The Next Big Thing in CPG? Shelf-Stable Products

With grocery refrigeration space tight, manufacturers are looking at producing shelf-stable products to cut waste and improve profits.

States Are Banning Cultivated Meat; Do Consumers Want Novel Proteins?

Novel proteins including cultivated meat, mycelium, and dairy bioidenticals are advancing further into the market, and some state governments are pushing back. A new survey by McKinsey & Company explores how consumers perceive these ingredients—and their willingness to trial them.

What’s Playing? The Role of Music in Retail

“The power of audio in retail goes beyond just music,” Elsley said. “Incorporating carefully crafted messaging and advertisements into the auditory experience can further enhance customer engagement and drive sales.”

Is the Future of Retail Bionic?

As more work is being published (and more health-focused products manufactured) to improve health and happiness, we may be entering an era in which the average human life can not only be improved, but extended. Are store managers ready for what that means?

Will Amazon’s Dash Carts Work?

The future of checkout technology, consumer perception and adoption, and operator success is a tricky set of balls to keep in the air all at once.

From Niche to Necessity: Gluten-Free Products Continue to Experience Surge

The global gluten-free products market continues to show noteworthy growth. with brands such as Mightylicious cracked the code.

5 Functional Food Trends to Watch

The statistics send a clear message: consumers the world over are searching for functional foods and beverages in 2024

Novel Proteins Earn Landmark Regulatory Backing

The approvals signal a potential disruption to traditional animal- and plant-based ingredients that have long dominated consumer packaged goods (CPG).

Top 3 Spring/Summer Trends in Retail

In a few short years, retail will be a totally immersive and data-driven experience highlighted by personalized AI recommendations for health and home, smart carts to increase efficiency (and solve the traveling salesman’s dilemma in-store), and much more.

Clean Label Takes Center Stage as Ultra-Processed Stigma Grows

Clean-label initiatives continue to rise within the plant-based category and beyond as concerns surrounding ultra-processed foods intensify and more consumers prioritize what’s NOT in their products.

Navigating the Future of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)

In an era defined by rapid technological advancement and environmental challenges, the concept of controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is at the forefront of a profound transformation in the agricultural sector.

Infernos, Fevers, and Freight Failures: A Fiery Start to 2024

Wildfires threaten the 2024 growing season, as bird flu and cargo woes challenge global resilience and supply chains.

New Study Exposes the Power (and Pitfalls) of AI-Generated Food Images

In a new study, participants indicated that AI-generated food images look more appealing than authentic photos.

From Panic to Plate: How Xolair is Changing the Menu for Allergy Sufferers

The treatment represents an impressive scientific achievement, however, borne from human perseverance to solve major quality-of-life issues. Xolair transcends mere new medical knowledge—it’s a step towards allowing food allergy sufferers to live more freely.

Why is Florida Trying to Ban Cultivated Meat?

The Florida House has approved a wide-ranging bill that would ban the sale and production of cultivated meat in the state. How will alt-meat innovations be impacted if it is signed into law?

The Future of Retail, Part 2- Tomorrow’s Tech

To further understand how inventory and supply chain will change, Jarvis said the end of data silos must be achieved “to create a holistic understanding of each shopper, their interactions, and the stream of information being shared with them.

The Future of Retail – The 10,000-ft. View

“By 2030, visiting a Target, Walmart, or Costco won’t just be about shopping,” said Diana Zheng, head of marketing at Stallion Express, a leading e-commerce shipping company from Canada, “It will be an experience. An immersive experience. A personalized experience, even a social experience.”

Column: Loyalty Apps Becoming a Boon for Fast-Food Restaurants 

One great benefit of loyalty programs is that they help businesses, like restaurant chains, build a relationship with a customer. To inspire consumers to join your program you can use price or other incentives.

