Analyzing Whole Foods Foot Traffic

A new report from Placer.ai, titled Placer Spotlight: Whole Foods’ Journey Since the Amazon Deal, takes a closer look at Whole Foods foot traffic data over the past several years. Here are some key takeaways: …

Why Coaching Frontline Managers Is a Must in the Food Industry

This article is written and sponsored by Proaction International. We’re all familiar with the job market buzzwords dominating today’s food and beverage industry headlines: The Great Resignation, tight labor markets, concerns about returning to the workforce …

CPG Food Brand Loyalty Taking Hit Amid Rising Inflation

With inflation raging, consumers are beginning to cut costs on everyday CPG food items. And as a result, brand loyalty is taking a hit. Private-label brands, after two pandemic years in which they lost market …

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 …

CPG Brands Aligning with Mental Wellness

Society has come a long way on normalizing discussions about mental health. With that, a growing list of brands are highlighting mental wellness in their marketing. As the issue is increasingly destigmatized—with celebrities and athletes openly discussing their …

3 Keys for Successful Social Media Marketing

Food businesses are losing faith in Instagram following a change in its algorithm. The social media platform’s choice to prioritize videos over photos has created unforeseen costs for small businesses, leaving many owners frustrated, reported …

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 …

TikTok is Becoming a Food Industry Influencer

Users sharing their food on social media is nothing new, but TikTok is taking the phenomenon to new heights. Earlier this week, the hashtag for “food” had garnered a whopping 268 billion views on the …

5 Takeaways From Natural Products Expo West 2022

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Natural Products Expo West 2022 was a welcome moment of normalcy for the food industry. The Anaheim Convention Center buzzed with an energy that hadn’t been felt since 2019 – when the …

CPG Companies Eye Plant-Based Market with Different Goals

More major CPG companies are playing in plant-based, flagging the alt-protein category as a potential catalyst for growth. But industrywide, the depth of that value is not easily measured in broad strokes. “When you factor …

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 …

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, …

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 …

Study Reveals Trendsetting CPG Companies

The 10th annual Growth Leaders study from IRI and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) explores the top performing consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies of 2021 and strategies that enabled their growth. The total U.S. CPG industry …

Monitoring Plant-Based Food Conversations on Instagram

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.  Comparative analytics platform Social Standards took a look into public consumer …

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 …

Study Illustrates Snacking’s Expanding Role in Consumers’ Lives

The definition of what a snack can be is broadening, and so is the role snacks play in consumers’ lives, according to Mondelēz International’s State of Snacking 2021 study. Seventy-nine percent of global consumers say …

Some Like It Hot: Spicy Snacks and Hot Sauce on the Rise

Recent polls suggest Americans are adding a little spice to their lives. An Instacart survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults found that 74% of Americans eat hot sauce with their food, and nearly half (45%) said …

Poll: Americans Bracing for More Inflation as CPG Prices Rise

Nearly eight in 10 Americans expect inflation to persist over the next six months—and they’re probably right. Half even anticipate it to increase “a lot,” while 78% expect interest rates to rise, according to a …

Why Exponential Growth Works Better than Blitzscaling for New Consumer Brands

The steady volume of Silicon Valley unicorns in the past 15 years has buried the fact that growth operates very differently in consumer startups, especially for the manufactured consumer package goods (CPG) that fill Target, …

Trend to Watch in 2022: Greener Packaging

As consumers become more focused on environmental issues, one company is betting $600 million that paper can become the new plastic. Graphic Packaging Holding Co. is launching a plant in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to recycle cardboard …

Inclusion Movement Increasingly Apparent in Food Packaging

Inclusion is one of those buzzwords that has gained prominence in recent years, but in practical terms, those with disabilities often have been left out. Now food manufacturers are taking another look, including braille labels …

Meat Snacks Market Gains from Changing Preference for Nutritional Food

This article is written and sponsored by Transparency Market Research. The global meat snacks market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7% and reach a whopping US$ 14.5 billion by the end of 2029, …

Demand for Plant-Based Foods Boosting Packaged Food Market

A consumer shift toward healthier lifestyles and packaging innovations are boosting demand for packaged foods in the U.S. In fact, the U.S. packaged food market size is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.1% …

What would a Monster-Constellation Merger Mean?

Energy drink-maker Monster Beverage Corp and Constellation Brands Inc., which brews Corona beer, are reportedly in talks for a possible merger. What would a Monster-Constellation mash-up mean? Jameson Sharp, investment group partner and analyst with …

Barbecue Is a Smokin’ Hot Global Taste Trend

Barbecue is red-hot worldwide, according to new research from Irish food company Kerry. “It’s clear that people and cultures intersect on the general topic of open-fire cooking,” said Soumya Nair, Kerry’s global director of consumer …

Can Oatly, the Latest Plant-Based Company to Miss Its Targets, Rebound?

Oatly Group AB shares fell nearly 21% on Monday after the plant-based dairy company reported a third-quarter revenue miss and issued a revenue warning for the year. The company, which had a net loss of $41.2 …

Survey: Gen Z Drawn to Cannabis Products  

A new survey signals that marijuana is competing with alcohol for Gen Z’s dollars. Technomic’s recent Adult Beverage Planning Program report shows that, in states where recreational cannabis is legal, nearly two-thirds (65%) of Gen …

Switching to Exponential Growth – A Case Study of Once Upon A Farm

In 2015 a pair of San Diego-based entrepreneurs – Cassandra Curtis and Ari Raz plotted the launch of a new, high-pressure processing (HPP) baby food brand in refrigerated pouches. The playful name was Once Upon …