Remembering Bill Bishop

Upon returning from vacation, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Bill Bishop, an industry legend who also happened to be one of the nicest guys I ever met. To be fair, many …

No Cap in Sight for Booming Mushroom Market

Retailers are digging up new ways to boost fresh mushrooms sales in the produce department and beyond, as consumer interest in fungi functionality continues to thrive. The global mushroom market size is expected to reach …

3 Key Shopping and Dining Trends Forming in `The New Normal’

Like many things, consumer behavior has changed over the past two years. In fact, a new report from Placer.ai found that hybrid work, increased economic uncertainty, and more leisure activity, dramatically accelerated the rate of …

7 Ways CPG Companies Accelerated Growth in 2021

In a recent IRI webinar on consumer packaged goods (CPG) company performance in 2021, senior leaders from three of the category’s top performing companies — Michael Del Pozzo from PepsiCo, Gary Osifchin from Reckitt, and …

Is Beyond Meat Beyond Repair?

Investors appear to have soured on Beyond Meat, sending its stock price from a $160.28 to as low as $35.74 in the last year, as competition in the alternative-meat sector has increased and the company’s …

Rapid Shutdowns for Rapid Delivery

When U.S. delivery startup Zero Grocery abruptly closed recently, it stunned northern California businesses that sold its products. Many were owed money and questioned what went wrong with the fast-growing startup, reported San Francisco Chronicle (March …

Report: Bacon, Refrigerated Snacks Big CPG Winners Since 2020

Consumer data analysis firm Catalina reports two years into the coronavirus pandemic, Americans are snapping up certain packaged foods at a rapid clip, and there’s little evidence the trend is slowing much. Bacon, refrigerated snacks …

Analysis: Is There Too Much Plant-Based Competition?

Seemingly any product you can think of has a plant-based alternative these days. When The Food Institute attended this years’ Natural Products Expo West, we found a plethora of plant-based brands with items like alt-chicken …

The Plant-Based Protein Movement and Market Outlook

Plant-based innovations are disrupting the food industry, as the category’s growing prevalence in environmental, social, and governmental (ESG) matters drives investor interest from farm to fork – and beyond. Research from Bloomberg Intelligence suggests the …

Kerry: Health, Wellness Primary Concerns for Modern Consumers

What’s the mindset of the average American consumer in 2022? Kerry, a global food company, examined that question last week in a webinar titled “How America Eats: Creating Data-Driven Success for Food Brands.” “We’ve been …

Report: Groceries Becoming an E-Commerce Force

Online grocery shopping is reshaping e-commerce and is expected to become the top category this year, Adobe Analytics recently reported. “E-commerce is being reshaped by grocery shopping, a category with minimal discounting compared to legacy …

Functional Beverage Market Percolating

In 2022, consumers have a growing thirst for functional beverages. The global functional beverage market size was estimated at nearly $120 billion (USD) in 2021 and, according to researchandmarket.com, is projected to grow at a …

Can Indulgent Treats Improve Health and Wellness?

The pandemic era strengthened food and beverage trends like health, wellness and nostalgic indulgence. While contradictory at first glance, these behaviors are finding alignment as consumers redefine what constitutes “healthy” behavior. Health and wellness are …

Can Plant-Based Innovation Boost Store Brand Sales?

On the heels of a stagnant sales year for store brands, Amazon and Kroger are bulking up their private label portfolios with plant-based products. Is category innovation on the horizon? The Food Institute Podcast · …

Analysis: Companies stand to lose millions in pulling out of Russia

Burger giant McDonald’s led the way among fast-food chains, suspending operations in Russia less than two weeks after the Kremlin began its invasion of Ukraine and the West began imposing sanctions on Moscow. The likes …

Why Food Brands Should be Targeting Gamers

Gamers are proving to be an influential demographic in the food industry. In fact, research from Wunderman Thompson Commerce’s Future Shopper Report 2021 shows that globally, 84% of online shoppers are gamers. With this in …

Is Plant-Based Meat at a Retail Crossroads?

Alternative meat sales continue to plateau at retail following strong performance in recent years. Has plant-based meat reached its peak, or is this just a lengthy chapter in the emerging category’s evolutionary process? According to …

Ultrafast Food Delivery May Be Slowing Down

For some time, it seemed like there was a new app every week promising New Yorkers food and other deliveries in 15 minutes or less. Now, it looks like there could be a bump in …

Inflation Is Surging and Dollar Store Sales are Too

With inflation running at its highest level in four decades, consumers are pinching their pennies and looking to dollar stores to stretch tightening budgets. With inflation currently running at 7.5%, consumers are getting nervous about …

Why Are Private Label Products Not Thriving Amidst Inflation?

