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.

Great Plains Debate: Should Bison Become ‘The Other Red Meat’?

Nutritionists hail bison as the other red meat, not that different in taste and nutrients from beef, but with a greater concentration of iron and fatty acids along with less fat.

Bowled Over: Bowl Chains Win Over Restaurant Goers

Juice It Up!, a restaurant chain focused on healthier-for-you offerings like super fruit bowls, has recently enjoyed a 38% sales surge.

Three Key Grocery Shopper Trends in 2024

Grocery shoppers are adapting their buying patterns in response to economic uncertainties and external influences in 2024.

Appetite for Reduction: GLP-1 Drugs Fuel Grocery Decrease

The market for GLP-1 drugs is expected to reach $100 billion by 2030. Manufacturers and brands who want a piece of the low-sugar pie, so to speak, will have to offer the same.

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.

How Post Holdings Claimed the Best Packaged Food Stock in the Market

Since its spin-off from Ralcorp, Post has spent over $10 billion on acquisitions. It has taken impairment changes relative to acquired assets of less than $300 million. Meanwhile, off a cereal business worth about $2 billion, Post and Bellring are now worth over $20 billion combined (including the respective companies’ debt).

‘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.

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.

Ketching Love: Understanding #TheKetchupChallenge

For ketchup manufacturers, #TheKetchupChallenge is a welcome crimson blip on the mid-winter radar. Ketchup sales are up 7.6% in the 12 weeks ending February 2, 2024, outpacing mustard, jams, honey – even mayonnaise – as unit sales are also up 2.0% during the same period.

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.

Dark Chocolate Outlook: Soaring Cost of Cocoa Challenges Candy Makers

Cocoa prices are nearly 65% higher than they were one year ago, and New York futures prices have hit a 46-year high.

Milk Wars: Labeling Battles Escalate

Dairy producers are ramping up their efforts to scrub ‘milk’ from the labels of alternatives. How critical is the term in plant-based marketing? Could waging “milk wars” significantly improve traditional dairy’s bottom line?

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.

PepsiCo Execs Express Optimism in Earnings Call

PepsiCo’s latest earnings call revealed net revenue of $91.5 billion for the fiscal year and $27.9 billion in Q4.

Organic Growth Continues, Even Amidst Inflation

Though the cost of many grocery items – like beef and poultry – continues to increase, organic food sales continue to rise.

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.

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.

Burgernomics: Fast Food Inflation and an $18 Big Mac Combo

The recent uproar over a McDonald’s in Darien, Connecticut, that charged a whopping $17.59 for a Big Mac combo meal is more than just local news; it’s a snapshot of the changing economic landscape.

What’s Old is New Again: Harvesting Ancient Grains in F&B

“Consumers can expect to see ancient grains used as an alternative base for many products, ranging from cereal, to bread, to pancake batter. Expect to see them regularly on the menu in restaurants, especially in dishes with other healthy items such as salmon, vegetables, or tofu.”

Column: Great Customer Service Starts with Engaged Employees

The key to offering ideal customer service boils down to this, according to FI columnist Dan Rowe: staff members must be compensated well enough to remain engaged.

Chocolate Purchases Dip Despite Candy Viewed as Energy Boost

A new report from Mintel suggests one-third of Americans rationalize purchasing chocolate as an energy boost. Meanwhile, new research suggests a direct connection between dark chocolate and reducing factors that contribute to essential hypertension.

The Dukan Diet: The Next Controversial Weight-Loss Craze?

The Dukan diet has earned high praise from celebrities, some of whom claim to have lost 10 pounds in a week on the plan. But some experts fear it isn’t entirely safe.

Exploring the Wild Foods and Foraging Market: An Emerging Consumer Trend

The wild foods and foraging market has been steadily gaining traction among consumers, fueled by the allure of locally sourced and unique ingredients. Not only does this trend tap into the essence of sustainable eating, …

Plant-Based Meat: What’s in Store for 2024?

Plant-based meat continues to recalibrate at retail. In this Q&A, Chris DuBois, EVP and Protein Practice Leader at Circana, spoke with FI to outline major category challenges and priorities in the months ahead.

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.”