What the Jal? Jalapenos Aren’t Hot Anymore

Why aren’t many store-bought jalapenos hot anymore? The answer lies in changing palates and products bred for consistency, not flavor.

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.”

Chinese E-commerce Upstart Temu Gunning for Amazon

E-commerce company Temu is currently playing David to the Goliath of Amazon, but U.S. shoppers have taken notice of the inexpensive offerings.

Can Oscar Mayer Revitalize the Plant-Based Sausage Market?

Last week, The Kraft Heinz Company unveiled plant-based hot dogs and sausages under the Oscar Mayer brand. Could this launch be a bellwether for the struggling alt-meat sector?

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.

Rated C for Candy – AMC Theatres Launches Private-Label Brand

The current line of Cinema Sweets launched in December and sales have been brisk. “We’re quite pleased,” he said, brandishing an R2-D2 popcorn holder from a Star Wars release years ago, “and it’s definitely been a good launch for us across more than 550 domestic theaters.”

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.

How Hormel and JM Smucker Are Beating the Market

It’s not hard to understand why these companies have found success in a challenging environment. These are comfort food manufacturers (among other things!) whose identities, infrastructure, and revenue are built upon foods people reach for when they’re feeling down, feeling squeezed, or both.

As Aquaculture Gains Global Momentum, American Segment Snagged

“There’s no question that aquaculture needs to grow, and I think it’s just a matter of time before it takes off in the U.S.,” Austin Caperton, the CEO of Appalachian Salmon in West Virginia, told FI.

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.

Cloud Bread to Burn-away Cakes: Tomorrow’s TikTok Trends in Restaurant & Retail

From chefs to retailers to restaurant operators, catching fire with a dish that went viral on TikTok can ignite a fan base (and bolster quarterly revenue).

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.

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.

Feel This Moment – Walmart Teams Up with Pitbull, Again

The Pitbull-launched intra-store restaurant is part of a larger, $9 billion plan to make “upscale changes” to stores and bring in more recognizable and coveted brands and influencers. For Walmart, pairing with the king of collaborations is a natural choice.

Line Between Food and Supplement Industries Continues to Blur

Through its new “super greens” partnership with BEAM, Dole joins the growing list of major food producers pivoting into the supplement category. How far will this industry convergence go?

Cereal Manufacturers Desperate to Boost Sales

Americans are turning away from breakfast cereal, and that’s got cereal manufacturers seeking fresh innovation to bring consumers back to their bowls and the breakfast table.

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.

‘Rufus, Fetch My Next Outfit’: Amazon Unveils AI Shopping Assistant

Critics and analysts alike are keen to understand who stands to benefit most from this technology – whether it will primarily serve Amazon’s interests by increasing sales and customer retention, or genuinely improve the consumer experience by offering more personalized and convenient shopping solutions.

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?

Consumers Award Better-for-You in New Product Survey

Despite some titans of the pantry and cookie jar winning in their categories (Keebler’s Chips Deluxe Fudgy in the Cookie category; Dr. Pepper Strawberries & Cream in Soft Drink), better-for-you offerings not only abounded but won several snacking categories.

Taking Stock of Wellness: Target Launches Wellness Initiative

The least expensive products will start at just $1.99 and range from apparel to supplements, vitamins to technology, and more. Many of the offerings will be exclusive to Target and complement its dedicated online wellness destination that features ideas, meal inspiration, and more.

Why Legacy Beverage Brands are Revamping Their Image

Dunkin’ Donuts’ shift to simply Dunkin’ serves as the gold standard in the contemporary rebranding landscape.

The Fiercest Battle in Retail: Foot Traffic, Trips, and Loyalty

EV charging stations outside, stores within stores inside, sprawling beauty sections, niche products, reimagined loyalty programs – the battle for foot traffic is cutthroat as the economy roars to life.

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.

How Meijer Saved 10 Millions Pounds of Food

Through its partnership with Flashfood, an app which offers steep discounts on groceries nearing their sell-by dates, Meijer has become the first American retailer to save 10 million pounds of potentially wasted food. To put …

Poultry Power Meets Global Flavor

Chicken listings on restaurant menus have grown 6.4% in the past five years, outpacing the 4.7% of burgers and other beef-based items.

The Most Popular Candy and Snack Flavors Worldwide

While flavors like truffle mushroom and habanero chili have gained momentum the last few years, Kerry identified coffee, sweet heat, and jalapeno as emerging in recent months.

Lead with Delicious: How Plant-Based Thrives

How will plant-based evolve in the year ahead? In this industry outlook, analysts weigh in on economic challenges, the financial landscape, and consumer adoption strategies for 2024.

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.

Athletic Brewing – The King of NA Beer?

It comes down to how to make craft beer flavor and aroma become credible as a basic refreshment on occasions currently dominated by soft drinks. This is the real NA beverage battle the brand faces.

2023: The Year of Private Label Sets the Stage for 2024

Millennials grew up with store brands and they see them for what they are – a brand. Without a doubt, there is a transformation taking place in the private brand mainstream tier where products are moving away from strict equivalency to national brands and becoming true national brand alternatives.

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.”

Alcohol and No/Low Trends in 2024

Dozens of brands are experimenting in the nonalcoholic (NA) and low-alcohol space, offering consumers the opportunity to not so much choose sides but merely choose wisely according to their preferences, dietary needs, and personal goals.