Customer Satisfaction Rises
In Food Processing Sector

This news report appeared in the IFT Weekly Newsletter,
published by the Institute of Food Technologists at http://www.ift.org/extra/newsletter/index.html

NOVEMBER 21, 2001

According to the 3rd Quarter Report of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), American customer satisfaction with everyday, non-durable goods and products is holding steady.

In spite of a weakening economy, the drop in customer satisfaction for goods in the manufacturing non-durables sector is quite small - a 0.6 percent drop from 80.8 to 80.3. The manufacturing non-durables sector is comprised of eight industries, including food processing, soft drinks, beer, and pet foods. Of the eight industries, however, only food processing registered an increase in customer satisfaction compared with last year.

The H.J. Heinz Co., with a score of 89, remains the highest-scoring company for the second year in a row, not only among food processing companies, but also among all the non-durables. Other high-scoring companies in the food-processing sector include the Quaker Oats Co., Hershey Foods Corp. and Mars Inc., which saw its score rise nearly 5 percent.