Shoppers have historically gravitated to store brands when economic times get tough. But despite record-high prices, private label food and beverage sales continue to dip below their national counterparts at retail. Overall, store brand dollar …

Will New Hemp-Infused Drink be a Trendsetter Among Big Brands?

These days, non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers, like PepsiCo and Coke, are seeking to expand their production amid shrinking soda consumption. And, taking that strategy a step further, Pepsi is now hoping to attract younger female consumers …

Grocery Stores Have More Work to Do on Sustainability Efforts

Consumers think grocery stores have a lot more work to do on sustainability, according to a recent survey from Retail Insight. More than half of respondents said grocery stores must improve their sustainability claims and …

What Do Consumers Want from Loyalty Programs?

Newsweek recently released its America’s Best Loyalty Programs 2022 list and several food brands stood out. In the grocery category, Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market and Publix Super Markets landed the top spots, while Jersey Mike’s …

Las Vegas Event Illustrates Push for Sustainable Food Products

LAS VEGAS – The specialty food industry gathered en masse at the recent Winter Fancy Food Show earlier this month, and some noteworthy industry transformations were apparent, influenced by the pandemic and changing consumer preferences. …

How Food Companies Can Prepare for Retaliatory Cyberattacks from Russia

U.S. companies should be prepared for retaliatory cyberattacks following Biden Administration sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine. U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, said private companies should be …

Super Bowl Ads Provide Big Boost to Food Companies

A few food companies scored big thanks to this year’s Super Bowl. AdAdapted, a shopping list marketing and insights platform, recently researched the influence of this year’s Super Bowl commercials and found two chip brands, …

3 Specialty Food Trends to Watch

Makers and merchants in the $170.4 billion specialty food industry have a history of introducing trends that stick. With that in mind, here are three categories to watch regarding specialty foods in 2022: VEGETABLE INSPIRED …

The Meal-Kit Industry Is at a Crossroads

Meal kits are at a crossroads. Despite strong sales earlier in the pandemic, customers have dropped meal kits in droves as restrictions ease, while soaring food and logistics costs squeeze margins. In December, HelloFresh released 2022 …

Case Study: Foxtrot Reimagining C-Store Experience

Foxtrot, a modern convenience store chain with an all-day café and a 30-minute delivery app, aims to expand into more metropolitan areas following its $100 million Series C raise in January. What differentiates Foxtrot from …

How Much Inflation Can Consumers Handle?

Inflation at the grocery store continues to rise — and consumers are noticing. In fact, the CPI food at home index rose 7.4 percent over the last 12 months, according to The Bureau of Labor …

Inaugural Protein & Plant Evolution™ Conference Announced

Interactive & Educational Conference Designed to Meet the Needs of Retailers, Foodservice Operators, Food Manufacturers, Investors, Financial Services and Policy Makers, Scheduled for June 1-3 February 16, 2022/FI Newswire/ – The Food Institute and The Lempert …

Functional Ingredients Move to the Forefront

Editor’s note: This article is a free, one-time preview of The Food Institute’s new Premium articles, which will be available to members. To join FI, click here.  Dr. Kellyann Petrucci, a New York Times best-selling …

Why Consumers are Still Buying in Bulk

Nearly two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are still buying in bulk. Following over 20 years of steady but slow sales growth, sales at bulk retailers Costco, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club, rose 26.6% …

Hot Wings Hotter than Ever as Super Bowl Approaches

The Los Angeles Rams have won eight of their last nine games, the Cincinnati Bengals six of their last seven. As impressive as that is, the teams aren’t nearly as hot as one Super Bowl …

Amazon Reports Higher Sales and Prime Membership Price Hike

Amazon sales continue to rise, with the e-commerce giant reporting fourth-quarter sales grew 9.4% to $137.4 billion. Notably, Amazon had its biggest-ever Black Friday to Cyber Monday holiday shopping weekend. Further, during the holiday season, …

Exclusive Interview: What Are the Latest Developments in Online Grocery Delivery and Pick-Up?

While the food delivery market has garnered its fair share of headlines in recent months, pick-up remains a powerhouse for grocery e-commerce. That’s according to Brick Meets Click partner David Bishop, who recently joined The Food …