with global taste experts - this map will act as the basis for the campaign which will be further elaborated on as consumers contribute their own preferred taste. The experiment is open to everyone; mums, dads, nutritionists, dietitians, food lovers everywhere, be it fine-dining enthusiasts, professional chefs or home-cooking maestros, foodie bloggers, taste connoisseurs, wine sommeliers, beer buffs and home brewers – the list is endless.

About Glass Packaging:

An increasing number of Europeans surveyed (87% in 2014 compared to 74% of those surveyed in 2010) recommend glass as their number one packaging choice for food or beverages. This clearly demonstrates consumers trust glass as one of the most pure and inert materials. Glass is made of natural ingredients, is inert, and has no chemical layers. This also means that it doesn’t alter the taste of your food and drinks, and protects the taste and quality of the contents within – which means that glass packaging can also help reduce food waste by extending shelf life. Scientists have also conducted extensive research on the health and safety benefits of glass packaging.

About Friends of Glass:

Friends of Glass is an influential European consumer forum that supports and promotes the right of consumers everywhere to choose food and drink products in glass packaging. It unites all those who believe glass is the clear choice for taste preservation, personal health and the environment. Friends of Glass was initiated in 2009 by the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) in response to a pan-European survey, commissioned by FEVE in September 2008, in conjunction with the research agency, InSites; which found that 74% of European consumers prefer glass packaging for their food and drinks. Today, this figure has increased to 87%.

About FEVE:

FEVE, the European Container Glass Federation, is the association of European manufacturers of glass packaging containers and machine-made glass tableware. The federation represents the glass container industry at an international and European level, serving as a forum for examining common questions. FEVE maintains a dialogue with the European institutions and agencies on environmental, trade and other important issues relevant to the industry. The federation promotes glass packaging and glass recycling, complementing the activities of the glass industry at a national level.