Gen Z and Gen Alpha are driving food trends with a focus on health-conscious, yet adventurous eating, according to research by Chartwells Higher Education. Emerging favorites among today’s youth include cottage cheese, as well as miso.
A new survey revealed that substituting store brands for name brands can save consumers $17 on a Thanksgiving dinner for 10. Still, many families weigh cost savings against the sentimental value of using specific ingredients tied to cherished holiday recipes.
Restaurants are leveraging fruit purées these days as an effective method to adapt to rising food costs. Fruit purées bring versatility to dishes while helping operators reduce food waste.
A new report from 84.51° highlights key shifts shaping the future grocery shopper, including an aging, more diverse population, and the growth of single-person and multigenerational households.
Aloha CEO Brad Charron is bullish on plant-based products. And it’s easy to see why, considering his better-for-you protein bar brand experienced 500% growth from 2020 to 2023.
The popularity of pumpkin spice has officially fallen like autumn leaves. According to a recent survey of 2,000 American adults by Talker Research, 58% of respondents reported that they now favor alternative fall flavors over pumpkin spice, and 45% reported fatigue with the once-beloved spice blend.
Outback Steakhouse has turned to value as its traffic dropped and it reduced locations. Industry experts are confident the 37-year-old chain can bounce back – provided it takes a few careful steps.
As a new school year approaches, a survey shows parents are prioritizing nutrients and taste far more than cost when shopping for their kids’ school lunch items.
The event’s exhibitors focused on foods, drinks, and equipment designed to help foodservice operators create unique taste experiences. Beyond offering crave-worthy fusion dishes and fun iced beverages, exhibitors offered a wide array of vending machines on the show floor.
The most recent rising trend in retail is lowering one’s expectations of retail. This year, clothing companies tended to fall the worst, followed closely by QSRs, big box stores, and grocers, in that order.
Olympic cyclist Dotsie Bausch wants to set the record straight: Building strength with plant-based protein is a very accessible goal. Consuming plenty of vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, and grains is sufficient — the key is eating enough to fuel the body.
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.
Shoppers seeking convenience are in the market for readymade plant-based meals — and the frozen food aisle is a prime target for innovation.
Consumers in the U.S. and Canada say that they are willing to pay more for products that practice eco-friendly sustainability and ethics in their development, packaging, and sale of products, particularly around animal cruelty and ocean pollution.
“A lot of people see beef as a premium meat and associate it with things like prosperity and masculinity. Beef is also incredibly rich in fat and protein, so our bodies are primed to crave it,” Rall said, noting federal subsidies, restaurant menus, and advertising all reinforce beef’s place “in our grocery stores and on our table.”
Magic Spoon cereal is twice as expensive as most other name brands. Many regard its flavor as questionable and its better-for-you status isn’t as rock solid as consumers would like to believe.
“Consumers seek out chocolate and candy to help enhance holiday seasons, family celebrations, and those important ‘treat yourself’ moments,” said John Downs, president and CEO of the National Confectioners Association, in a statement.
As more distributors move to online ordering, organizing data is essential to providing operators with info like analytics. AI can help.
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.
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?
The Pescaria’s signature dish is a fish sandwich composed of one thick slice of partially hollowed-out round bread, two pestos/oils/mayonnaises, a cheese, a fish, some vegetables (raw and cooked), and a smaller slice of bread on top with a tortoiseshell pattern. The bread’s texture is crispy on the outside and pleasantly chewy on the inside.
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.
Things keep looking up for mushrooms. The versatile fungi continue to proliferate across meals-at-home, CPG, restaurant menus, and food tech.
“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.”
And that’s OK. In many ways, being authentic isn’t about the best product or service or value or lifestyle; it’s about being human, which is being vulnerable. Vulnerability is the heartbeat of authenticity, the subtle brand drumbeat that brand advocates and consumers can hear. Without a heartbeat – without being occasionally vulnerable – it will be hard to resonate and grow the brand in a way that feels organic, fresh, and authentic.
The quarterly percentage of American adults who say they purchase organic food regularly (or, “every chance I get,”) is up two percentage points since the first quarter of 2021, reaching 12%.
In a telling report from Qualtrics, 28% of Gen Z and millennials say student loan repayments will make the holidays unaffordable this year.
In an era of increased greenwashing and many companies abandoning once-ambitious ESG plans altogether, Walmart appears to be making real strides toward helping reduce food waste, solve food deserts, and burnishing its worldwide brand a little more.
It’s no secret that consumers are dealing with a lot right now—emergency SNAP benefits ended, student loan payments restarted, and food inflation has persisted—putting many grocery consumers in a bind and ultimately changing how they …
E-commerce has not only failed to kill the great American retail experience but is helping it thrive as sales associates and vendors large and small are using the omnichannel to attract customers, enhance sales, and reduce customer acquisition costs.
The costs of suboptimal diets in the U.S. due to health care spending and lost productivity are estimated at $1.1 trillion each year — equaling the economic output of the entire food sector.