Five Ways Generative AI is Impacting the Food Industry

How exactly is Generative AI impacting the food industry? In a recent episode of The Food Institute Podcast, RSM US LLP principal Christian Winzeler broke down five main ways the emerging technology is altering the …

IFMA COEX 2024: Key Themes and Industry Trends

Josh Linkner issued the opening keynote for the COEX 2024 and noted that creativity and innovation was critical for continued growth and success. He also noted that research had found all humans are naturally drawn to creativity, but that it manifested in different ways.

3D-Printed Food Innovations Push Closer to Market

Steakholder Foods is leading the charge in additive manufacturing for the food industry. Over the past year, the food tech innovator has unveiled the “world’s first” 3D-printed cuts of grouper, steak, eel, and plant-based shrimp.

‘Sugar Elimination’ Technology Has Arrived

Startups are leveraging human digestion and technology to bring sugar elimination innovations to market — from enzymes that convert sugar into fiber to sugar “sponges” that activate after they are consumed. The zero-sugar food and …

Beef Rice & Dairy Plants—Frankenfood or Food Science Breakthrough?

Such a fusion of different species opens new possibilities for sustainable food production, addressing issues such as food scarcity, environmental impact, and ethical concerns associated with traditional agriculture practices.

‘Drip Pricing’ Has the Attention of Regulators, Consumers as Inflation Lingers

How many times have you heard: If a deal is too good to be true, it probably is. And nowhere is that more apparent than when companies practice “drip pricing,” the practice of luring the …

CPGs Need Fresh Strategies Beyond Price Increases in 2024

“Tomorrow’s winners will vary how they generate demand across their portfolios, with mass activation for their biggest brands and more targeted treatment for niche and insurgent brands,” Kyle Weza, global co-lead and brand accelerator for Bain & Company, said in the report.

Column: Wendy’s Surge Pricing Plan a Risky Endeavor

Update: Since its recent earnings call, Wendy’s released a statement that noted “Any features we may test in the future would be designed to benefit our customers. … Digital menuboards could allow us to change …

Report Reveals Scarcity of Retail Innovation

From number-crunching untold volumes of data to helping streamline inventory, supply chain, and predictive market trends, there is no digital limit to what AI can help operators achieve.

Beyond Meat Unveils “Beyond IV” Beef Boasting Clean Label Certification

Beyond Meat has announced its latest innovation, Beyond IV, the fourth generation of the company’s core beef platform. The new recipes are the result of a multi-year research effort to improve the taste and nutritional quality of Beyond Burger and Beyond Beef.

Tasting the Future: Food Fermentation Breakthroughs

From regulatory approvals in animal-free dairy, to a new snack made with air protein, fermentation is making major moves in the new year. What could the recent headlines signal for the future of food?

Key Takeaways from the Fruit Logistica Event

Thousands of people just recently descended upon Berlin, Germany for the world’s largest produce show – Fruit Logistica – upstaging even Fashion Week taking place that week as well.

Understanding the Current Blood-Sugar Monitoring Craze

Recent diet “hacks” to minimize blood sugar spikes are inspiring perfectly healthy consumers to start glucose monitoring.

Is Self-Checkout a Consumer Terminator? Retail, Robots, and More in 2024

There’s also an interesting feedback loop occurring in American consumerism – the tighter the budget becomes, and the more stressed people feel, the more demands they have regarding how they’d like to be accommodated while shopping.

The Fungi: Mushroom Varieties Captivating Consumers

Things keep looking up for mushrooms. The versatile fungi continue to proliferate across meals-at-home, CPG, restaurant menus, and food tech.

Study: The AI Revolution Within F&B Industry Could Take a While

Note to restaurateurs looking to AI: If you’re going to use robots as servers, make sure the aisles between tables are wide enough to allow a robot and human to pass simultaneously. A few inches …

Can Ghost Kitchens Be Resurrected?

Has the would-be darling of the pandemic-era – ghost kitchens – been resurrected by a partnership between Denny’s and Franklin Junction?

Walmart Defines Adaptive Retail, the Next Evolution in Shopping

“Choose a future that puts people first – if we keep doing that, we can help people around the world live a better life. That’s what we want to do – that’s the world we want to help create.”