Self-Checkouts Often Inaccessible to Disabled Shoppers
Disability-advocacy groups are calling upon retailers to address the issue of inaccessible self-checkout lanes.
Focus Archive
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Does the Restaurant CPG Trend Have Staying Power?
Despite higher grocery inflation, consumers continue to splurge on their favorite restaurant brands at retail, fueling a trend that has gained significant momentum in recent years. “Restaurants are looking to exploit brand loyalty that really …
Major CPG Players Fueling Alt Cream Cheese Innovation
Amidst the booming cultured dairy market, major food manufacturers are taking plant-based cream cheese to the next level.
Consumers Largely Positive Heading into 2023
Consumer spending habits and behaviors are shifting, with frugality taking a front seat in the face of rising prices and uncertainty over the economy, a new survey of consumer trends by Attest indicates. “Frugality is …
CEO: Food Allergy Issue Now an ‘Epidemic’ in America
Approximately 110 million Americans are directly or indirectly impacted by either a severe food allergy or food sensitivity in their household, prompting some in the food industry to call for increased transparency on labeling.
Meet the Two Biggest Enemies of Indoor Farming
Getting the vertical farming industry to reach its objectives will require much collaboration and benchmarking, industry insiders note.
Data-and-Dash: Cybersecurity and the Food Industry
Crime is a malicious (and inevitable) branch of progress. As industry and technology evolve, so too do the machinations of those willing to test, infiltrate, and break the system for personal profit. As integrated web …
Ag Roundup: Brazil’s Record Grain Crop, Inflation Impacts Organic
Brazilian officials said the country’s grain crop is expected to hit a record 312.2 million tons, up 15% from last year, Reuters reported. The estimate, however, was lower than previous projections. The government food and …
Analysis: Consumer Spending Slowing, Even for the Wealthy
Due to the current inflationary environment, and with fears of a looming recession, analysis shows consumers are trading down in their spending, looking at less expensive brands and going for deals.
Analysis: the Most Innovative LTOs of the Year
Restaurants are getting rather creative with their limited-time offers, or LTOs, lately. “LTOs can be a great way to drive business, but you have to know your audience and what appeals to them,” Leith Steel, …
Diverse Offerings Will Be Key to Grocery Success in 2023
Grocers need to prepare for a changing environment as they head into 2023, and bringing in new products will give them a competitive edge.
American Aquaculture Catching On
The new year represents a key juncture for American aquaculture. Kai Sato has observed the evolving industry long enough to know that. “Each year the U.S. becomes a more viable market for aquaculture entrepreneurs to …
Is Plant-Based Still a Powerhouse?
Plant-based products continue to proliferate across the industry despite significant barriers to adoption, including taste and affordability.
Conservation Could Soon Take Center Stage for Many F&B Companies
Food and beverage companies are finding water and energy conservation practices are not only good for the planet, but good for the bottom line. Intense drought is making finding fresh water more difficult while Russia’s …
Rutgers Food Innovation Program Appoints Five Advisory Board Members
Experts Dish Regarding Latest Dessert Trends
A recent report by Technomic noted global dessert trends, revealing that 41% of consumers would welcome more vegan or dairy-free desserts on restaurant menus.
Analysis: Coffee Prices to Level Out Amid Inflation Setbacks
With inflation remaining steady, many companies currently face dilemmas. Some are doing everything in their power to absorb the higher operating costs and to keep their prices down. Others, however, have been able to pass …
Understanding the Snow Crab Crisis
The cancelation of the Alaskan snow crab season has upended an entire chain of fishing, restaurant, grocery, and wholesale industries with one of its seasonal (and most delicious) mainstays.
Bird Flu Cull Surpasses 2015
More than 52 million birds in 46 states have been culled so far this year due to highly pathogenic avian influenza, topping the record set in 2015, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service …
Experts: Weather-Related Disasters Increasing, Taking Toll on Food Industry
As of October 11, the U.S. has experienced a total of 15 billion-dollar weather and climate disasters this year, making 2022 the eighth consecutive year with 10 or more billion-dollar weather and climate-related disasters.
Column: Why Vertical Farming Stocks are Struggling
Few sectors have been more impacted by the boom/bust cycle than vertical farming stocks in recent years.
Grocers Taking In-Store Experience to Next Level
Grocers can enable greater media partnerships by improving their in-store experience, according to one top industry executive.
Keto, Upcycling Steal the Show at 2022 Private Label Event
ROSEMONT, Illinois – The 2022 Private Label Trade Show showcased product innovations from over 1,400 exhibitors and over 50 countries in food, beverages, household goods, and more. Among the food and beverage offerings, companies highlighted …
Consumers Break Black Friday, Cyber Monday Records
Despite recession fears, consumers were in a spending mood to kick off the holiday season, breaking Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales records.
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Plant-Based Innovation Abounds at Private Label Trade Show
The Plant-Based Foods pavilion at the recent Private Label Trade Show hosted numerous exhibitors offering plant-based products to address consumer concerns about health, the environment, and animal welfare.
Functional Beverage Market Continues to Gain Momentum
These days, an increasing share of consumers are looking for drinks that not only taste good, but also serve a beneficial function. These functional beverages contain ingredients that, theoretically, can help build and maintain health, …
2023 Labor Outlook: Layoffs, Automation on Horizon
Inflation threw a wrench into pandemic recovery, and with interest rates rising and the threat of a recession looming, the 2023 labor market could look very different than it does today. Major tech companies have …
Grocery Predictions for 2023: Delivery, Loyalty Could Look Different
The coming year could be a turbulent one as grocers navigate economic uncertainty while also benefiting from shoppers’ return to stores in a post-pandemic environment.
Divergent Consumer Groups Influence Holiday Spending
While worries over inflation and the economy take precedent for a leading percentage of consumers, a sizable number are approaching the holiday season with a desire to live sustainable lives or have rewarding experiences.
FDA Issues First Approval for Cell-Cultured Chicken
Cultivated meat producer Upside Foods received regulatory approval from the FDA, making it the first company to reach this milestone in the U.S. While not a green light for the industry at large, the decision opens the door to more approvals
Infarm Grows Wheat Indoors in Food Security Breakthrough
Amsterdam-based startup Infarm has become the first vertical farming company to successfully grow wheat indoors.
Fledgling Brands Must Solve Problems to Break Through
How can fledgling brands break through to become well-received? Alison Cayne, creator of Haven’s Kitchen Sauces, revealed a few secrets in the latest “FI Live” event.
How Energy Drink Stocks Are Defying the Market Slump
Energy drink stocks are performing more vigorously than you may imagine. If an investor had invested in the S&P 500 at the beginning of the year, even with dividends she’d have lost about 16% of …
High Tolerance: How Functional THC-infused Drinks & Snacks Could Alter the Industry
THC is one of the fastest growing ingredients in foodservice, increasingly legal, and visible amid a key demo—the millennials.
Thanksgiving 2022: Cost to Dine Out Versus Eat In Shrinking
The common wisdom is that it’s cheaper to eat a home-cooked meal than to dine out or order in, but with dining-out prices increasing at a slower rate than grocery prices, that old adage may …
Experts: Food Labeling on Verge of Big Changes
Worldwide organic food sales are now more than six times larger than they were in 1999, according to Statista. And food brands have taken note.