one: And how do you ensure that our own-brand products remain good?

Charlotte Rosendahl: We carry out very extensive checks along the value chain. This means that we carry out regular tastings in our in-house tasting centre. Every own-brand item is tasted there - even against the competition. Corona and the associated current situation does not make this any easier due to the hygiene regulations and the availability of goods. In addition, every item goes through an external laboratory at least once a year to prove that all quality criteria are still being met.

Wine test in the Stolberger Str. tasting centre. one: So are our own brands subject to stricter controls?

Charlotte Rosendahl : In fact, we take on a completely different responsibility for private labels than for other items. Certain things simply have to be regulated differently than they are for Coca-Cola, for example. So yes - in contrast to the brands, we monitor our own brands much more strictly.

Of course, there are laws that apply to everyone - including brands. The law is the basis and everything that goes beyond that are our own, i.e. REWE Group requirements. For example, we are particularly strict when it comes to pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables.

In addition, we try to address as many issues as possible at the source. For example, travelling to the shrimp farm and checking which antibiotics are used there and whether this is compatible with German law. All of this is always done in consultation with the purchasing department and the suppliers - this is how we try to constantly expand our portfolio of well-developed and well-performing suppliers.

one: And yet there are - at least it feels like - more and more product recalls.

Charlotte Rosendahl: Not just the feeling. The number of recalls is constantly increasing because the sensitivity of testing methods is constantly increasing. It's like doping: the methodology is simply evolving. And those who want to cheat are now more likely to be caught because the methodology has simply improved.

But we won't be able to prevent someone from wanting to cheat. Testing does not improve the quality of products. That's why close cooperation with suppliers is so important.

One problem that we will never solve is food fraud, i.e. outright, deliberate fraud. Does the olive oil really come from Tuscany or does it perhaps come from somewhere in Serbia? You may remember the "horsemeat scandal" - before that, no one would have suspected horsemeat in products or specifically looked for it!

Toom own brands in use one: How important is feedback from testers and customers?

Charlotte Rosendahl : Of course we get feedback from our NGOs. And we also take it seriously when we receive a tip-off from Stiftung Warentest, for example. But even more important is the feedback we receive from customer management. One example: We once had several reports that the milk packaging was difficult to open - we take a close look at this and optimise it. Of course, not everything should always be taken quite so - literally - seriously: A few years ago, we received a very sweet video from two students who had already had a good drink and complained that there wasn't enough alcohol in our schnapps...

Customer feedback is the be-all and end-all. For me, quality in the product means: if the customer comes back, we have fulfilled our target. If the customer doesn't come back, then we've done something wrong.

one: What do you think of customer surveys on our own-brand products? Well-known social media influencers are often used for product tests.

Charlotte Rosendahl: Involving influencers is certainly an appropriate tool from a marketing perspective for certain target groups. However, I wouldn't see it as a source of inspiration for our work. I would find it more charming to involve the regions and retailers more in future, as they are not yet involved in the tasting and feedback process.

For example, in addition to our tasting centre at head office, we have now created a kind of mobile tasting app. This could also be used, for example, to say in the region: Dear colleagues, please taste our own-brand O-juice. However, for all of this to make sense, i.e. for the results to be comparable and analysable, a few things need to be considered in advance, for example: Is it the same supplier, have the testers undergone sensory training - in short, is it all meaningful? In addition, the special wordings must be known in order to describe and compare flavour, texture, etc. We still have potential here. We still have potential here.

one: To what extent do nutritional trends play a role for you with private labels?

Charlotte Rosendahl: We always focus on recipe optimisation. This includes permanent trend topics such as the salt and sugar content or fats. The topic of Nutri Score, which is also about optimising nutritional value, has also become part of our daily business. We have set ourselves the goal of constantly improving our recipes - this is also emphasised in every new tender and tasting. And when we talk about innovations, such as in the area of vegan products, then of course this doesn't just involve changes to the recipe, but completely new products. That's a completely different field.

one: Mrs Rosendahl, thank you for talking to us.