Automating Food Production with AI-Enabled Robots

Labor shortages and rising production demands are pushing food manufacturers to rethink their operations. As a result, robotics have shifted from a concept of the future to a practical solution that is improving efficiency, consistency, ...

Q4 Crunch Time: Foodservice Foot Traffic & Trend Insights

Foot traffic and consumer trends are shifting across the foodservice landscape—from fast-casual to full-service to quick-service segments. The Food Institute hosted a data-driven discussion on the factors shaping restaurant performance in the second half of ...

Metabolic Health and Weight Management in the GLP-1 Era

It is no surprise that consumers are increasingly focused on health and wellness. In particular, weight management has become a key priority for many consumers, with GLP-1 drugs emerging as one of several tools being ...

Smarter Supply, Smarter Service: How AI is Transforming Foodservice

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the foodservice industry—from how food is produced and delivered to how it’s prepared and served. The Food Institute explored how AI is driving innovation and efficiency across the entire foodservice ecosystem, ...

Navigating Economic Headwinds – What’s Ahead for the F&B Industry

The U.S. economy grew 2.8% in 2024 but began 2025 with a -0.5% decline in Q1. As we look ahead to the rest of 2025 and into 2026, the path forward remains uncertain. Persistent inflation, ...

Eyes on the Aisle: A Mid-Year Food Retail Update

R.J. Hottovy of Placer.ai and Sally Lyons Wyatt of Circana explored how shifting economic conditions, evolving consumer preferences, and the growing focus on health and wellness are influencing food shopping behavior. Topics covered included: Visitation ...

Restaurant Industry Insights for 2025

In case you missed it—or want to revisit key takeaways—the full recording is now available. R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai and Sunny Khamkar, co-founder and CEO of MenuData, unpacked the trends and ...

How 2D Barcodes Could Revolutionize Retail

The UPC has long been a staple in food retail—but 2D barcodes are poised to take its place and transform how manufacturers, retailers, and consumers connect. In this on-demand webinar, experts from GS1 US and …

Food & Beverage Industry M&A: What to Expect in 2025

In this exclusive webinar hosted by The Food Institute, industry experts explore key M&A trends shaping the food and beverage sector in 2025. The session features a data-driven presentation from John Siegler of BMO Capital ...

Beyond the Buzz: What’s Next for the Non-Alcoholic Beverage Market?

As the demand for premium, complex, and health-conscious alcohol alternatives accelerates, the non-alcoholic beverage market is undergoing a major transformation. In this exclusive webinar hosted by The Food Institute, industry experts break down the latest ...

The Future of Food Retail

The food retail industry in 2025 is evolving rapidly, with shifting consumer preferences, rising competition, and new growth opportunities. From the rise of international grocers and natural products to the ongoing battle between discounters and ...

The Power of Private Label: How Store Brands are Transforming Food Retail

Private label products are no longer a niche market—they’re a major force in food retail. With consumers becoming more cost-conscious, private label sales hit a record $236.3 billion in 2023. But what’s driving this explosive ...

Data-Driven Dining: Restaurant Insights for 2025

Amid inflationary headwinds and fluctuating consumer demand, restaurant operators are facing difficult times. What are consumers looking for when they eat out, and what operators are successfully navigating the current climate? The Food Institute hosted …

Seizing Opportunities: Food Manufacturing M&A Insights for 2024

Despite the challenges and risks within the U.S. economy, the food manufacturing industry remains a bright spot in the M&A world. What trends are taking form? What can be expected in terms of deal volume ...

Snacking Smarter: Consumer Trends and Product Solutions

How has consumer snacking changed in the last five years, and what trends are shaping its future in 2025? In this webinar, experts from Glanbia Nutritionals, Brightfield Group, and The Food Institute explore these questions ...

Inflation’s Economic Impact: What it Means for the F&B Industry

Inflation affects every corner of the U.S. economy, but its impact on the Food and Beverage industry is particularly profound. Join The Food Institute for an insightful webinar during which we examine how rising prices ...

Innovation in Focus: Future Food Trends from SIAL Paris 2024

The Food Institute hosted Comexposium’s Audrey Ashworth and Anne-Claire Petitcol to preview SIAL Paris 2024 – the largest food and beverage show in the world. Audrey delved into the groundbreaking trends and innovations set to …

Transformational Foodservice Trends: Trusting Your Data Partners

As the foodservice industry continues to engage in a digital transformation, it is more important than ever to trust your data partners. From operators to distributors to manufacturers, every link along the foodservice supply chain …

Food & Beverage Industry M&A: What to Expect in 2024

This webinar, hosted by The Food Institute, will look at the major M&A trends in the food and beverage industry in 2024, featuring a presentation by John Siegler of BMO Capital Markets followed by a ...

