Adams Foods is to switch to 100% Irish cheese for Mu Cheddar and use the move to reposition the brand as made with milk from ‘happy cows’.

Mu was launched into Tesco in October 2011 to fill the gap between own-label and branded Cheddar.

To date, Adams - which is owned by the Irish Dairy Board - has sourced a mixture of UK and Irish Cheddar for the brand. The ratio of UK to Irish cheese currently fluctuates, but Adams confirmed that from later this year it would no longer use any UK Cheddar.

Adams had drawn inspiration for the’happy cows’ theme from Noble Foods’ The Happy Egg Company free-range egg brand, which did not market itself on provenance but had struck “a really nice balance in what they do”, said marketing director Alastair Jackson.

The ‘happy cows’ claim was based on the fact that Irish cows grazed for 312 days per year on average - one of the highest levels in Europe, he added. “The reality is that consumers don’t buy Cheddar on provenance.”

Adams has yet to finalise on-pack wording with the ‘happy cow’ theme but is considering the strapline: ‘Only happy cows go Mu.’

The switch comes as Adams prepares to launch a Mu tie-up with Sony’s Smurfs movie released in October. It is currently finalising details but is exploring on-pack Smurf branding, prize giveaways and free movie tickets.

A review of Mu will also see the image of the cow removed from Mu Sticks and Patz to reposition them as snacking products for all the family, not just for kids.

Sliced Cheddar will be removed from the Mu range - Adams believes products such as Patz, which is new to the market, add more value - and it will reduce the size of Mu grated Cheddar from a 500g to a 150g size bag.

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