FOOD ISLAND -- Hundreds watched in real life and second life as a ribbon-cutting officially opened Phil’s Supermarket in Second Life yesterday.

Avatars eagerly waited outside to take a look at the 70 new food products that Kraft Foods Inc. was introducing at the virtual grocery store. The event took place during Chicago's Food Marketing Institute Supermarket Convention and Educational Exposition.

Phil Lempert, TV’s “Supermarket Guru” has partnered with the Kraft to bring the company's branded food into SL. The expansive open air market accommodates avatars of all sizes. Flowing fountains and holographic displays adorn the interior. Once inside, customers will find RL products with easily downloadable recipes. Cooking and buying tips from the experts and coupons for RL savings are also available.

“At Kraft we know innovation comes in many forms, from the products we develop to how we reach our customers," Kraft North America President Rick Seares said. Partnering with Phil’s in SL provides a unique way for customers to experience all that Kraft foods have to offer.”

While generic prim food is available in Second Life at shops such as Kitchen Korner, Phil's Supermarket engages the user in real life by offering recipes and cooking demonstrations.
Avatars can pick up free slices of prim pie at Phil's bakery.

Phil’s was designed by “The Toy Shoppe” along with IBM and twenty other content creators in-world. Ragstou Ritchez, IBM Distinguished Engineer, developed the IBM Anywhere Kiosk which is being used for frequent shopper registration and connectivity to Kraft web sites.

One of the innovations that consumers gravitated toward were the recipe cards, which they admired for their ease of use.

Znetlady Isabell, manager of the SL Business Communicators group in SL said, “I’m pretty intrigued by the simple way to get information. I like the e-mail interface with product information. It gives me a chance to pick it up now but look at it later. From a business point of view, the market research that Phil’s can provide sponsors and vendors will be pretty heady.”

Amy Glin Director of Programming, Producer and Epicurean of Phil’s was on hand to show customers the supermarket features. "We will be having Food Forums featuring Phil Lempert and cooking demonstrations. Shoppers are able to get recipes and join in contest.”

One grocery store customer, Eme10 Wind said she looked forward to the food forums. “It’s a great opportunity for businesses to bridge the gap between SL and RL. It’s also a new activity for SL residents to experiment with.”

An events board hangs in the front of the store, where upcoming features will be posted. Directly across from the events board is the posting for Second Harvest, one of the country’s largest food bank organizations. Kraft Foods donated $450,000 yesterday, which was heralded as the largest donation in-world donation ever made to a charity. Second Harvest will have a permanent donation box available so that residents can donate at any time.

By the end of the year Phil’s hopes to have over 100,000 items on its shelves.