Webinar: The Future of Food Retail

In 2024, the food retail industry will face a new set of opportunities and challenges unlike those in previous years. From the impact of inflation, shifts in shopper behavior, increased technological disruption, and competition from ...

Driving Success in Marketing and Design: How Food & Beverage Companies are Winning in 2024

This webinar featured SRW and Barrel – two leading marketing and design companies in the food and beverage CPG space – to share their latest insights on effective marketing and website design strategies for 2024. …

The Future of Restaurants: Data and Insights for 2024 and Beyond

Few sectors of the food industry have seen the same headwinds as the foodservice industry the past few years. The pandemic forced a shift to digital technologies and delivery options, and inflation has pressed consumers ...

How F&B Companies Can Leverage Generative AI

Generative AI burst onto the scene this year as programs like ChatGPT, Bard, and Midjourney demonstrated the vast potential of this emerging technology. Many experts predict that generative AI will soon transform how businesses operate, making right now the perfect time to get ahead of the competition.

Growth Opportunities for Food Manufacturers in 2023

Despite persistent inflation, declining volume sales, and a more reticent consumer, growth opportunities remain for food manufacturers in 2023. The Food Institute hosted this exclusive webinar to explore how the food manufacturing industry can position ...

Food Inflation Outlook: 2023 and Beyond

The lingering effects of rampant inflation and the specter of a possible recession are impacting consumers and companies across the board, and the food space is no different. Increased costs across the value chain are ...

Introducing The Snack 50 – The First Psych-Based Measurement of the World’s Top Snack Brands

Understanding brand strength has remained somewhat of a mystery for many snacking companies. Snack food rankings have historically relied on generic popularity polls, sales data, social listening tools, reviewer critiques, and biased “pay to play” ...

CPG Industry: Key Themes and 2023 Outlook

What is the state of the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry? Watch as Nik Modi of RBC Capital Markets dissected the latest CPG trends in food and beverage and provided his outlook for 2023. Additionally, Modi ...

Training the Next Gen of Food Industry Managers

What separates the average and the exceptional food and beverage company? A key part of the answer may lie in how leaders within the organization are trained. Traditional management theory would suggest that companies should …

Expert: Brands Must Consider Emotional Factors of Inflation

How will consumer behavior shift as prices climb amid inflation? Most c-suites – in food business, and beyond – are inadvertently approaching this question with a purely rational framing, evaluating the marketplace as if every …

Webinar Recap: Health Remains Top Reason for Consuming Probiotics

With consumers prioritizing health more than ever, food makers are turning to functional ingredients like probiotics to provide documented health benefits in food and beverages. In an exclusive Food Institute webinar, bioscience company Chr. Hansen …

Carbon Labeling Claims –  Making Them Work for Your Company

Editor’s note: The Food Institute, partnering with OFW Law, is hosting a webinar Feb. 17: “Carbon Labeling Claims for the Food and Restaurant Industries,” discussing must-know details of carbon emissions labeling. The webinar is part …

Food Industry Insiders Say Communication, Personal Connections Key for 2022

Despite rising inflation, supply chain bottlenecks, and labor challenges, the food industry should be looking forward to 2022. Additionally, collaboration, communication, and developing personal connections will be critical growth drivers. These were some of the …

NPD Exec: Restaurant Operators Must Lean Into Off-Premises Opportunities

Prior to last year, David Portalatin noticed it all the time. In his hometown of Houston, restaurant customers sought “Instagrammable moments,” in which they snapped photos of tasty-looking food and friends with whom they were …

FI Webinar Recap: What’s Driving Food & Beverage M&A Activity? 

The food and beverage industry has seen no shortage of mergers and acquisitions of late, to put it mildly. And that begs the question: What, exactly, are the driving forces behind these transactions? In a recent webinar …

Industry Insiders: COVID-19 Pushes Restaurants to Innovate Menus

Restaurant menus – like so much of society amid the pandemic – have undergone a whirlwind of change in recent months. The coronavirus has required as much, with restaurants having to deal with supply uncertainties …

Analysts: Brands Must Embrace Omnichannel Approach

In today’s omnichannel world, customer loyalty is difficult to earn and just as tough to maintain. With that, keeping pace with customers’ evolving tastes is an undeniably tall task. These issues were analyzed recently during …